A patchwork of vineyards and olive groves, dotted with whitewashed hill towns and sun-bronzed beaches—Italy’s southern heel has no shortage of photogenic landscapes. There are a few surprises, too, including the baroque city of Lecce and the Itria Valley, with its UNESCO-listed trulli houses.

The southern Italian region of Puglia is symbolized by its white-tipped, cone-shaped trulli houses—and Alberobello, where more than a thousand UNESCO-listed trulli can be found, is the perfect place to discover them.

Overlooking the azure waters of the Adriatic Sea, petite Polignano a Mare is home to some of Puglia’s loveliest beaches. Ringed by dramatic cliffs, the Lama Monachile Beach—also known as Cala Porte—is one of the most coveted, and most photographed, in the region.

A Puglia port town that’s equal parts historic and functional, Monopoli makes a splash with medieval churches and castles jutting above the Adriatic. It’s also a painter’s dream, with bright blue fishing boats adding a pop of colour against whitewashed harbour walls.

Best known to most Germans as the locale of Georg-August University, Gottingen has about 130,000 residents, about a quarter of whom are students. Gänseliesel (Goose Girl) is the city's most famous resident, a 1901 fountain built in front of the 14th century Rathaus (Town Hall), which today houses the city's tourist office. But even Goose Girl can't escape the college students, who by tradition upon receiving their PhDs must climb and kiss her, making her "the most kissed girl in the world."