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Panagia tu Araka, Lagoudera, Cyprus 🇨🇾

At first glance, this 12th-century church looks pretty modest. But step inside, and you’ll enter a space filled with breathtaking Byzantine paintings.

Gorgeous, vibrant murals cover the church’s ceiling and walls. Colorful images of Biblical figures stand out against an indigo background. The quality of the centuries-old art is astounding, and it’s all been incredibly well preserved. In fact, the building boasts the most complete set of frescoes from Cyprus’ Middle Byzantine period.

The exterior of the church is interesting, too. Though the actual church itself is made of stone, a protective timber roof was added sometime in the 14th century.

In 1985, the church was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

📍Location: in the mountainous area of Pitsilia, between the villages of Lagoudera and Saranti

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Uvac River Meanders, Družiniće, Serbia 🇷🇸

A sinuous path among steep cliffs creates a stunning sight in southwestern Serbia.

Among such engaging terrain, the Meanders stand out as a particularly striking portion of the Uvac River’s ruggedly picturesque channel.

The Meanders are formed by a series of tightly packed, looping arches that the river has sculpted out of its limestone bed over the millennia. In this stretch, the canyon walls can soar up to 100 meters (328 feet) above the twisting and turning waters below. The result is a natural setting that is as impressive from any elevation.

📍Location: n the municipality of Nova Varoš and Sjenica

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Sassi di Matera, Matera, Italy 🇮🇹

People have been living in the cave houses on this Italian hillside since the Neolithic era.

When scholars investigated the city they came across sites like the Crypt of Original Sin, a secret 9th-century monastery. They realized just how old the settlement really was. The cave dwellings contained evidence that people have been continuously living in them since at least 7,000 BC.

Though Matera is now a tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage site, its hard-to-reach location makes it feel exclusive and secret. The neighborhood now has boutique hotels, restaurants, wineries, a jazz club, and a spa, but even its most affluent buildings are housed in caves.

📍Location: in the area of Murgia Plateau, extended between Apulia and Basilicata.

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Columns of the Temple of Augustus, Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸

The 2,000-year-old Roman columns are hidden within Barcelona's Gothic Quarter.

The temple was built to honor Emperor Augustus and once towered over the ancient Roman city of Barcino. It was constructed of sandstone from nearby Montjuïc Hill and at least partially plastered over. The 120-foot-long building was built in the first century. It was surrounded by numerous 30-foot-tall columns, but now only four remain.

Though they rest on bits of plinth from the original structure, the ancient building is otherwise gone.

📍Location: within Barcelona's Gothic Quarter

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Ushaiqer Heritage Village, Ushaiqer, Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

Abandoned station along an ancient pilgrimage route.

Ushaiqer is one of the oldest settlements in the region.
In the old times, it used to be a necessary stop for pilgrims coming from Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran and heading further west toward the holy sites of Islam. Ushaiqer first appears in the writings of Al-Hutay’a, an Arab poet that lived in the 7th century, but its origins are probably much older.

The idea of a “heritage village” brings to mind a place where one can observe a traditional lifestyle. Ushaiqer fits the bill in the sense that one can observe traditional architecture and visit a museum displaying ancient weapons, everyday utensils, embroidered clothing, and artisanal jewelry. The old section of Ushaiqer, however, is abandoned.

📍Location: about 200 kilometers northwest of Riyadh

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Teddy’s Juke Joint, Zachary, Louisiana 🇺🇸

One of the last remaining venues on the Old Chitlin’ Circuit is a kaleidoscopic music hall at the end of a dirt road.

Lloyd “teddy” johnson, proprietor of Teddy’s Juke Joint, will tell you he’s only ever had one address. It’s here, at the end of a dirt road off of Highway 61—one of the last remaining juke joints on the “Chitlin Circuit,” a word-of-mouth network of venues that welcomed Black musicians across the American South during segregation.

The venue is coated in year-round Christmas lights, disco balls, tinsel, CDs hanging from balloon strings, and music memorabilia illuminated by flashing bulbs; but personal effects like Teddy’s childhood tricycle, toy tow truck, and a photo of the owner as a young child adorn the walls as well. Ceiling fans make the whole place shimmer and dance—one visitor aptly described it as feeling “like [you’re] inside a kaleidoscope.”

📍Location: at the end of a dirt road off of Highway 61

Cooper's Island Nature Reserve, Bermuda 🇧🇲

A tropical paradise once home to space exploration and military installations.

Cooper’s island in sunny bermuda was used to house ammo bunkers and underground storage tanks during World War II.

The eastern end of Cooper’s Island has become a wildlife refuge, open to the public and under active restoration since 2009.

As of May 2013, one of the NASA radar towers has been converted into an ideal birdwatching station. Bermuda is home to a wide variety of marine life and seabirds, particularly the Tropic Longtail and the Bermuda Petrel, dolphins, humpback whales, and sea turtles.

📍Location: at the southeastern tip of Bermuda

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