Italy: Tuscan countryside

Tuscany's explosion in popularity in the last few year has it's costs. Though the residents are warm and friendly, and the landscape is lovely, the countryside itself is becoming more of a mainstream tourist destination.

Winding roads make for a great cycling trip, skirting olive-treed slopes and careening into gentle valleys filled with grapevines. Even the occasional thunderstorm does nothing but pour warm rain down your back.

NEXT: Southern sunset