Most people give Palermo a couple of days on the way to somewhere prettier in Sicily. I think that's backwards. I'd give it four days and make it the first stop, because the rest of the island reads more clearly once you've seen what a long line of foreign rulers left behind in its capital: Byzantine gold, Arab domes and gardens, Norman kings in porphyry tombs and Spanish … [Read more...] about Palermo Must-See Guide, the Places I Would Never Let a Friend Skip
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Lisbon Is So Multilayered, Literally
Lisbon is not a city you can understand by looking straight ahead. You have to look up, and sometimes down, because much of its character exists in the space between street level and the rooftops. The Portuguese capital is built in layers: geographical, architectural, historical and unmistakably human. A short walk can feel like moving between several different cities, even … [Read more...] about Lisbon Is So Multilayered, Literally
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper: An Incredible Art Museum in Brittany
Quimper is already one of Brittany's most appealing historic cities, but its Musée des Beaux-Arts gives visitors another compelling reason to linger. This is an art museum that deserves far more attention from travelers exploring western France. Its galleries offer an absorbing encounter with the region's artistic heritage, including the colors, people and landscapes that … [Read more...] about Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper: An Incredible Art Museum in Brittany
Florence Leaves Room for the Unexpected
Florence can seem almost too familiar before you arrive. Its domes, statues and warm stone facades have appeared in so many photographs that you half expect the city to stand still and reproduce them for you. Then you walk into Piazza della Signoria and something interrupts the picture. In this photograph, that something is an enormous, knotted column of metal, its folds rising … [Read more...] about Florence Leaves Room for the Unexpected
Why Bordeaux Is Never Boring
Bordeaux is never boring because there is always something happening between the places you came to see. You set off to look at a stone gateway and end up watching a waiter negotiate a crowded terrace. You follow a shopping street and find yourself slowing down at a window, then stopping for coffee, then wondering where the last hour went. The city has the grand architecture to … [Read more...] about Why Bordeaux Is Never Boring
Évora, a Roman Temple, a Chapel of Bones and a Walled Town in the Alentejo
Évora sits in the middle of Portugal's Alentejo, about an hour and a half by road or train east of Lisbon, and it feels further away than that. The town is still wrapped in its walls. Inside them, whitewashed houses with yellow trim line narrow lanes that climb toward a small hilltop where a Roman temple stands next to a cathedral. The whole historic centre has been a UNESCO … [Read more...] about Évora, a Roman Temple, a Chapel of Bones and a Walled Town in the Alentejo
Porte de Bourgogne Marks the Entrance to Historic Bordeaux
The Porte de Bourgogne is a useful place to begin a walk through Bordeaux. Standing on Place Bir-Hakeim at the riverward end of Cours Victor-Hugo, the great stone arch gives the surrounding streets a clear point of reference. The Garonne and the Pont de Pierre lie in one direction; the older city opens behind it. Pause here before choosing a route. The relationship between the … [Read more...] about Porte de Bourgogne Marks the Entrance to Historic Bordeaux
What Museum Rooms Tell Us Before We Look at the Exhibits
A museum visit begins before you read the first label. The entrance establishes a pace, a staircase draws you upward, and the first room suggests what deserves your attention. Some spaces present objects with deliberate restraint. Others surround them with marble, gilding, painted ceilings and long views through open doors. Spend a moment reading that setting. The room is part … [Read more...] about What Museum Rooms Tell Us Before We Look at the Exhibits
The First Hour After Arriving in an Unfamiliar City
The first hour in a new city is often spent trying to make it resemble the plan. You find the hotel, open a map, check the list of places you meant to see and begin calculating how much can still fit into the day. Leave a little room for orientation. A short, unambitious walk can make the next few days easier by showing you how the streets actually connect and what your … [Read more...] about The First Hour After Arriving in an Unfamiliar City
Bom Jesus do Monte and the Art of the Climb in Braga
Some buildings announce themselves with a facade. Bom Jesus do Monte, above Braga in northern Portugal, makes its introduction with a climb. From the foot of the monumental staircase, the church seems both perfectly visible and a rather long way away. Your eye reaches the twin bell towers almost immediately; your legs will need a little longer. That difference is part of the … [Read more...] about Bom Jesus do Monte and the Art of the Climb in Braga