TELC, Czech Republic - According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Czech Republic has the most castles per square kilometre of any country in the world.

LONDON - Dozens of Caribbean nations celebrate Carnival, hosting party-hearty outdoor festivals packed with costumed crowds grooving to the beat of steel drums.

MARATEA, ITALY - At the end of another glorious day, with the setting sun spotlighting this tranquil town’s many church spires, I take a seat at a café in Maratea Borgo (Old Town) and order a glass of local vino.

NAPLES - It appears all eyes in Antonio & Antonio, a popular seaside restaurant, are watching us as our “authentic” Neapolitan pizza arrives straight from the wood-burning oven.

VERNAZZA, ITALY - The view one gets of the ocean from this magical town that clings to Italy’s jagged Ligurian coast is spectacular.

MODENA, ITALY - Italo Pedroni pours red wine into my glass and orders me to “Mangia! Mangia! (Eat! Eat!). The patriarch of the Pedroni family has already made many visits to my table with lots of food in his restaurant in this charming northern Italian town.

SICILY- The golden columns of the majestic Doric Temple, built more than 2,400 years ago to honour the goddess Concordia, stand basking in the sun on this perfect June day.

PARMA - At first, I think I’ve misunderstood Roberto Bassi when he says, “Cooking can save your life. Really, it can,” insists the culinary manager and chef at Parma’s Academia Barilla.

VATICAN CITY – There are 935 churches scattered about the Eternal City but the one most people come to visit is St. Peter’s Basilica in neighboring Vatican City.

POSITANO, ITALY - The image most people have of the Amalfi Coast is stunning sea views from gorgeous towns cascading down steep cliffs, where everything smells like lemon and basil and people gather on sunbaked beaches to splash in the Mediterranean surf.