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Take home the essence of Argentina with a fragrance inspired by pampas grasses, the northern desert, or Patagonian lupine blossoms. Fueguia 1833, a perfume lab on ultra-chic Avenida Alvear in Recoleta, creates scents from all-natural ingredients. Only the best-quality plants and spices available at production time make the cut, meaning aromas vary from batch to batch. Each bottle bears an engraved lot number, and large flagons come in handsome handmade boxes. Even better: A Fueguia scent does more than make you irresistible—a portion of all proceeds goes to the NGO Help Argentina, a fund-raising organization that supports environmental, human-rights, and public education charities.

Perched on a rocky outcrop above Östermalm, this is perhaps Stockholm’s most beautiful church, and certainly one of its largest. Completed in 1914, its stunning interior and exterior include elements of Art Nouveau and National Romantic styles. It is also home to an impressively large church organ and hosts regular concerts. It’s worth trekking up the stone steps to enjoy the building and the views.

The Galleria Borghese, which is set in the large public Villa Borghese park, was born in the 16th century as the collection of Scipione Borghese, a powerful Cardinal and nephew to Pope Paul V. The Cardinal amassed an enormous number of ancient sculptures, many of which are displayed on the ground floor where several Bernini statues and Caravaggio canvases also appear. The upper story, on the other hand, is home to Renaissance and Baroque paintings. Seek out Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love, Raphael’s Deposition, and Cranach’s Venus and Cupid. Unlike other collections of the era, which were kept in private palaces, the Borghese collection was intended to be open to the public, much like the surrounding grounds known as the Villa Borghese. The family collection is now property of the Italian state. Due to its dimensions and popularity, visits are limited to a fixed number of visitors every two hours and for a maximum of two hours. Be sure to book tickets well in advance and don’t bothering going to the museum without a booking.

For several centuries, the tiny hamlet of Amma, set about 1640 feet above sea level in the Chianti hills, was renowned for its farming and winemaking practices, which were overseen by a group of prominent families. When the Hapsburg Grand Duke Peter Leopold visited in the 18th century, he wrote a detailed report extolling the beauty of the setting and the high quality of the town’s grain fields, olive groves, and vineyards. Some of his complimentary words now adorn a plaque set at the entrance of Castelo di Ama, a winery and estate founded in the 1970s by a group of families looking to revive the town’s glory days. The label has won many accolades over the last decade—from the current owner-winemaker being named Winemaker of the Year in 2003, to the wines consistently landing on best-of lists around the world. Visit to get a taste of what all the fuss is about, and you’ll not only get to experience world-class wine, but art, too: Since 1999, the estate has worked with galleries and curators to invite renowned artists to visit, get inspired, and create new works, over a dozen of which now live at the estate. On a guided winery tour, you’ll visit aging cellars, the working winery, some of the ancient village’s sites (including the chapel), and the estate’s historic villas and gardens—where you will spy pieces of art by names like Anish Kapoor and Louise Bourgeois. Tours last about 90 minutes and are followed by a tasting at the Villa Riucci Enoteca.

Nuzzled up against the Arizona border about 100 miles west of Four Corners are some 30 square miles of the most iconic scenery in the American West. Monument Valley is one of those places that you’ll recognize as soon as you see it, even if you’ve never been there before, as dozens of movies, TV shows, and even video games have used the area as a setting. It’s made up of mesas both small and large reaching up from the valley floor, some rising as high as 1,000 feet into the sky. Part of the Navajo Reservation, the area charges a $20-per-vehicle entrance fee to drive the dirt-road loop. Once in, however, you can also enjoy a number of hikes, or hire a guide for a horseback tour.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, this 1,700-year-old palace sits on the Adriatic seafront, serving as the focal point of Split. It was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian as a seaside retirement home and has served as a refuge for many a conqueror over the centuries. Today, some 2,000 locals reside within the compound’s thick walls, making it a lively urban quarter. Getting lost in the labyrinth of surrounding streets is the best way to explore downtown Split—as you meander around, you’ll stumble across lively cafés and shops tucked into millennia-old buildings. Be sure to check out the Peristil, an imperial square framed by two colonnades, where Diocletian used to address the public. Towering above the square is Split’s major landmark—a 187-foot-tall belfry that you can climb for panoramic views of town.

