Pope Pius II dreamed of a perfect city, and on this sunbaked Tuscan hilltop, he built it. The trapezoidal Piazza Pio II unfolds like a stage set, framed by the cathedral, the papal palace, and the town hall in flawless Renaissance proportion. Beyond the belvedere, the Val d Orcia rolls away in waves of wheat […]
The oldest vine in the world still produces grapes in Maribor, a fact that tells you everything about this Slovenian city’s relationship with wine. The Stara trta, or old vine, has been growing on the same wall for over 450 years, surviving wars, invasions, and urban development. Maribor sits in the heart of the Styria […]
Nestled among the lakes and forests of north-eastern Lithuania, Utena is one of the country’s oldest settlements, with a history that stretches back over 700 years. First mentioned in historical records in 1261, the city has grown from a small wooden fortress into a modern regional centre of about 25,000 people. Despite its long history, […]
