Abruzzo, a hidden gem in central Italy, offers travelers a captivating blend of medieval history, stunning natural landscapes, and authentic Italian charm. Known as "the greenest region in Europe," Abruzzo is home to three national parks, including Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, which features some of the highest peaks in the Apennines.
The Lemaire Channel is a spectacular sight with enormous sheer cliffs falling straight into the sea. It's a narrow channel flanked by the Antarctic Peninsula on one side and Booth Island on the other. So photogenic is the channel that it's nicknamed 'Kodak Gap', and it's only once you're well within it that a way through is visible.
In ancient times, Kaanapali was a royal retreat for the rulers of Maui, who delighted in the perfect three-mile stretch of white sand beach, the gentle waves, warm sunny days and the majestic West Maui Mountains. Maui royalty surfed, raced their outrigger canoes, feasted at luaus that lasted for weeks, and where the Kaanapali Golf Course now blankets the land, they played ulu maika, a form of lawn bowling with heavy lava balls.
Xi’an, located in central China’s Shaanxi Province, served as the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and was the capital of 13 imperial dynasties. Its long history is most famously represented by the Terracotta Army, an underground army of life-sized warriors discovered in 1974. Each figure has distinct facial features, hairstyles, and armor, designed to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife.