Orvieto, Italy: The world's most beautiful hilltop city

#TravelWithMe A perfect day trip from Rome is Orvieto, known as the "world's most beautiful city on a hill," which once flourished as a retreat for the Pope. The narrow, winding streets, arches, and rows of low, irregularly shaped houses made of tuff and basalt create a very beautiful sight. After taking a funicular and a small bus to the town on a small hill, you will be greeted by the Duomo with its spectacular façade. Its distinctive stripes, completed over a period of about 300 years, are a sight to behold without ever getting bored. A must-see is the Pozzo di S.Patrizio Well on the right hand side of Piazza Cahen. The well was built in 1527 by order of the Pope at the time to secure water in preparation for a siege. Carved into tuff, the well is 62 meters deep, 13 meters wide, and has two spiral staircases with 248 steps. The stairs are designed so that people won't collide when going down to get water and when carrying it back to the ground. Apparently people used to go down on horses, which is why the stairs are so low. The skylights are impressive, and just going down and up the stairs creates a fantastical space, which is interesting. By the way, in Italy they say that a spendthrift has "pockets like the well of San Patrizo." Perhaps as a reference to this, coins are thrown into the bottom of the well, in hopes that money will accumulate. 　 Orvieto