Destination Insights

Trulli of Alberobello — Truly Amazing

In the town of Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site probably founded in the 15th century, there are more than 1,000 of the most interesting dwellings. These trulli and their clever construction came about during the Middle Ages, popularized by a law prohibiting the construction of new cities without regal authorization—and taxation.

Read the full article

The Work Boats of Venice

Gondolas delight both visitors and residents of Venice, but another icon of the waterways—the workboat—often goes unnoticed. The delivery boat, the police boat, and even the ambulance boat—all are crucial modes of transportation in a city without automobiles. Here we offer a look at unappreciated workboats, making a living on the canals in one of […]

Read the full article

Could I Eat a Horse?

The instructions were unnerving: Boil olive oil in a hot pan, lay the horsemeat in flat, and turn it when it starts to rise. I tried hard not to visualize horseflesh rearing up out of a pan of boiling oil. We were in search of the “Puglian delicacy” I had read about in a guidebook and was determined not to miss.

Read the full article

Snakes & Lizards—A Striking Exhibition at the California Academy of Sciences

Sixty fascinating reptiles take over the California Academy of Sciences this summer as part of its new exhibit, Snakes & Lizards: The Summer of Slither. Here are some of their friendly faces.

Read the full article

Libya souks and shopping

Tripoli, also known as “the Jewel of the Mediterranean,” is Libya’s largest city, with souks offering a wide variety of unexpected and unfamiliar goods. Visitors will enjoy spices, fabrics, jewelry, and … smoking rabbits.

Read the full article

Americans in Bayeux — Normandy, France

By David Greitzer. Few travelers visit Bayeux, a sleepy little hamlet of about 13,000 in the French region of Normandy and the closest city to the D-Day Invasion of June 6, 1944, where the allied forces stormed the beaches to liberate France from the Germans in World War II.

Read the full article

Libya before the War

Tripoli—Libya’s capital and largest city, principal seaport, and leading commercial and manufacturing center—has been continuously inhabited since it was founded by Phoenicians in the 7th century. Now in the midst of a revolution, war, and suffering, it is full of warm, friendly people.

Read the full article

Barging the Canals of Holland

The geese and nearby morning rush-hour traffic startled me awake from my cozy bunk aboard the Hilversum, a 15-meter-long barge tied up in a small Dutch town that could have modeled for a Rembrandt masterpiece. Cruising through Holland’s arterial canals on our own privately piloted barge, we saw the countryside and some of its larger cities from a unique vantage …

Read the full article

Banana Tower

By Laurie McAndish King. As a child, I imagined strolling across the Field of Miracles on a sunny day. I didn’t know why it was called the Field of Miracles, but supposed the Virgin had probably appeared to someone there. That, or an innocent baby had been cured of a horrible disease. Perhaps both, since it was called the Field of Miracles—plural.

Read the full article

Which Way Is North?

By Laurie McAndish King. The Polynesians navigated by squatting low between the two hulls of their ocean-faring canoes, testicles dangling into the water. The combination of ultra-sensitive skin, keen attention to the subtleties of ocean swells, and nautical lore handed down from father to son enabled these ancient tribes to explore the uncharted waters of

Read the full article

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →