Things to Do in Piedmont & Liguria

To learn about the history and culture of the Cayman Island, make a stop at the Cayman Islands National Museum. The museum is housed in a historic building—the oldest public building in the islands—made from traditional wattle and daub architecture and that has been used as a jail, courthouse and post office over nearly 200 years.

The Cathedrale Notre Dame de la Treille takes its name from a 12th-century figure of the Virgin that has been long revered in the city. The cathedral was built by wealthy inhabitants of the city, starting in the late 19th century; building didn't finish until the 1990s! Sadly, the Virgin is no longer inhabiting the cathedral - she was stolen in 1959, and her church now gets by with a replica.

The cathedral features eight chapels in the neo-Gothic style featuring scenes from the lives of Christ, the Virgin and the saints. There's also a towering organ and, unusually, a great deal of 20th-century stained glass, including an asymmetric rose window.  

Saint Lucia’s pint-sized port capital Castries is usually experienced as a stopping-off point on the way to one of the island’s beaches or resorts. While successive fires and hurricanes have periodically devastated the city there are still traces of the colonial era, when Saint Lucia bounced between French and British control. The Castries Heritage Walk will point out the city’s historical highlights.

Otherwise the city’s greatest appeal lies in its relaxed lifestyle, providing an easy introduction to the leisurely pace of island life. Head for the Jeremie Street Market to savor the taste of the tropics or just wander the streets and start adjusting your body clock.

From James Bond fans to those who simply want to witness the good life, the Casino of Monte-Carlo is a sure-fire destination when visiting the principality of Monaco.

When you think of beautiful, tropical Mauritius, it usually isn’t lions, rhinos, or giraffes that immediately spring to mind. At Casela World of Adventures, however, visitors will enter a safari-style compound that covers 620 acres, where seemingly every adventure possible is happening here in the park. Strap on a helmet and go on safari while also riding a quad bike, or get the feel for what it’s like to sit and ride on a camel. Fly down the island’s longest ziplines, or climb the Via Ferrata, before clipping into the canyon swing or touring the park on a Segway. All of the experiences have separate charges, although general admission still includes a guided safari adventure, where you drive around in search of zebras, ostriches, impalas, and kudus. You’re sure to see at least a dozen of the park’s 1,500 birds, and to up the adventure to heart-racing levels, join the staff on a stroll through fields full of cheetahs, lions, and tigers.

Only two and half hours from the glitzy beaches of Beirut, the cedar groves of Lebanon are the pride of the Lebanese mountains. Northern Lebanon has some of the tallest peaks in the Middle East, some rising to over 10,000 feet, many of which used to be covered in dense forests of precious cedar.

From as early as 3,000 BC the surrounding civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and later the British lusted for the hard wood found in the forests of Lebanon. Unable to provide wood of their own for shipbuilding and railroad ties, the cedar forests of Lebanon were rapidly depleted and nearly destroyed.

Despite the international demand, however, some of the most remote groves managed to remain, the most famous of which is located in the village of Bsharre just 15 minutes from Lebanon’s most popular ski resort. Believed to be the oldest cedar grove in Lebanon, four of the largest cedars reach heights of over 115 feet and are locally referred to as Arz el Rab, “Cedars of the Lord”.

One of Lebanon’s greatest natural treasures, the mountainous area offers terrain and panoramas unlike anywhere else in Lebanon. After ambling amongst the cedars in Bsharri or taking to the slopes, visitors can descend into nearby Qadisha Grotto, an entrancing cave complex filled with limestone stalactites and stalagmites and which gushes with springtime waterfalls.

Given the distance of the cedars from the capital city of Beirut there are many hotel options available nearby, and although the ski resort is only open from December through April there is never a bad season for exploring the recesses of the Lebanese mountains.

The Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore’s only suspension bridge, was built in 1869 to offer a quicker way of crossing the Singapore River. As one of the oldest bridges in the city, the Cavenagh Bridge is one of Singapore’s most important architectural achievements.

Designed by a British colonial architecture firm, Cavenagh Bridge was actually built in Glasgow, tested, disassembled, shipped to Singapore in pieces and reassembled by convict laborers over the course of a year.

Located in the city’s Colonial District, the elegant pedestrian bridge offers a reminder of Singapore’s colonial past. As you approach the bridge, keep your eyes open for an antiquated police notice warning that no horse- or cattle-drawn vehicles are allowed to pass over. The bridge is particularly beautiful at night, thanks to a series of lights that were added during the 1990s, so consider planning to visit on your way to Boat Quay, Singapore’s nearby dining and nightlife hotspot.