I have always travelled with curiosity. Exploring, for me, is not only about seeing a new place, but about trying to understand what makes it different, its history, people, traditions, food and the small details of everyday life.
But every now and then, curiosity gives way to something else. There are places that make me stop, look around and think: this moment is too beautiful, just stop.
Those are the places that stay with me.
After travelling to around 60 countries, choosing only ten wasn’t easy. Looking at my list, however, I noticed something that probably says a lot about me as a traveller: most of them are in Asia. I have always felt a particular curiosity and conection towards Asian cultures, fascinated by their histories, traditions and ways of seeing the world, so perhaps it isn’t surprising that they occupy so much space in my travel memories.
This is not a list of the world’s most beautiful destinations, these are simply the places where, for one reason or another, I wanted time to slow down.
1. Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Samarkand is probably the place that surprised me most.
I expected history and beautiful architecture, but I wasn’t prepared for the scale of it: the monumental complexes, the intricate mosaics and, above all, that seemingly infinite blue covering domes and façades. There is something almost hypnotic about the city, a beauty that makes you wonder how a place with such an extraordinary history can still feel so overlooked.
I loved everything about Samarkand, from standing in Registan Square and trying to take in all its details at once to my evening walks past the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, when the crowds disappeared and the city seemed to change its rhythm.
What stayed with me most was that combination of beauty and history. Samarkand made me constantly curious about what had happened there, about the people who had crossed it and about the world that once connected through this city. And perhaps that is why I left with a strange question in my mind: how can a place this magnificent ever be forgotten?
2. Varanasi, India
India represents an entire chapter of transformation in my life. I spent only two months there, but somehow it was enough to change the way I looked at many things and, above all, to teach me something about the simple gratitude of being alive every day.
Choosing only one place in India was difficult. I went back and forth between Agra and Varanasi, but in the end I chose Varanasi because of the energy that completely took over me. It is one of Hinduism’s holiest cities, a place where death is not hidden away but becomes part of the rhythm of everyday life.
I was there while cremation rituals were taking place along the Ganges, and what struck me most was not the sight of death itself, but the serenity surrounding it. I had grown up with a completely different relationship with death, one accompanied by tears, mourning and visible expressions of grief. Here, I encountered families who could also find comfort in the belief that the soul of someone they loved could finally be liberated from the cycle of rebirth.
Strangely, I wasn’t shocked. I became curious. I wanted to understand rather than judge something so different from everything I knew. And perhaps that openness changed the entire experience for me.
Varanasi taught me that even something as universal as death can be understood in radically different ways. Somewhere between the Ganges, the rituals, the chaos and the spirituality of the city, I found myself loving India, not despite all the things I couldn’t fully understand, but somehow because of them.
3. Seoul, South Korea
My journey to South Korea came after almost fifteen years of being fascinated by Korean culture through dramas, music and food. By the time I finally arrived in Seoul, it felt less like discovering a completely unknown place and more like meeting something I had known from a distance for years.
This trip was a gift I gave myself, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I lived those days intensely, photographing almost every street corner, trying as many experiences as I could and allowing myself to simply celebrate a passion that had been part of my life for so long.
One of my happiest memories was wearing a traditional hanbok and visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace. Walking through the palace grounds dressed in clothes I had seen countless times in historical dramas felt wonderfully playful and surreal, as if, for a few hours, something I had experienced only through a screen had become real.
Seoul stayed with me for a different reason than the other places on this list. It wasn’t about being surprised by the unknown. It was about finally reaching a place I had imagined for years. The entire journey felt like a celebration of the things that bring me joy, and of the simple pleasure of finally saying: I’m here.
4. Dubrovnik, Croatia
I have visited Dubrovnik twice, and despite it being one of the most touristy places on this list, somehow I can still ignore the crowds and fall in love with it all over again.
There is something almost perfect about its setting. The old stone city surrounded by walls, with the Adriatic stretching endlessly beside it, feels like a precious stone hidden between the mountains and the sea. I love its history, but I also love how much the sea changes the city — the light, the colours and the atmosphere seem different depending on the hour of the day.
Of course, I cannot completely separate Dubrovnik from King’s Landing. As a Game of Thrones fan, recognising streets, walls and corners that became part of Westeros adds another layer of magic to the experience. But Dubrovnik doesn’t need Game of Thrones to be extraordinary.
For me, it is also an unexpectedly romantic city. Some of my most beautiful travel memories are simply of watching the sun set over the Adriatic, when the stone slowly changes colour and the crowds somehow stop mattering. Dubrovnik is one of those rare places where, despite knowing exactly how popular it is, I can still find my own little piece of magic.
5. Kyoto, Japan
I visited Kyoto for only two days, but I arrived already knowing that I wanted to step into the world of Japan’s old cultural capital. Two days were nowhere near enough, yet they were enough for the city to stay with me.
