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Housed in the monastery of San Marco, this museum pays homage to the delicate, spiritual work of Fra Angelico who lived and worked here as a monk from 1435-1445. Some of his most celebrated paintings and frescoes are on show here: the famous Annunciation (as reproduced on many a Christmas card) is at the top of the stairs on the first floor and the great Last Judgement alterpiece is in the Pilgrim’s Hospice. He painted frescoes in the corners of the main cloister and also decorated the monks’ tiny cells with the help of his assistants. This is one of my favorite museums in Florence...don’t miss it! Photo by Gianluca Moggi

Clyfford Still brought new energy to the art world after World War II with his large-scale, color-splashed paintings, and is considered one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. Though his influence on the Abstract Expressionism movement was at least as important as that of contemporaries Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, Still eventually broke all ties with the art world after moving to a farm in Maryland, and following his death in 1980 a huge collection of his work was sealed off completely for more than 30 years. His is widow donated his pieces to the city of Denver in 2004, and in 2011 the Clyfford Still Museum opened, housing 94 percent of his life’s work, including some 825 paintings on canvas and 1,575 works on paper, as well as sketchbooks, journals, and his library—in a museum considered one of the best examples of contemporary architecture in the city.

Propped up on stilts, each of Jungle Bay’s 35 cottages feels like a private tree house, complete with an open-air shower. Overlooking Point Mulatre Bay, the hillside resort offers a full schedule of outdoor activities, from walking along the White River to swimming at the base of roaring Victoria Falls.

Luxury yoga retreats are one of the hottest trends in travel—experience it firsthand at Jungle Bay. This award-winning boutique wellness resort seamlessly blends adventure, relaxation, and creature comforts, like a pampering foot massage at the Spa du Soleil—an ideal way to unwind after a day of hiking. Practice yoga in two expansive outdoor studios overlooking the Caribbean Sea, dine on local specialties made with freshly caught fish and organic ingredients, and stay in one of 30 eco-villas outfitted with bamboo furnishings, hand-painted beddings, and jungle spa bathrooms.

—This appeared in the November/December 2010 issue.

Hunting poutine is hard work, but it can do serious damage to your waistline if you’re not careful. Call in at Fitz & Follwell and work off some of those excess curds on a bike, snow, or walking tour of Montreal. The shop is located on beautiful Avenue du Mont-Royal, and should serve to whet your appetite for all things bipedal. Montreal is one of Canada‘s most bike-friendly cities, and the folks at Fitz & Follwell Co. can help get you on your way.

Cramped it may be, but rustic Da Mario, located at the back of the mercato centrale, serves up a menu of consistently reliable Florentine classics to a mix of stall workers, business folk and tourists, and it’s always packed. The choice changes daily, but look out for earthy zuppa di fagioli e cavolo nero and peppato, a kind of beef stew laced with black pepper.

The folks behind this bistro à vins and wine shop are part of the sincere network of people in our neighborhood who share the same values I have—they take risks, they’re curious, they care about the environment. This is where my husband and I buy our wine, and the food is delicious, too. —Matali Crasset 67 rue de Lancry, arr. 11, 33/(0) 1-48-03-17-34. This appeared in the August/September 2013 issue. Image: Mari Bastashevski. Read more about Matali Crasset’s Belleville neighborhood.

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple is a popular landmark in Little India, where much of Singapore’s sizable Tamil Hindu community works and worships. Originally a simple building on a plot of land, the temple became something entirely different in the mid-1960s with the addition of an elaborate five-layer gopura, or gatehouse tower. Each stepped level of the tower’s roof is crowded with vividly painted statues of royalty, dancers, and deities, as well as candy-colored architectural elements, all of which creates a remarkable celebratory effect. The temple has been granted protected status as a national monument by the government.

Maxxi, Rome’s first major contemporary art museum, cost €150 million and took renowned architect Zaha Hadid 10 years to complete. The result—a vast, bold space with exhibits on architecture and art—proves that modern Rome can produce masterpieces, too.

But it’s not just the building that’s worth visiting. Inside, visitors can explore a rotating set of art exhibitions dedicated to paintings, sculptures, and more from the 21st century. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am – 7 pm. It is closed on Mondays. You can get tickets in advance online.

