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Rick Steves' Europe
Italy's Great Hill Towns
Season 4
Episode 408
Connoisseurs of Italy find that its quintessential charms survive in its classic hill towns. From San Gimignano’s medieval towers, to Cortona’s charming lanes, to Orvieto’s papal intrigue, to Civita di Bagnoregio’s cliff-hanging vistas all sit on lofty stone perches that now seem to protect them only from the modern world.
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