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Foodies (and those simply interested in local color and a good meal) should head to San Lorenzo and its covered Mercato Centrale. Florence’s main market for edibles is housed in a 19th-century glass-and-iron building. On the ground floor, delis, stands, and butcher counters sell a fantastic array of local fruit and vegetables, cheeses, dried porcini mushrooms, baked goods, balsamic vinegars, and olive oils plus fresh fish, poultry, and meat. Upstairs, a modern food hall has opened: Stalls sell prepared foods and meals for happy and immediate consumption at a central seating area.

Set in a 12th-century palace that looks like the setting for a Wes Anderson film, Palazzo Avino is skirted in flower-filled gardens terraced across a cliffside in Ravello. Interiors are as opulent as the storybook architecture, filled with antiques and marble and featuring charming details such as stained-glass windows, Hermès textiles, and antique carpets. Picturesque is an understatement for the panoramas that extend from the sunbathing lawns that surround the pool area. Even the fitness facilities take advantage of the vistas: Cardio machines are set in cabanas in the gardens, making for arguably the world’s most scenic spinning sessions. Since you’re right in the center of town, guests can walk to several restaurants and bars or stay put at the hotel’s Michelin-starred Rossellinis, an alfresco lunch spot known for its lobster and champagne pairings; if you’re looking for something more spirited, opt for one of the 100 different martinis on the menu at the Lobster & Martini Bar.

The Franciscan Basilica di Santa Croce, with its striped green-and-white marble facade, dates from about 1294. Inside are the tombs of many celebrated early Florentines, including Dante, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. Among the many art treasures are radiant frescoes by Giotto and his pupil Taddeo Gaddi, which decorate the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels, and the newly restored Cappella dei Pazzi, a Renaissance architectural masterpiece designed by Brunelleschi.

If you’re in Madrid and in the mood for tapas, you might not know exactly where to go or what to taste. The Mercado San Miguel (metro Sol) takes away all that decision-making by providing you with a taste experience all under one roof. The old, derelict market was renovated just a few years ago and turned into an upmarket culinary emporium of sorts. It has more than 30 food stalls, each selling something different. My favorite is the bellota ham sold at Carrasco, but there is plenty more. You can sample sherries and Rioja wines at the wine bar, or do as Spaniards do and pick away at tapas as you make your way through the market. I highly recommend the croquettes, or croquetas, in one of the outside alleys: they have ham, chicken, shrimp, cheese and a variety of others. The more standard tapas area easy to find, like tortilla, and seafood is beautifully laid out for you to pick and choose. Right in the middle is my top-rated tapa place. I couldn’t find a name for it but it’s the largest counter, shaped like a U, and has everything from potatoes aioli to steamed razor clams, with everything in-between.

The town of Gamboa lies at the center of a rain forest on the banks of the Panama Canal, where Lake Gatún and the River Chagres meet about 20 miles from the capital. Gamboa’s Summit Park is home to Panama’s national bird, the harpy eagle, as well as to Soberanía National Park and the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center, where visitors can walk the Camino del Oleoducto (Pipeline Road), a famous bird-watching path where up to 300 avian species can be spotted on a single day. Another tip might be sailing the Chagres in piraguas (local pirogues or handmade dugout canoes) that plumb dense jungles and give visitors the chance to interact with the Emberá Quera indigenous community. This historic community lives off fishing, farming, artisanal craft-making, and tourism. Native-led tours showcase various local customs such as dances as well as vegetable-dye body-painting techniques and their meanings (known as jagua), in addition to the people’s relationship with nature. Navigating the rain forest with a traditional Emberá botanist is a singular experience.

This outdoor ceramic school in the Coyoacan neighborhood is located close to the Museo de Frida Kahlo. The head instructor is a ceramic artist whose simple, Japanese-inspired designs can be found in some of the city’s best restaurants. They also have a booth at the Bazaar del Sabado, but I recommend stopping by the studio so you can catch a glimpse of the pros at work. Watch your feet, because the owner’s cats and crazy-looking Mexican hairless dogs (the breed is called Xoloitzcuintli) have the run of the place.

Located in Sainte-Anne, Karukera Land is a recreational park that makes for a fun and self-contained outing for families. Learn about the island’s flora with a walk through the tropical gardens, and visit a range of Caribbean fauna, from goats to peacocks. Active kids will love the acrobatic course, trampolines, and swimming pools with multiple toboggan slides. There’s plenty to entertain grown-ups as well, including billiard and ping-pong tables, a mini-golf course, and spa relaxation area with massage hut.

Florence’s wonderful Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (Cathedral Works Museum) is open to the public with double its original floor space and a new contemporary look. The unique collection of works by masters such as Donatello, Michelangelo, Luca della Robbia, and Lorenzo Ghiberti includes statuary from the Duomo, bell tower, and Baptistery as well as models and other exhibits relating to the building of one of the world’s largest cathedrals. Showstoppers include the bronze panels from the Baptistery’s doors, gleaming from their recent cleanup; Donatello’s emotive Mary Magdalene; the two exquisite cantorie (choir lofts) by Donatello and della Robbia; and a vast scale replica of the Duomo’s original facade, ripped down in 1587.

