{"id":10181,"date":"2012-08-13T20:18:37","date_gmt":"2012-08-13T18:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lafranja.net\/?p=10181"},"modified":"2012-08-13T20:18:37","modified_gmt":"2012-08-13T18:18:37","slug":"matarranya-a-nbc-europes-secret-hot-spots-itineraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lafranja.net\/?p=10181","title":{"rendered":"Matarranya a NBC: Europe’s secret hot spots – Itineraries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Europe’s secret hot spots – Itineraries<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Sergio Padura<\/p>\n

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The Matarranya region in Southern Aragon is Spain’s answer to Tuscany, striped with vineyards and rivers, and dotted with olive groves and tree-lined peaks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

By Heidi Mitchell, Travel + Leisure<\/div>\n
\nFollow @msnbc_travel<\/a><\/div>\n

Americans can\u2019t get enough of Paris, as becomes painfully clear each summer, when it swarms with tourists. Relief waits a train ride away in \u00cele de Noirmoutier: You\u2019ll be greeted by the scent of mimosa and the sight of bobbing yachts and families picnicking on the beach.<\/p>\n

Slideshow: See the secret hot spots<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Thankfully, Europe is still full of under-the-radar gems like this French retreat. And we can\u2019t resist spreading the word about the latest emerging hot spots, from Eastern Europe\u2019s hippest art scene to a sleepy district of lakes and castles.<\/p>\n

The continent is so varied that even with 17 countries sharing the euro currency, it can barely keep from splintering into thousands of microcultures. While this complicates the financial markets, it has an upside for travelers: continued opportunities for discovery. You\u2019ll never walk into a beach bar in Bergen, Holland, and one on the Aegean Islands and have the same experience.<\/p>\n

So while the hunt is always on for the next Tuscany, you\u2019ll find that Spain\u2019s answer \u2014 the little-touristed northeast Matarranya region \u2014 has its own distinctive accent. Its patchwork of vineyards, rivers and olive groves lies at the confluence of the ancient Aragon, Valencia and Catalonia kingdoms. The feeling is still a bit regal, especially at the Hotel Torre del Visco, a surprisingly affordable 15th-century palace in Fuentespalda (population: 368).<\/p>\n

Farther afield, in Estonia, there\u2019s a secret island of juniper forests, fishing villages and small farms that was the last stronghold of Estonian pagans until the 13th century. Looking for a windmill? You\u2019ll get your photo-op with the country\u2019s last working wooden version here.<\/p>\n

For more of a scene, look to the Netherlands and a beach town that\u2019s recently made waves. Like the Hamptons, but with clogs, Bergen is becoming a second-home haven for newly monied Germans and Dutch who prefer bike rides and outdoor caf\u00e9s to power lunches.<\/p>\n

It takes extra effort, sure, to reach these European spots, but the reward comes with that sense of being let in on a fantastic secret \u2014 and the opportunity to experience a place rooted in local tradition before it\u2019s really discovered and altered.<\/p>\n

And if you just can\u2019t forget Paris, consider you\u2019ll probably get to transit through one such glittering European hub along the way.<\/p>\n

More from Travel + Leisure<\/strong><\/p>\n