The Roman Well in the hilltop town of Cortona

The front door of the Roman Well is on this quiet alley.
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By Dan Shryock
TalkTuscany.com publisher

At the recommendation of TalkTuscany.com writer Bob Cortright, our family started our 2007 vacation to Tuscany with a one-week stay in Cortona. We rented an apartment there which served as our home base as we explored Italy by rented car.

Our apartment, aptly called “The Roman Well,” is located only about 30 steps from Via Nazionale, the primary street in tiny Cortona. From this two-bedroom apartment, we could walk anywhere in town.

It’s called The Roman Well because, in fact, there is a Roman well in the living room. It’s not an actively used well, of course, but it demonstrates how buildings grew over the centuries. What was once a well is now a deep, deep hole inside an interior wall. Simply open the plexiglass door and look straight down.

The apartment provided all the comforts of home during our week there. I enjoyed the 7 am flights of small birds as they dipped and danced outside our bedroom window.

The Roman Well, located on Vicolo del Precipizio (“vicolo” means “alley”), is about a one-minute walk to the popular Piazza Repubblica.

As many travelers know, the book and movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” focus on Cortona and make it a popular destination. I found the town and its people seemingly unaffected by the newfound fame. And most importantly, tourists had not overrun the city even though it was late June. Sure, there were tourists such as ourselves, but it was never too crowded to enjoy an evening the the piazza or a great meal.

Open the door in the living room wall and look down into the Roman well. -----	The classic old kitchen is fully functional including the centuries-old fireplace. -----