Soroca sits on a dramatic limestone bluff above the Dniester River in the far north of Moldova, staring across the water into Ukraine. It is a town of around 25,000 people and one of Europe's least-visited places of genuine interest — which, given what it has to offer, is either a mystery or a recommendation depending on your disposition.
The centrepiece is Soroca Fortress, a circular 16th-century stronghold built under Moldavian Prince Petru Rareș. Five round towers, thick stone walls, a river on one side, and views across an international border: it is one of the finest medieval monuments in the whole country, and on most days you may have it almost to yourself. The ticket costs almost nothing.
Climb the hill behind the fortress and the town's stranger distinction comes into view. Ţigănia — known informally as Gypsy Hill — is a dense neighbourhood of Roma mansions so extravagant they have to be seen to be believed. Gold domes, baroque columns, white capitals, turrets, and facades modelled loosely on the White House or Versailles crowd together on steep streets above the river. The community has deep roots here; the wealth behind the houses was accumulated through generations of trade and migration. Walk through with curiosity and respect — this is a living neighbourhood, not a theme park.
At the highest point of the bluff stands the Candle of Gratitude, a tall stone monument with panoramic views over the Dniester valley and into Ukraine. The combination of the fortress below, the Roma neighbourhood on the slope, and the vast river horizon makes for a sequence of sights that is genuinely unlike anywhere else in Europe. Moldova is one of the continent's poorest and least-visited countries; Soroca is a reward for those who make the journey.