She might strike you as a “mala mujer” or even a “bruja” (witch): Andalusia will ignite your fantasies, painting them in the fiery hues of those wild, blood-boiling impulses. Too hot to handle in summer, this diva region of Southern Spain is simply smoking hot all year round. Andalusia isn’t a place you visit with a purpose or a strict time frame. Don’t even try to judge her: she’s as intense as the rhythms of her flamenco and as savage as her corridas. At times, she’s mute and arid, but then, so are you. This is a world of simple, raw power, with a gravitational pull so immense it can…

In the ancient realm of Tuscany, nestled between the rival cities of Siena and Florence, the fertile Chianti region lay as the coveted prize in a bitter territorial feud. For generations, the animosity the two cities had been simmering like the Tuscan sun. A white rooster, a black rooster and grand horse race Desperate for a resolution to establish the rightful owner of the Chianti territory once and for all, the leaders of both cities decided to settle the matter with a grand horse race. The rules were simple yet unprecedented: two riders would set off at the crowing of a rooster, one from each city, and the point where…