Domenico Ghirlandaio’s beautiful fresco representing the Last Supper is one of my favorite paintings in Florence, and luckily, most tourists ignore it, so you may find you have the place to yourself.

Located in downtown Santa Fe, this perfectly sized museum is dedicated to the artistic life of Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) and houses the single largest collection of the artist’s work in the world. Rotating exhibits often include O’Keeffe’s iconic desert landscape paintings alongside lesser-known gems painted in Lake George and Hawaii (where she was commissioned by the Dole pineapple company). Often, notable pieces from established peers and contemporaries like Ansel Adams, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol join hers on the walls.

Tucked away in the heart of downtown Seoul is the quaint Insadong district, where a Korea of yore comes to life in the form of traditional artists and musicians, shops selling Korean crafts and souvenirs, and street performers dressed in native costumes. This is the place to go if you’re set on buying the wooden masks, paper lanterns, and tea sets that the country is famous for. Two other stores also stand out from the crowd in Insadong: Gounjae Handcraft can be smelled before you even enter the door. This handmade soap shop, in the small brick courtyard of Ssamji Gil Center, offers sumptuously scented soaps, lotions, and bath products in scents like avocado, ginger, and almond. I love the tiny, traditional mask-shaped soaps that make inexpensive and lightweight souvenirs. The Ee Gee boutique is a veritable treasure chest bursting with glimmering necklaces, bracelets, and other one-of-a-kind baubles–it’s located on Insadong’s main drag.

Spend some time on Museum Hill visiting the Museum of International Folk Art with its awesome Alexander Girard collection, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and its stocked basement trading post of Native American wares, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Unlike museum gift shops that sell replicas of artworks or mass-produced souvenirs, the museum shops here often carry original works of art for sale, so buying here can make you a collector, too. After all that culture, you’ll be famished, so swing by the Museum Hill Cafe for a light snack.

From its striking colonial-inspired exterior and elegant marble lobby to the uninterrupted views of the Hanoi Opera House, the Hotel de l’Opera evokes the spirit of an old world performance hall. The Old Quarter hotel’s cynosure is the nine-story atrium where velvet jewel-toned sofas, tasseled curtains, and an emerald tufted-silk wall behind the marble concierge counter have the dramatic effect of a theater foyer. The theme continues in the guest rooms: Moody walls, Hollywood-style vanity mirrors, and metallic accents nod to performers’ dressing rooms. Take in the sights from the third-floor pool terrace, which looks straight down Trang Tien Street to the iconic landmark, then head to the Fée Verte bar for cocktails before dinner at Café Lautrec, honoring the 19th-century painter and Hanoi’s ubiquitous French influences.

This 248-room hotel in one of the city’s tallest skyscrapers—Roppongi’s glass-sheeted Tokyo Midtown—offers some of the best views in the city, but the interiors are just as eye-catching. The property starts on the 45^th floor and espouses classic European decor, with four colorful abstract works by California painter Sam Francis, each 12 feet high, dominating the lobby. Rooms and public spaces look onto Mount Fuji, the Imperial Palace, and Tokyo Bay; inside delicate woodwork, hand-tufted carpets, patterned chiyogami wall coverings, a lobby waterfall, and Murano chandeliers set the scene. The hotel proudly touts the most expensive guest room in Japan, the Ritz-Carlton Suite, yours for the princely sum of $16,200 per night.

On a charming corner of Greenwich Street in TriBeCa, the Greenwich Hotel is a sophisticated downtown Manhattan property co-owned by actor Robert DeNiro. Since opening in 2008, this boutique hotel has earned a reputation for its discretion (only a small sign signals the entrance), offering the type of service and privacy that attracts celebrity guests. Keep an eye out for abstract expressionist paintings by Robert DeNiro’s father, Robert DeNiro Sr., throughout the hotel.

No two of the 88 rooms are alike; the design is unfussy and pleasantly understated. Spacious bathrooms—finished in Moroccan tile or Italian Carrara marble—are a highlight of the accommodations. Start your stay with a swim in the lantern-lit swimming pool before sipping a pre-dinner cocktail in the guests-only drawing room, complete with a fireplace. The hotel is also home to neighborhood favorite Italian restaurant, Locanda Verde, from beloved NYC chef Andrew Carmellini.