Veliko Tărnovo is the historical soul of Bulgaria, the medieval capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396), dramatically perched on the steep banks of the Yantra River whose fortress of Tsarevets, cathedral, and traditional houses clinging to the gorge walls create one of the most spectacularly sited city landscapes in the Balkans. Often called the […]
High above the Our River valley, the silhouette of Vianden Castle commands the skyline of the small Luxembourgish town below. Its towers and battlements rise with a grandeur that speaks of medieval power and romantic restoration. The castle underwent extensive reconstruction in the twentieth century, returning it to its former glory as one of the […]
Categories: Luxembourg, Sights
Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on Earth. People have lived in its cave dwellings, the Sassi, since before the birth of Rome. For decades the city was called a national shame, its cave homes deemed unfit for modern life. Then the artists and filmmakers arrived and saw what others had missed. […]
The view from Ukko-Koli hill has been painted, photographed, and celebrated for over a century. Forested islands dot the surface of Lake Pielinen far below. The granite cliffs drop sharply to the water, and the silence between bird calls is profound. Koli National Park protects this landscape of ancient hills, old-growth forests, and rocky outcrops […]
Hot mineral water rises from twelve springs at temperatures that steam in the cool mountain air, each one tasting of iron, sodium, or carbon dioxide. Karlovy Vary unfurls along the narrow valley of the Tepla River, its pastel colonnades and wrought-iron balconies evoking a century when the European aristocracy came here to drink the waters […]
Categories: Czech Republic, Sights, Wellness, Relax & Sports
Three storeys of baroque and neo-Renaissance architecture rise above a forested valley in Lower Silesia. Ksiaz Castle is the third largest castle in Poland, a sprawling structure built and rebuilt over seven centuries. The Hochberg family owned it for generations, filling it with art, tapestries, and a library of forty thousand volumes. During the Second […]
The Peñón de Ifach rises straight out of the Mediterranean like a giant limestone fist. Calpe sits at its base, a resort town where the prices match the dramatic views. Sun loungers line the beaches in neat rows, and the smell of grilled sardines drifts from waterfront restaurants charging premium rates. The old town offers […]
Categories: Nature, Sights, Spain, Wellness, Relax & Sports
The red-tiled dome of Florence Cathedral dominates the skyline of the Tuscan capital, a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering that has inspired architects and artists for over 500 years. The cathedral, formally named the basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, was begun in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the topping […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights
Castillo de la Mota is one of the most beautiful medieval fortresses in Spain, a magnificent 15th-century castle in the town of Medina del Campo, Valladolid province, Castile and León, built from the region’s distinctive red brick in the Mudéjar style and considered one of the finest examples of military architecture in the Kingdom of […]
Categories: Castles, Sights, Sights, Spain, Wellness, Relax & Sports
Kolossi Castle is one of the most significant medieval monuments in Cyprus, a imposing 15th-century Crusader tower house near Limassol, surrounded by flowering bougainvillea and citrus groves, that served as the Grand Commandery of the Knights Hospitaller (Knights of St. John) and was the centre of the island’s sugar and wine production during the Lusignan […]