Thread of the world's most beautiful towns and villages at Christmas 🧵
1. Locorotondo, Italy
2. Zermatt, Switzerland
The Gornergrat train makes its way back to the village, with the breathtaking Matterhorn towering in the background.
3. Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
As winter blankets the Swiss valley, the village transforms into a snow-covered fairytale.
Lauterbrunnen's waterfalls freeze beneath a shimmering layer of ice, while the traditional chalets immerse visitors in a perfect winter wonderland.
4. The Ravenna Gorge is one of the most magical holiday destination on Earth.
Set in the heart of the Black Forest, this enchanting Christmas Market is filled with twinkling lights, wooden stalls, and a warm festive atmosphere beneath a stunning viaduct.
5. San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy
6. Colmar, France
7. Banff, Canada
8. Alberobello, Apulia, southern Italy
9. Rothenburg, Germany
10. Hallstatt, Austria
11. If you're looking for a unique festive location, this Alaskan gem is the place for you: North Pole is a tiny town with just over 2,000 residents.
Celebrating Christmas year-round, it’s home to the Santa Claus House, which receives 400,000 letters from children each year.
12. Grindelwald, Switzerland
13. Leavenworth, Washington
14. Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany
15. Rovaniemi, Finland
Listed as "one of the best places in the world to celebrate Christmas", Rovaniemi is also considered by Finns to be the official home town of Santa Claus.
16. Bibury, England
17. Sanary-sur-Mer Provence, France
18. Every December 8th, the enchanting town of Manarola in Italy’s Cinque Terre transforms into a unique spectacle.
At 5:00 pm, the world’s largest illuminated nativity scene comes to life, featuring over 300 life-sized figures illuminated by 17,000 bulbs.
19. Bled, Slovenia
20. Lofoten islands, Norway
21. Cernobbio, Italy
Lake Como takes on a truly magical atmosphere during the Christmas holidays.
22. Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
23. Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
24. Zakopane, Poland
25. Montreux, Switzerland
This lovely lakeside town on Lake Geneva is home to one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe, featuring over 170 illuminated chalets brimming with festive delights and Santa soaring overhead in his sleigh.
26. Sighișoara, Romania
This UNESCO World Heritage Site in Transylvania is particularly magical at Christmas.
The medieval citadel is adorned with lights, and the Christmas market here offers traditional Romanian crafts, food, and drinks.
Thank you for reading till the end!
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Tap this post to scroll through some of the most impossible sculptures of all time 🧵
1. The veil that got an artist accused of alchemy
Giuseppe Sanmartino carved the Veiled Christ from a single block of white marble in 1753 for the Cappella Sansevero in Naples.
Contemporaries accused him of alchemy for its breathtaking realism, and Canova himself declared he would give ten years of his life to have created it.
2. Marble sits at 3-4 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Steel sits at 4 to 4.5.
Khafre Enthroned is made of anorthosite gneiss, which registers at 6 to 7. It was carved over four millennia ago by ancient Egyptians who, according to archaeologists, had not yet developed iron tools.