Walk, cycle or people-watch along the shores of Elliott Bay, a downtown stretch known for its circusy flair and spectacular vistas. You can ride the Great Wheel or visit the beloved Seattle Aquarium, home to wolf eels, sea otters, and the world’s largest octopuses. Refuel with chowder from local favorite Ivar’s Acres of Clams, then hit the market’s 200 owner-operated shops, ranging from a radical book collection to the Northwest’s oldest magic store. Just don’t turn your back on the famous salmon-slinging fishmongers: They’ve been known to wallop selfie-photographers with a plastic decoy for yucks!

Yes, the natural wonders in this vicinity are worthy of all their superlatives, but so are the accompanying manmade offerings. One is the Southern Fuegian Railway—also known as the End of the World Train—which has been steaming through the area for more than a century. The world’s southernmost train line, it was once used to transport the region’s timber; today the cars carry visitors through the epic Tierra del Fuego National Park, past shimmering lakes and verdant peat bogs.

Though from Guadalajara (he never let friends forget), Pritzker Prize–winning architect Luis Barragán lived much of his life in Mexico City, where he designed and constructed this, his last residence, completed in 1948. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the home is open to be toured by small groups—by appointment only; English-language guides are available upon request—who want a chance to tap into Barragán’s brand of minimalism, which involved bold monochromism and a masterful use of light; striking horizontality and framing applied to windows, gardens, and views; a highly sui generis Catholic spirituality; and, not least of all, the architect’s bizarre need for control, in everything from what staircases guests might use to what records got played in different rooms.

The Armani Hotel Milano occupies a beautiful, box-shaped 1930s palazzo in the beating heart of Milan’s fashion district. As striking as it looks from the outside, it’s arguably even more glamorous on the inside. Every aspect of its interior, from the mother-of-pearl doors to the leather-lined walls, has been either designed or approved by Giorgio Armani himself. The overall aesthetic is smart and elegant, thanks to the neutral color scheme of beiges and light grays. Special touches abound, including Armani amenities in the gray marble bathrooms, complimentary minibars, and a “lifestyle manager” appointed to each guest upon arrival.

The hotel’s 95 rooms come in various sizes and types, ranging from Armani Deluxe rooms, with their own deep bathtubs, to two-story Armani Signature Suites, which offer stylish central staircases and their own living rooms. The seventh floor of the building houses the impressive Armani/Ristorante, with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Milan’s skyline. An Armani/Bamboo Bar and Armani/SPA provide further opportunities for exquisite in-house indulgence.

A few blocks from Villa Ada and the Via Salaria, Gelateria Fatamorgana sells Maria Agnese Spagnuolo’s edible works of art. Each flavor is made from all natural ingredients, without chemical additives or artificial flavors, and many are lactose free. Spagnuolo’s whimsical creations are often seasonal and always draw on quality produce, spices and herbs. In the summer, try panacea (ginseng, almond milk, and mint) with ananas e zenzero (pineapple and ginger). There are a number of chocolate variations ideal for winter, including Kentucky (dark chocolate and tobacco). Fatamorgana also offers gluten free gelato, a rarity in Rome where so many shops use additives containing gluten. There are three other branches.

La Catedral is actually three churches in one, each of which are exquisite. It is decorated in the Baroque style, with more gilt and gold trimming than you can imagine. In order to convert the Incan people to Catholicism, the Spanish used symbols from Incan religion throughout the church. Look for the hundreds of mirrors, as well as the triangle shape associated with the Mountain God. La Catedral hosts a couple of particularly unique pieces, including a Peruvian rendition of the Last Supper featuring a guinea pig as the main dish. El Señor de Los Temblores is a crucifix that stopped the Cuzco earthquake of 1650, and is featured prominently in the cathedral. Pictures are not allowed inside, but the exterior of La Catedral is picturesque both during the day and at night when it’s lit up with the rest of La Plaza de Armas.

From the dusty street, the Hotel El Convento in León, Nicaragua, beckons with its stately façade and red Spanish-tiled roof. Step inside and you instantly feel at home amidst ornate period furnishings that are surely a far cry from the building’s humble beginnings as the 1639 San Francisco Convent. The elegant Restaurante El Victoriano offers an indoor-outdoor retreat centered on the hotel’s manicured, tropical courtyard—an example of the colonial hacienda style found throughout León. The restaurant is a meeting place for people from all walks of life—aged former Sandinistas who now hold positions of leadership, locals splurging on a fine meal, or foreign students from one of the city’s many Spanish language schools seeking tranquility and an excellent cup of coffee.