
Saint-Tropez
Saint-Tropez works better in May or October. July crowds and EUR30 rosé make the real town almost impossible to find.

Saint-Tropez works better in May or October. July crowds and EUR30 rosé make the real town almost impossible to find.


Todos Santos sits an hour north of Cabo but feels like a different country — art galleries, good tacos, and surf breaks without the resort crowds.

Mantua sits on three lakes and gets skipped for Verona every time. That’s the mistake — the Palazzo Ducale alone takes hours.


Lucca’s Renaissance walls are still intact — all 4km of them, tree-lined and walkable. Most of Tuscany tore theirs down.


Napa gets the headlines, but Sonoma is where winemakers actually want to drink. The tasting rooms are smaller, the pours are more generous, and nobody is rushing you out.

Brunello di Montalcino is reason enough to come. The fortress views over the Val d’Orcia seal the deal.

Dürnstein Castle held Richard the Lionheart prisoner. The Grüner Veltliner poured below it is reason enough to linger.


Bernkastel-Kues sits on the Moselle like it was staged for a painting — but the Riesling in the market square is very real.