Cyprus

Third-biggest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus is perched off the southern coast of Turkey and the western coast of Syria. It’s seen some amazing history—history gloriously embodied in more than one epic landmark. And from pine-studded mountains to sensual beaches, it’s got natural beauty to spare.

Cyprus has been a crossroads for many great Mediterranean and European powers: from the Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans to the Venetians and the Turks. And from 1914 to 1960 it was a British colony. Today the population’s mostly divided between a majority of Greek Cypriots and a significant minority of Turkish Cypriots; the so-called Green Line, established after a 1974 invasion by Turkey, divides the mainly Turkish north from the Greek-dominated south.

Some 10,000 years of human history have tattooed the Cypriot landscape, which includes a stellar array of Neolithic, Classical, and medieval sites. Here was the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite; Paphos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserves a Mycenaean temple to her in addition to many other Classical monuments, including world-famous Hellenistic and Roman mosaics. Another World Heritage Site marks the spectacular Byzantine churches and monasteries of the Troodos Mountains.

The Troodos are perhaps the defining landscape of Cyprus: a rugged tract of igneous peaks in the island’s southwest. Timeless villages such as Lefkara occupy secluded valleys; deep forests of pine, cedar, and oak rise to craggy ridges. In winter, skiers flock to the Troodos resorts—including those on the slopes of the island’s highest peak, 6,401-foot Mount Troodos (or Mount Olympus).

It's true: With some 400 miles of Mediterranean coastline, Cyprus is a leading destination for sand-and-sea holidays. But get out and about a bit more, and you'll discover just how chock-full of quiet beauty and dizzying history this sun-burnished island really is.