Southwest Cappadocia is storybook: fairy chimneys, honeycombed cliffs and sculpted rock faces. Wander Pigeon Valley’s alcoves where light and drifting birds add quiet poetry. Climb Selime Monastery’s cavernous chapels and carved stairways. Follow Ihlara Valley’s cool, green canyon with a river and frescoed cliffside churches. Descend the Underground City’s labyrinth of chambers. Together, these sites form an ancient, living tapestry of nature and history.

Known as the “White City” because of its baroque style buildings made of sillar, a white volcanic stone, Arequipa, Peru feels warm and welcoming and is filled with live music, spicy food, antique stores and a vibrant historic center. The town is also surrounded by four imposing volcanoes.