Italy

Two days island-hopping off Sicily's north coast — a hired boat to the small islands, then a ferry cruise to watch Stromboli erupt against the night sky.

Less polished than Taormina, less famous than Cefalù, but an amazing place that stands on its own and we'd readily go back.

Palermo street food, a windswept old town on the western tip, a beach nobody told you about, and boat trips to islands that don't feel like Italy at all.