Step into Vlkolínec and the 21st century falls away. This tiny UNESCO-listed village in the mountains of central Slovakia preserves a way of life that has almost vanished from Europe. Wooden log houses with steep shingled roofs and whitewashed walls line a single street. Each house is numbered and painted in traditional patterns. Smoke rises […]
Charleroi does not court tourists. This former industrial city in Wallonia has a reputation for grit rather than glamour. But its belfry, a UNESCO World heritage Site, rises above the city centre with quiet dignity. The tower was built in the 17th century as part of a Franciscan monastery and later became a prison, a […]