In the city of Lugano, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland

 "Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise." -- Alexander Pope

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(in Switzerland) The Canton of Ticino, this country's southernmost canton, lies almost entirely south of the Alps. Through the main crest of the Gotthard and adjacent mountain ranges, it borders the canton of Valais to the northwest, the canton of Uri to the north and the canton of Grisons to the northeast. The canton shares international borders with Italy as well, including a small Italian enclave. Named after the Ticino, its longest river, it is the only canton where Italian is the sole official language and represents the bulk of the Italian-speaking area of Switzerland. Bellinzona is the capital, and Lugano (featured here) is the most important city in the canton -- known for its beautiful waterfront, steep hillsides, and gorgeous lakeside views. Lugano is a vivacious city, with posh designer boutiques, bars and pavement cafes huddling in the maze of steep cobblestone streets that lead to the edge of Lake Lugano, along its flowery promenade. Popping up above the lake are the twin peaks of Monte Brè and Monte San Salvatore, both commanding astonishing views deep into the Alps and attracting lots of mountain-hikers and trail bikers -- in the warmer months of the year.

In the city of Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

 “Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.” – George S. Patton

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(in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg)  The city of Luxembourg is found on a sandstone plateau, into which the Alzette River and its tributary, the Petrusse, have cut deep winding ravines. Within a loop of the Alzette, a rocky promontory called the Bock forms a natural defensive position where the Romans and later the Franks built a fort, around which the medieval town developed. The purchase of this castle in 963 CE by Siegfried, count of Ardennes, marked the beginning of Luxembourg as an independent entity. The castle’s old name, Lucilinburhuc (“Little Fortress”), is the origin of the name Luxembourg. Majestically set across the deep gorges of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers, Luxembourg City is one of Europe's most scenic capitals. Its Unesco-listed Old Town is a warren of tunnels, nooks and crannies sheltering some outstanding museums, as well as lively drinking and dining scenes. The city is famed for its financial and EU centers, making weekends an ideal time to visit, as hotel prices drop dramatically. (The city was subjected to bombardment by the German V-3 cannon in December 1944 and January 1945.)

In the port city of Gdańsk (Danzig in German), northern Poland

 "The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being." -- Lech Walesa

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(in northern Poland, on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay, at the mouth of the Vistula River on the Baltic coast) One of Poland’s most beautiful cities, Gdansk has played major roles in history, especially in the 20th-century. It was the 1939 flash point of World War II, and then in 1980, the birthplace of the Solidarity movement (led by Lech Walesa), ushering the end of Communist domination in Eastern Europe. Gdansk’s Old Town, carefully reconstructed to reflect its Hanseatic League glory after being leveled in World War II, is a highlight. (The 14th-century Town Hall houses the city’s historical museum.) Today, Gdańsk is an important cultural seat containing schools of medicine, engineering, and fine arts; a maritime center; many fine churches, museums, theaters, and gardens; and a concert hall and an opera house. Visitors throng in great numbers to wander historical thoroughfares lined with grand, elegantly proportioned buildings, and to enjoy a treasure trove of characterful bars and cafes, and seafood restaurants -- plus pleasure-boat cruises along the river (and a wealth of maritime history to be considered).

In the city of Kraljevo, south-central Serbia

 "The crest and crowning of all good, life's final star, is Brotherhood." -- Edwin Markham

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(in south-central Serbia) The city of Kraljevo is found along the north bank of the Ibar River in a fertile agricultural region. The city’s heavy industry includes the manufacture of railway rolling stock, metal equipment, springs, wagons, ceramics, and firebrick. Cultural institutions include the National Museum, National Library, and National Theater, as well as the Institute for Protection of Cultural Heritage. Just three miles (5 km) southwest of Kraljevo is the 13th-century Žiča Monastery), seat of the first Serbian archbishop, containing fine frescoes of the Raška school of painting. In it, Serbian kings were crowned in the early Middle Ages. The monastery was originally painted red in the tradition of the Mount Athos monasteries. The complex comprises three churches. The Church of the Virgin, built in 1190 by Stefan Nemanja, founder of the Serbian state, is a diminutive church of white marble with delicate ornamentation; its frescoes date from the beginning of the 13th century. The Church of the Ascension of our Lord is a single nave church built in four sections, the third rising up to a high octagonal dome. The King’s Church was built by King Milutin in 1315.