I was mesmerized by the temples, the old streets and bridges, the bamboo groves and that particular atmosphere in which the past seems to coexist naturally with everyday life. Kyoto made me want to slow down and simply observe the details around me.
One of my favorite experiences was wearing a traditional kimono for half a day and wandering through the old streets. Of course, I knew I was still a visitor in modern Japan, but for a few hours I allowed myself to enjoy the illusion. Walking between traditional wooden houses, temples and narrow streets dressed in a kimono felt almost like walking through history.
6. Pompeii & Herculaneum, Italy
Pompeii and Herculaneum will always mean more to me than two extraordinary archaeological sites. They were part of my first journey as a solo traveller, seven days in Naples that gave me the confidence to start exploring the world on my own.
I had just graduated in History and Archaeology, so visiting Pompeii and Herculaneum was the heart of that trip. I remember being so overwhelmed with happiness that I actually cried. After years of studying the ancient world, I was finally standing inside it.
There is something difficult to describe about walking through places that were suddenly frozen in time by the eruption of Vesuvius almost two thousand years ago. I was fascinated by everything, but I still remember my amazement when I saw the paintings preserved on the walls of Herculaneum. The fact that those colors, rooms and details of everyday life had survived for so long made the past feel incredibly close.
But when I think about that journey now, I realize I discovered more than the ancient cities I had dreamed of seeing. Somewhere between Naples, Pompeii and Herculaneum, I discovered that I could travel alone. I gained confidence in myself as a traveller and explorer and, in a way, finally started giving life to the dreams I had carried since childhood.
7. Bagan, Myanmar
I visited Myanmar at the end of my backpacking journey through Southeast Asia, just as the pandemic was beginning and the world was slowly entering a period of uncertainty none of us really understood yet.
And then there was Bagan. It felt magical. Thousands of temples scattered across the landscape created a sense of stillness that was difficult to describe. Again and again, local people told me that Bagan was blessed by Buddha, and whether or not you share that belief, there was something about the place that made those words stay with me.
At a moment when everything outside seemed to be becoming increasingly uncertain, Bagan gave me an unexpected feeling of peace. Walking among temples that had stood there for centuries somehow put my own worries into perspective.
I don’t know if Bagan is truly blessed by Buddha. But at that particular moment in my life, it certainly felt blessed to me.
8. Sapa, Vietnam
I have always been drawn to remote communities. Perhaps it is because they awaken that part of me that wants to feel like an explorer, not simply seeing a new landscape, but learning how people live in places very different from my own.
While travelling through Vietnam, I knew I couldn’t stay only in Hanoi. The northen mountain part of Vietnam, home to several ethnic minority communities, made me curious enough to organize a trip to Sapa. I stayed with a local family in a homestay, where I had the opportunity to learn a little about Hmong traditions, taste local food and discover more about their clothing and everyday life.
But Sapa stayed with me for more than the cultural experience. I loved the landscape and, especially, exploring it on foot. Leaving the town behind and walking into the mountains, surrounded by terraces, valleys and small villages, gave me exactly the feeling I search for when I travel: the excitement of not simply arriving somewhere, but slowly discovering it.
9. Beijing, China
Beijing was my first trip to China, and I arrived without really knowing what to expect, but in the end I found myself completely fascinated by the city.
The Forbidden City left me almost speechless. I loved walking through its enormous courtyards and palaces, surrounded by colors and architectural details that made the imperial past feel much closer than I had imagined. But my fascination with Beijing went beyond the monuments. I loved the colors, the clothes, the food and the feeling of discovering a culture I had previously known mostly from a distance.
The experience also came with its own surprises. I don’t think I have ever shown my passport as many times as I did in Beijing. Security checks seemed to follow me everywhere, something very different from most of my previous travels. And yet, despite being checked at almost every step, I felt remarkably safe exploring the city.
10. Fez, Morocco
Fez was probably one of the places on this list that challenged me most.
I arrived expecting history, colors and the atmosphere of an old Moroccan city, but I wasn’t prepared for the contrast between its extraordinary cultural richness and the visible material poverty I witnessed in parts of the medina. I had seen glimpses of Fez before in Clona, a TV series filmed partly in Morocco, yet the reality still surprised me. At first, the narrow streets, crowded spaces and sometimes crumbling buildings felt almost overwhelming.
But Fez slowly grew on me. Once the initial shock disappeared, I stopped comparing the city with what I expected it to be and started experiencing it for what it was. I allowed myself to get lost in the medina, to notice its colors and smells, its workshops, food, people and constant movement. What had initially seemed chaotic gradually became part of its personality.
This is why Fez deserves a place on this list. It wasn’t love at first sight. It was something more interesting: a place I had to learn how to appreciate. Sometimes the places that stay with us are not the ones that immediately make us say how beautiful. Sometimes they are the ones that force us to look again.
