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.

With its azure seas and white-washed buildings, coastal Trani is stark in its Mediterranean beauty. A popular destination in Puglia, the seaport city's buzzing promenade is ideal for whiling away the hours, while its Jewish quarter and lofty cathedral add historical appeal.

The people of Tamil Nadu consider providing food to others a service to humanity. Thus the service in the state capital, Chennai, is first-rate. Treat your senses to some of the richest South Indian flavours in traditional dishes like sambar, rasam, fish curry or kootu. And don't forget to have a cup of full-bodied Tamil coffee, enhanced with chicory—no visit is complete without it.

Blossoming bougainvilleas, crumbling cathedrals on leafy boulevards and 18th-century colonial buildings colour the former French colony of Pondy, which sits on the Bay of Bengal. But it's also unmistakably Indian, with colourful festivals throughout the year, several mosques and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Quiet beaches stretch north and south from town, good for swimming and sunrise strolls. Pondy is a popular weekend getaway destination from Chennai and is easy to navigate on foot or by bicycle.