At Meteora rock formation, just outside the town of Kalabaka, northern Greece

 “Living in a monastery, even as a guest rather than a monk, you have more opportunities than you might have elsewhere to see the world as it is, instead of through the shadow that you cast upon it.” ― Dean Koontz

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(just outside the town of Kalabaka, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains in the heart of northern Greece) Meteora is one of the most unique places to visit in Greece -- even in all of Europe. A rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, Meteora is second in importance only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries (of an original 24) are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like boulders that punctuate the area. These monasteries make up one of the few UNESCO World Heritage Sites that have been given a double status (one for art and one for nature). The stunning bluffs and hoodoos that make up the complex of Meteora are spread thousands of feet above the ground, making it one of the most remote places to live and worship in the world. The monasteries date back to the 14th century and once required an intricate system of ladders and baskets to scale the sky-high rock formations they sit atop.

In the medieval market town of Ystad, Scania County, Sweden

 "Den som vill ha något gott fär söka där det finns." ("Who wants to have something good, will have to seek it where it is.")

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(in Scania County, Sweden) The medieval market town of Ystad exudes a magical allure, due to its half-timbered houses, cobbled streets, and the haunting sound of the nightwatchman’s horn. An important hub of the Swedish film industry, Ystad has the country’s oldest cinema (Biografteatern Scala), a production studio, and the Cineteket interactive film museum. (Fans of crime novels may recognize Ystad as the setting for the best-selling Inspector Wallander crime thrillers.) Significant medieval features of Ystad include Greyfriars Abbey, the Church of the Virgin Mary, and the 16th-century Latin school. Ystad was Sweden’s window to Europe from the 17th to the mid-19th century, with new ideas and inventions (including cars, banks and hotels) arriving here first. Now a terminal for ferries to Poland and the Danish island of Bornholm, the port area's transitory feel doesn’t apply, fortunately, to the rest of the city. Once you start to explore you might find the place will work its usual magic, and you'll yearn to linger longer (perchance to visit an exotic animal park or pick up some artisan handicrafts at one of Ystad’s lovely galleries or boutiques).

On the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of Italy

 "The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace." -- Kate Chopin

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(on the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of Italy) Campania, on the Tyrrhenian Sea between the Garigliano (Lower Liri) River and the Gulf of Policastro, is mountainous and hilly. Tucked between two cliffs overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, the village of Atrani may be the area's best-kept secret. Due to the beauty of its alley, gardens, squares, buildings, and characteristic “scalinatelle” (stairs), Atrani has often been used as a set for film and TV commercials. Though it is part of the Amalfi Coast, it is the only town along the coast to preserve intact its antique, traditional characteristics. Its pastel colored buildings seem to be stacked one on top of another up the side of the mountains in the traditional style of the Amalfi Coast. Yet, Atrani is easy to spot from sea by its most distinctive architectural features. On one side of town the Collegiata di Santa Maria Maddalena overlooks the sea, with its yellow and green majolica tile dome and bell tower. The Amalfi Coast Road curves around the base of the church and runs through town on an arched bridge that was built in front of the town in the mid 1800s.

At Culzean Castle, near Maybole, Carrick, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland

 My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;

A-chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go...."
-- Robert Burns
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(overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Carrick, on Scotland's west coast) Nestled on the Ayrshire coast this area provides many opportunities for a great escape: rolling countryside teeming with history and outdoor adventures, a sandy shoreline, heavenly islands and one of the finest sailing spots in the world. Carrick's rocky coastline with its many hidden coves and inlets has made it a favorite location for smuggling. Robert Burns made his living as an exciseman along that coastline in the late-18th century. By the year 1469, the title "Earl of Carrick" had become one of the lesser titles of the heir apparent to the Scots (later British) throne. Maybole has Middle Ages roots, receiving a charter from Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick in 1193. For generations it remained under the suzerainty of the Kennedys, afterwards Earls of Cassillis and (later) Marquesses of Ailsa, the most powerful family in Ayrshire. Featured here is Culzean Castle, the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, which is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland., the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, which is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

In the city of Marseille, in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in France

 "I am working with the enthusiasm of a man from Marseilles eating bouillabaisse, which shouldn't come as a surprise to you because I am busy painting huge sunflowers." -- Vincent Van Gogh

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(in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in France) Located west of the French Riviera, the city of Marseille is found on the coast of the Gulf of Lion, one of the major ports of the Mediterranean Sea, near the mouth of the Rhône River. From the historic center of Marseille at the Old Port, the thoroughfare of La Canebière climbs eastward up the hill; its name is a corruption of a Latin word for hemp, recalling Marseille’s importance as a source of hemp and supplier of hemp rope in the Middle Ages. Thronged by people from around the world, La Canebière is the best-known commercial street in Marseille. Head up to the colonnade-lined Palais Longchamp (featured here) at the terminus of the Durance River. Inaugurated in 1869 as a monument to commemorate the connection of Marseille to a new waterway network, the combination large fountain-waterfall-water tower has two wings that house the city's natural history museum and Musee des beaux-arts. The surrounding Longchamp Park is listed by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.

