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Top Ten Unesco-Protected Sites

Look at the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves and you’ll find an astonishing range of sites all over the world, from ancient palaces to medieval towns, and from stretches of coastline that are rich in fossils to areas that are so dry they support very unusual flora and fauna. Here we list ten of the many sites and reserves that you can get a feel for on Inntravel holidays.

Historic Centre of Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is one of Austria’s great cultural centres, its rich heritage inextricably linked with its most famous son, Mozart, whose birth in 1756 was celebrated throughout 2006 with many special events. Even without the Mozart connection, Salzburg is a fascinating city to explore, its Aldstadt (Old Town) one of Europe’s best examples of Baroque town-planning. Grand buildings, elegant boutiques and traditional coffee houses line the narrow streets and open squares, all watched over by the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress.

Pont du Gard, Roman Provence, France. This impressive monument is testimony to the engineering brilliance of the Romans. Completed in the first part of the 1st century AD, the three-tiered bridge is the largest surviving section of the 50-kilometre aqueduct which transported water to Nîmes, and measures 273 metres long and 48 metres high.

Hallstatt-Dachstein Region, Salzkammergut, Austria. Salzkammergut is Austria’s lake district, and it is widely agreed that, of the many lakes, Hallstättersee is the most beautiful. So steep are the slopes of the surrounding mountains that the landscape is almost fjord-like. Just as magnificent is the village on the west shore, Hallstatt, which owes its prosperity to the nearby salt mines. With so little ground to build on, the gabled houses crowd together, adding to the charm. So limited is space, in fact, that the graveyard cannot expand any further, and bodies are left in the ground for just ten years before the remains are transferred to the Beinhaus (‘Bone House’).

Medina of Fez, Morocco. Fez is the most complete medieval city in the Arab world and to enter the alleyways of the extraordinary Medina (Old Town) is to be transported back into the Middle Ages. In the very oldest – and most compelling – part of the Medina, Fes El Bali, the streets are particularly labyrinthine. Wandering through these, you will stumble across intricately decorated mosques, medersas (student halls of residence) and fondouks (gathering places).

Late Baroque Towns of south-east Sicily, Italy. Though tragic, the devastating earthquake of 1693 that razed Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli to the ground had one positive outcome: the birth of eight new towns on the sites of the old ones. The reconstruction – which incorporated various innovations in urban planning – was a huge undertaking, but the result was eight splendid examples of late Baroque architecture.

Bergen’s Bryggen District, Norway. The Bryggen is perhaps the most photographed part of Bergen, and no wonder – here, colourful old warehouses and merchants’ houses line the wharf, recalling the period when Bergen was an important port in the Hanseatic League. Strict rules dictated the size of the buildings and the width of the passageways between them, something which you can still appreciate as the original medieval building line has remained largely unaltered over the centuries.

Costiera Amalfitana, Campania, Italy. This is another region which, like Salzkammergut, combines handsome villages and landscapes of great natural beauty. Both vie for your attention – with mountains plunging into the glittering waters of the Mediterranean, the scenery is certainly dramatic, but architecturally rich towns such as Amalfi and Ravello are very appealing too. What is so interesting to note as you explore is how successive generations have adapted to the difficult terrain. Villages clamber up the slopes, their houses seemingly piled one on top of the other, beyond which the mountainsides are coated with olive and lemon groves linked by ancient stepped paths.

Grazalema Biosphere Reserve, Andalucia, Spain. The biosphere reserve within the mountains of Andalucia’s Grazalema Natural Park boasts a rich flora. One of the most important species is the Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo), which grows at altitudes of 1,000 metres and above. It has been described as a ‘living fossil’ because it is a relict of the forests that covered the Earth during the Tertiary Age.

Historic Centre of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. In a region with so many beautiful towns and villages, Siena still manages to stand out as one of Tuscany’s real jewels, with red-brick medieval buildings and a wealth of art treasures. After strolling through the narrow streets lined by tall houses, it comes as a great contrast to emerge into the Campo, the vast plaza that is the city’s focal point.

Garajonay National Park, La Gomera, Spain. The National Park, which encompasses the central part of the island, is of great botanical importance in that its lush vegetation resembles that of the Tertiary Age. Laurel forests, once very widespread in southern Europe and now only found in small pockets, cover over two-thirds of the Park.

Several other Unesco World Heritage Sites are visited on other holidays, namely: the quayside of Porto, Portugal’s second city and capital of the port-wine trade (Valley of Gold Walk); the historic centre of Bruges, a favourite short break destination; the Old Town of Lunenburg in Nova Scotia; the routes of Santiago de Compostela in France, which incorporates the extraordinary 14th-century collegial church of La Romieu in Gascony (Sunflowers & Abbeys Walk); the breathtaking ruins of Mystras in Greece (Footpaths between Heaven & Earth Walk); the historic centre of San Gimignano with its distinctive towers (Hill-Top Towns of Tuscany Walk); Portovenere and the Cinque Terre (Along the Ligurian Coast Walk); and the archetypal Tuscan landscapes of the Val d’Orcia (10-night version of the Tuscan Heartland Walk).

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