Italy is home to some of the most exquisite lakes, natural hot springs, and beaches in Europe. Marina Serra, a beach in the Salento region—resembling the heel of Italy’s boot on a map—features a natural swimming pool that has served as a popular local summer holiday destination for generations. Marina Serra’s Piscina Naturale features emerald…
Few places in the world exhibit as stark a difference between high and low tide as Spain‘s Cantabrian Coast. At low tide, a series of rock formations, resembling the stately buttresses of a towering cathedral, emerge on the seafloor. As soon as high tide rolls in, the rock formations are almost entirely obscured by water….
Crowds of tourists visit the thundering Trevi Fountain in Rome on a daily basis, but few visitors are aware of an elegant Art Nouveau courtyard that is located nearby. Constructed in the late 19th century by the wealthy Sciarra family, Galleria Sciarra has served as a bustling pedestrian thoroughfare for Italians who live and work…
The gorgeous city of New Orleans is home to countless stately live oak trees. A sprawling live oak in Audubon Park, with branches so long that they touch the ground, has captured the hearts of residents and visitors alike in the Big Easy. Known as the Tree of Life, this majestic tree, draped in Spanish…
The small mountain village of Rasiglia, Italy, has often been called a miniature Venice. Since the 12th century, the village of Rasiglia has relied on its intersecting streams to power a grain mill, a wool dyeing factory, and a laundry facility. The streams, ponds, and canals of Rasiglia are too small for gondola traffic, but…
Lake Tahoe—which spans the border of California and Nevada—is one of the most beautiful lakes in North America. Over 1 million visitors per year flock to Lake Tahoe to kayak, water ski, and sunbathe on the lake’s sandy shores. In recent years, a distinctive boulder with 3 small yet determined trees growing out of it…
In the mid-1930s, a brutal civil war that historians claim served as a “dress rehearsal” for World War II broke out in Spain. As the Spanish Civil War escalated, Fascist General Francisco Franco requested military support from Italian Fascist Benito Mussolini. Mussolini sent a team of fighter pilots to mercilessly bomb the city of Barcelona,…
One of the largest cave systems in the world is located a short distance from the bustling city of Taxco, Mexico. Grutas de Cacahuamilpa features over 90 caverns, which are also known as salons. Only 20 salons have been fully explored and are open to the public. For a small fee, Grutas de Cacahuamilpa park…