In the historic region of La Mancha, Spain

 “When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”

― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
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(in Spain) The historic region of La Mancha is found in the the modern provinces of Cuenca, Toledo, and Albacete, and most of the Ciudad Real province. La Mancha is an arid yet fertile plateau that stretches from the mountains of Toledo to the western spurs of the hills of Cuenca, and bordered to the south by the Sierra Morena and to the north by the Alcarria region -- and constitutes the southern portion of Castilla-La Mancha. Described by Miguel de Cervantes in his 17th-century novel Don Quixote, visitors to the La Mancha region today still can encounter the 16th-century windmills at which Cervantes’s fictional would-be knight-errant “tilted,” believing them to be gigantic rivals. the landscape is richly patterned, with undulating plains of rich henna-colored earth, neatly striped and stippled with olive groves and grape vines, stretching to a horizon you never seem to reach. In addition to its association with Cervantes, La Mancha is well known for its wines.

In the lovely town of Trogir, on Croatia's Adriatic coast

 "The sun is couched, the sea-fowl gone to rest,

And the wild storm hath somewhere found a nest;
Air slumbers--wave with wave no longer strives,
Only a heaving of the deep survives,
A tell-tale motion! soon will it be laid,
And by the tide alone the water swayed...."
-- William Wordsworth, "By the Sea"
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(on Croatia's Adriatic coast) The lovely town of Trogir is found within medieval walls on a small island, linked by bridges to both the mainland and to the larger Čiovo Island. On summer nights people gravitate to Trogir's wide seaside promenade lined with bars, cafes and yachts, leaving the knotted, mazelike marble streets gleaming under old-fashioned streetlights. The historic town center is a pedestrianized district that is rather like an outdoor museum. Finely-carved facades, elegant churches and palaces, Renaissance gates and medieval streets reflect Dalmatian art and architecture at its best. Once the cultural center of Dalmatia, the Old Town has retained many intact and beautiful buildings from its age of glory between the 13th and 15th centuries. In 1997, its collection of Romanesque and Renaissance buildings earned it World Heritage status. Its beautiful Romanesque churches are complemented by the outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period.

In the valleys of Spessart (Woodpecker Forest), northwest Baveria, Germany

 “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” –John Muir

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(in northwest Bavaria, Germany) For centuries the red-sandstone studded hills and forested valleys of Spessart (Woodpecker Forest) were the private hunting domains of Germany’s nobility and bishops, and remained largely untouched by the outside world. Today, one benefits from that lack of development by visiting the Spessart, which has become a preferred destination for hikers and horsebackers. The region’s famous Donkey Trail (Eselweg) leads through 111 km (68 miles) of the area’s woodlands, along the path followed by the donkey caravans that transported salt from the medieval salt works at Orb and Fulda to the shipping ports along the River Main. This ridge trail passes through Germany’s largest continuous stretch of forest, shaded by some of the old growth oak trees. The Donkey Trail passes through six stages with places to find provide today's trail trekkers a bit of shelter and food at the end of each day’s trek. The Donkey Trail starts at Schlüchtern‘s railway station. Along the way, it passes by many old cloisters, hillside crucifixes, and chapels. In its later stages, it will take you to the legendary Mespelbrunn moated castle, the setting for the notable 1950s German film, “The Spessart Inn.”

In the hilltop village of Pienza, Tuscany, Italy

 "Every renaissance comes to the world with a cry, the cry of the human spirit to be free." -- Anne Sullivan

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(in Italy's province of Siena, Tuscany, in the historical region of Val d'Orcia) The hilltop village of Pienza in the midst of the magnificent Val d’ Orcia (which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata) in central Italy. is widely considered yo be the "Ideal city of the Renaissance." It was the brainchild of the great humanist Enea Silvio Piccolomini and architect Bernardo il Rossellino -- and was meant to exemplify the principles and philosophy of the Italian Renaissance. In 1996, UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site (citing the revolutionary vision of urban space) and in 2004 the entire valley, the Val d'Orcia, was included on the list of UNESCO’s World Cultural Landscapes. (Pienza was the birthplace of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, who would become Pope Pius II.) Once a sleepy hamlet, lovely Pienza was transformed when, in 1459, Pope Pius II began turning his home village into an ideal Renaissance town. The result is magnificent – the church, papal palace, town hall and accompanying buildings in and around Piazza Pio II were completed in a period of just three years and haven’t been remodeled since.

