Two towns in the Jura region of northwestern Switzerland received UNESCO World Heritage status this June. Known for their singular devotion to making the kinds of watches that ticked as long as you wound them, the towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle offer some unique architecture and city planning, with houses arranged on long and mostly straight streets, looking like trains lined up at a station--as you can see in the picture on the La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle site, which offer lots of tips on what to visit. Watchmaking Heritage Days will be held on the 7th and 8th of November in 2009.

To learn more about UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe, see A Look at UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Italy Travel.

One of the things that surprised us on our trip from Tuscany to Austria was the number of interesting villages in Italy's Veneto region. We liked our stay in laid-back Bassano del Grappa, known for its covered bridge called Ponte degli Alpini, originally designed by Palladio, and its grappa distilleries, not to mention good food and great views of the Brenta river passing through the historic center. Take our virtual tour of the place: Bassano del Grappa Pictures

To learn more about visiting, see the Bassano del Grappa Travel Guide. For more on the Veneto, see the Veneto Region Map.

In his article on Trifter, Vassilis Manoussos offers up some very sound advice for folks who would like to experience the "real Greece." Manoussos is Greek, but he's evidently been living amongst some beach-going revelers in the UK for the last 8 years--resulting in an interesting point of view:

It is amazing to believe that people pay a good sum of money to go to a place like Greece (or any other Mediterranean destination for that matter) and come back without having visited a small village tavern, with some house wine, fresh olive oil made from the tavern owner’s own olive trees, and fresh fruits picked up from the trees a few hours ago.

My experience in rural Italy puts me in the same boat as Vassillis. I have to remind myself constantly that loads of people actually want to do nothing more than spend beach time with a culturally identical crowd and eat cheap food just to stay alive until happy hour.

And I also have to face the disturbing fact that most of the simple things he recommends give me goosebumps:

"In the morning you can go to the harbour and wait for the fishing boats to arrive. Then you can select the fishes you want to have for lunch. Take a few more, go to the nearest tavern, and ask the owner to cook them for you. Instead of paying him, he will accept some fishes for himself. He will through in a salad, bread and some wine, and everybody will be happy. Who said that barter is dead?" ~ Visit the Real Greece: Why So Many Tourists Miss Out on the Real Holiday Experience (Read the article, it's got many good ideas for a "real" holiday)

So, just for a reality check (mine, not yours) and to have a good time while we're not on a secluded beach in Greece, how about flaunting your expected level of vacation "realness" in our poll?

Fountain, Brescia © 2009 by James Martin, licensed to About.com