Molise is a hilly region with a border on the Adriatic Sea, offering mainly rural activities. Located south of central Italy’s Abruzzo region, it was part of Abruzzo until 1963 when it became the second-smallest region in Italy (after Valle d’Aosta). There are several small inland towns settled by Albanians and Slavs. The hills are dotted with medieval villages and...

For those who don’t want to go to the extremely cheesy, over-touristed, and ripoff Damnoen Saduak floating market, nor have the time to get to any of the other floating markets around Bangkok, Talat Nam Pheung is a great option. The market is only held on weekends, and doesn’t see many foreign tourists, although it is very popular with Thais....

Yaowarat Road is the heart of Chinatown in Bangkok and a must-see for anyone who wants to immerse him or herself in Chinese culture. It’s bustling all the time. The street is lined with traditional Chinese pharmacies that sell herbal and medicinal remedies, gold shops, and dim sum parlors. There are some good hotels here, including Shanghai Mansion, which used...

Battambang, Cambodia’s second largest city, features some of Asia’s best French colonial architecture as well as ancient pagodas, stupas and temples including Phnom Banon and Wat Ek Phnom.  Part of Thailand for most of the time since the 15th century until 1947.  A quiet city with much to offer the traveler looking for respite before heading to the more bustling...

Back from Sisowath Quay (from Street 51 to the riverside) lies Street 172, a pantheon of good quality, low cost food served from shop house open-fronted restaurants.  This is where the insiders of Phnom Penh and travelers-in-the-know like to eat and hang out. Eateries here feature greater choice and better prices than the more upmarket Sisowath Quay restaurants. Khmer and...

Barnstable is comprised of seven distinct villages. And to make matters more interesting, Barnstable is sometimes referred to as Barnstable Village to distinguish it from Barnstable County, which includes the whole Cape. On the bayside, Route 6A (also called Old King’s Highway and Main Street) winds through West Barnstable and Barnstable Village. Development — or lack thereof — is rigidly...

The Bourne-Cape Cod Canal region is the first place you come to upon crossing the Sagamore or Bourne bridges onto Cape Cod. Despite summertime traffic tie-ups approaching the bridges, there’s something magical about the first glimpse of them, a sure sign that you’re entering a place separate from where you’ve been. All travelers, except those arriving by plane or boat,...

You could spend a charmed week in Brewster with plenty to occupy you. While the 2,000-acre Nickerson State Park boasts facilities for a dozen outdoor activities, there is also Punkhorn Parklands, an undeveloped, 800-acre parcel of conservation land in town. Although Brewster has only 10,000 year-round residents, it has more than its share of attractions, including two good golf courses,...

Although Chatham is less accessible from Route 6 than are its neighbors, even the most hurried Cape visitors stop here. Occupying the tip of Cape Cod’s elbow, the town offers a good mix of archetypal Cape Cod architecture, a classic Main Street, a refined sensibility, plenty of excellent beaches and shops, and a rich seafaring history. Today Chatham is known...

Some visitors are drawn to Dennis for fine summer theater; others come for family-style attractions along Route 28. Indeed, to outsiders, Dennis suffers from a split personality. On the north side of town, Route 6A continues along its scenic way, governed by a historical commission. Skirting Dennis and East Dennis, Route 6A is lined with a smattering of antiques shops,...

Originally inhabited by the Wampanoag people and settled by Pilgrims in 1644, Eastham is content to remain relatively undiscovered by 21st-century tourists. In fact, although almost 30,000 folks summer here, year-rounders (fewer than 5,500) seem perfectly happy that any semblance of major tourism development has passed them by. There isn’t even a Main Street or town center per se. What...

Falmouth is the Cape’s second largest town with more shoreline than any others. Falmouth has 14 harbors, 12 miles of public beaches, and more than 30 ponds. Saltwater inlets reach deep into the southern coastline, like fjords — only without the mountains. Buzzards Bay laps at the western shores of quiet North and West Falmouth and bustling Woods Hole. Falmouth’s...

Harwich isn’t nearly as developed as its westerly neighbors, although its stretch of Route 28 does have its share of bumper boats, mini-golf courses, and go-carts. In fact, the town exudes a somewhat nonchalant air. It’s as if the 14,000 year-rounders are collectively saying, “This is what we have and you’re welcome to come and enjoy it with us if...

Among Cape visitors, Hyannis seems to be everyone’s favorite whipping post: A sigh of sympathy is heard when someone mentions he “has” to go into Hyannis in July or August. Yes, traffic is gnarly and Route 28 is overbuilt, but those same Cape residents and off-Cape visitors who moan about congestion in Hyannis couldn’t live as easily without its services,...

Come to Mashpee for American Indian history, a beach, and an outdoor shopping mall of note. Fast-growing Mashpee (which means “land near the great cove”) is one of two Massachusetts towns administered by Native Americans (the other is Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard). For 1,000 years prior to the colonists’ arrival, native Wampanoag people had established summer camps in the area,...

Many could argue, with some success, that Orleans’ biggest draw is Nauset Beach, an Atlantic Ocean barrier beach more than 9 miles long. It can accommodate hundreds of sun seekers and sandcastle builders in summer. But in the off-season you’ll be practically alone, walking in quiet reflection, observing shorebirds and natural rhythms. It’s a beautifully haunting place during a storm —...

Provincetown is renowned for its vibrant queer and gay community and its deserved reputation as an artist enclave. It’s also known for its natural beauty. Province Lands, the name given to the Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) within Provincetown’s borders, offers bike trails and three remote beaches, where, if you walk far enough, you can find real isolation. Most summertime visitors...

Sandwich, the Cape’s oldest town, dates to 1637 and is calm, even in the height of summer. Many visitors whiz right by it, eager to get farther away from the “mainland.” Even people who know about delightful Sandwich Village often hop back onto Route 6 without poking around the rest of Sandwich — the back roads and historic houses off...

Considered the last vestige of “old Cape Cod,” Truro (established in 1697) has no stoplights, no fast food outlets, no supermarket. It does have, though, the last working farm on the Outer Cape. And it has a lot of new construction — second homes that lie dormant during the off-season and lots of new year-round houses. Yes, Dorothy, the landscape...

Although a whopping 70 percent of Wellfleet is conservation land, the town is perhaps best known as an art stronghold. Wellfleet’s two principal thoroughfares, Main Street and Commercial Street, are dotted with 20 or so galleries representing a wide gamut of art: from souvenir works to images that transcend their media. Many artists and artisans who exhibit here call Wellfleet...