In the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, in the Occitanie region of France

 “We must never stop dreaming. Dreams provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

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(in the foothills of the Pyrenees, in the Occitanie region of France) The pilgrimage town of Lourdes, straddling both banks of the Gave de Pau River at the foot of the mountains, served as a strategic stronghold in medieval times. During the Hundred Years’ War the French captured it from the English in 1406, after an 18-month siege. The contemporary importance of Lourdes, however, dates from 1858, during which year, from February 11th to July 16th, Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old girl, had many visions of the Virgin Mary in the nearby Massabielle grotto, on the left bank of the stream. The visions were declared authentic by Pope Pius IX in 1862, and veneration of Mary as Our Lady of Lourdes was authorized. The underground spring in the grotto, revealed to Bernadette, was declared to have miraculous qualities, and Lourdes became a major pilgrimage center. The basilica, built above the grotto in 1876, eventually became overcrowded by the increasing number of pilgrims, and in 1958 a large concrete (underground) church was dedicated. Lourdes is visited by millions every (normal) year, and tourism plays a big role in the local economy.

In the twon of Sintra, northwest of Lisbon, Portugal

 "Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray." -- Lord Byron

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(in Portugal) The town of Sintra is found about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Lisbon, on the northern slope of the rugged Sintra Mountains. The area possesses a beauty that was celebrated by Lord Byron in his poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage -- and English author Robert Southey referred to it as “the most blessed spot on the whole inhabitable globe.” Sintra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. On one of the mountain peaks is the Pena National Palace, a 19th-century castle, an adaptation of a 16th-century monastery (and an imitation of a medieval fortress) built for Queen Maria II by her young German consort, Ferdinand II. On the grounds of the castle, Ferdinand created the Parque da Pena, a series of gardens and walking paths that incorporated more than 2,000 species of domestic and nonnative plants. Loosely adopting the conventions established by the English garden movement in the 18th century, the park incorporates natural elements throughout, adapting to the area’s rugged terrain (rather than reshaping it). (Palácio Nacional da Pena is considered the greatest expression of 19th-century romanticism in Portugal.)

In the city of Bergen, in Vestland county, Norway

 "... I've looked at life from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all."
-- Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now" lyrics
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(Norway's second city, in Vestland county, on the west coast) The colorful Norwegian city of Bergen is also a gateway to majestic fjords. The principal port and business section is on a peninsula projecting into Byfjord, bounded to the north by the inlet and harbor of Vågen (for small ships) and on the south by Pudde Bay (for larger vessels) and the Store Lungegårds Lake. Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf will provide an early sense of the local culture; take a bit of time to snap photos of the Hanseatic commercial buildings (which look like scenery from a movie set). The city's outdoor fish market, a multi-sensory reminder of the city’s role in early fish trade, is also worth checking out. Ferry across a fjord to Lysøen, where the former villa of 19th-century composer Ole Bull will captivate you, and yours', with fairytale charm. During the early Middle Ages, Bergen was an important seaport and a member of the Hanseatic League, as well as Norway's capital -– a heritage that is still reflected in the beautifully preserved wooden buildings of Bryggen, now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

At Saint Michael's Abbey, near to the city of Torino, Italy

 (near Torino, Italy) Dedicated to the the Archangel Michele, the Sacra di San Michele (a.k.a. Saint Michael's Abbey) is located along a route of pilgrimage (more than 2000 km, or 1250 mi. long), which runs from Mont Saint-Michel (in France) to Monte Sant’Angelo (in Puglia, Italy). The Abbey is a religious complex on Mount Pirchiriano (on the south side of the Val di Susa) in the town of Sant'Ambrogio di Torino, in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.

Like many of the pinnacle-top sites dedicated to the archangel Michael, the exact dates and stories of construction have been lost to time, but it dates to at least the 11th century, if not earlier. It stood abandoned from 1622-1835, but was restored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Abbey, which for much of its history came under Benedictine rule, is now entrusted to the Roman Catholic Rosminians.

In the port city of Malaga, Spain

 (in Spain) Malaga, on Spain's Costa del Sol, lies at the feet of the Montes de Malaga, about 100 km (or 63 mi.) east of the Strait of Gibraltar. Loaded with history and brimming with a youthful vigor that gladly acknowledges its multi-layered past, the city that gave the world Picasso has transformed itself in spectacular fashion in recent years, with several new art galleries, a redesigned port area and a nascent art district called Soho. The most important places to visit here include: Malaga's Cathedral (established on the former Great Mosque, after the reconquest in 1528), The Picasso Museum, the Roman Theater (located close to the Alcazaba Fortress), La Alcazaba of Málaga (one of most popular tourist attractions in Malaga), which witnessed the passage of Arab civilization in Andalusia), and many more.

Come here for tapas washed down with sweet local wine, and stay in a boutique hotel sandwiched in between a Roman amphitheater, a Moorish fortress, and the polychromatic Pompidou Center, while you begin to appreciate how eloquently Málaga has reinvented itself for this 21st century.