If you’ve ever admired Louis Comfort Tiffany’s intricate lamps, you’ll appreciate the chance to visit this museum wholly dedicated to the artist himself. Called the Morse Museum for short, this Winter Park institution houses the world’s largest collection of authentic Tiffany works, including wondrous pieces of jewelry, pottery, leaded-glass lamps, art glass, and windows. Plan to stay for at least 90 minutes to fully enjoy the riot of color on display, and be sure to watch the short film that explains the story behind the famous glassworks.

Set in a row of shophouses—traditional double-use structures with a storefront on the street level, the owner’s residence on the floors above—the New Majestic Hotel is a small gem in Chinatown filled with quirks and contrasts. Colonial design is plentiful, from the vintage Compton fans in the lobby to furniture from the 1920s–1960s throughout. The rooms are a little more free-form. They range from suites with their own urban gardens to attic-style spaces with loft beds and 20-foot ceilings. Then there are the five rooms in which Singapore artists were told to unleash their creativity (Work, one of these rooms, looks like temporary housing, with plywood sections everywhere). Pieces by local emerging artists include murals with hidden messages or displaying pop art influences. The bottom of the rooftop pool has small portholes that look down onto the Majestic Restaurant, one floor down.

In an age of Hollywood blockbusters and cineplexes (even in Europe), true art-house cinemas are a dying breed; Művész on the Pest side of the city keeps the faith with a wide variety of international and vintage films shown on four screens. English films are shown with Hungarian subtitles. Alongside that are film festivals as well as a foyer with delicious old cozy sofas, magazines and books, fish tanks and wall sculptures, even arts and crafts to buy. On top of it all, the cinema houses a bustling retro cafe that attracts culture vultures beyond the usual cinephile audience.

As you take in its dome made of gold-filigree laurel leaves, the utter modernity of the Secession Building stuns you. Joseph Maria Olbrich’s glorious exhibition hall just off the Ringstrasse is more than a century old, and is one of the most beautiful legacies of the great intellectual and artistic period known as fin de siècle Vienna—when the city’s coffeehouses were frequented by the likes of Freud and Klimt and the architect of the day, Otto Wagner. Not many cities can claim their own art movements, but the Vienna Secession was a reaction to the staid art of the late Hapsburg empire. “To every age its art, to every art its freedom” proclaims the inscription (in German) on the facade of the building which also has a 112-foot-wide, 1902 Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt.

The laid-back vibe reflected in low stools and coffee tables (oh that’s what they’re for) not to mention a black cat that ventures in every once in a while is just one reason Darwinites love Four Birds. The other is the coffee, creamy and well-balanced. It can be enjoyed with a classic tart, an artful salad or on its own, preferably under the frangipani tree outside.

Zadar’s antiques market is located in the old town, on Jurja Barakovića Street, and open daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then again from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Military memorabilia from the days of Yugoslavia and earlier is popular, but that’s just a small part of the selection you’ll find for sale here. There are also many lovely glass pieces—goblets, beads and objets d’art.

The resort town of Mondello, just a short drive from Palermo, is a popular escape for visitors and Sicilians alike. Cerulean waters lap a beach of soft white sand. Visitors staying in nearby villas spend much of their time relaxing on the beach, with occasional breaks for arancini and panelle bought from street vendors. For a serious meal, stroll down the pier to the Charleston, a landmark restaurant and bar in an Art Nouveau building over the water.

Opened in 2011, Reykjavík’s Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre is not only the most significant classical music venue in Iceland (home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera), but also one of the country’s most striking examples of modern architecture. Located close to the old harbor, the building was part of a larger development meant to breathe life into the downtown district (the plan was abandoned due to the subsequent economic crash, but funds to complete Harpa were found). The coruscating, eye-catching facade was designed by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, and the spacious interior has four handsome halls, the largest of which can accommodate up to 1,800 seated guests. There are also smaller conference rooms dotted throughout the building, and the ground floor hosts a record shop, café and restaurant, and other public areas. In addition to classical concerts, the venue holds music festivals, pop shows, art exhibitions, and more.

While the art of puppetry is common throughout much of Asia, Vietnam has the unique discipline of water puppetry. These puppets are carved from wood and then lacquered to protect them from the water. The stage for a show is a pool of water, with the puppeteers standing behind, hidden by a screen, manipulating and moving the figures with rods and strings. Water puppetry is believed to have originated in northern Vietnam in the 11th century, possibly in the rice fields around the Red River Delta—flooded paddies were the original stages—and themes often explore the daily routines of rural or coastal life or old folktales. Today visitors can most easily catch a performance in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City at one of a handful of well-established theaters.