“Best Small City in the World” is in Mexico!

This artist colony even has a palette of approved colors to paint homes & businesses

Based on the magazine’s reader choices, travel behemoth Conde Nast has awarded charming San Miguel de Allende the “Best Small City in the World” five times in less than a decade.   Moreover, Travel & Leisure recently bestowed upon San Miguel de Allende the “Best City in the World” honor.  Indeed, San Miguel de Allende is used to receiving a plethora international accolades.  The United Nations, for example, granted this enchanting enclave of stunning architecture, bright candy-colored buildings, and a global food scene its special “World Heritage” cultural award (UNESCO).

                               This hacienda could easily be in Spain…but, it’s in downtown San Miguel!

San Miguel de Allende, established in the 16^th century during the height of the area’s silver-mining, is more reminiscent of Europe than the Americas.  The city’s Spanish architecture, cobblestone streets, ornate churches, and tree-shaded plazas remind most visitors of Spain.  Moreover, San Miguel has become a magnet for artists (Diego Rivera was born nearby), and this creative energy has been synergistic with the development of a foodie movement---which in turn, has given rise to a wine industry.  In unison, art, food and wine have created a cosmopolitan flair evocative of Seville or Cordoba.

San Miguel’s version of ceviche has ahi tuna, local avocado, tomato, corn & hearts of palm

Foodies will be enchanted with San Miguel de Allende.  As upmarket tourism is very important to the city’s economy, there are a mind-boggling number of dining venues:  everything from a restaurant with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, to food trucks.  The city’s gastronomic heartbeat is palpable.   

This recently retired physician teaches cooking using all local items…many from her garden

While fusion cuisine is popular (Mediterranean-Mexican, sushi meets taco, pizzas from wood-burning ovens featuring Mexican cheeses & toppings such as cactus), there are also terrific traditional restaurants serving dishes such as guacamole, green chicken enchiladas and chile verde.  Want to take a cooking class?  No problema, there are mucho good choices most nights of the week.   Culinary walking tour?  Ditto!  Popular walking tours for foodies include “Tequilas & Tacos,” as well as “Chocolate & Cobblestones.”

Are you in Spain?  Italy?  France?  Argentina?  No, it’s San Miguel Mexico!

The intense interest in gastronomy has given rise to a developing wine industry.  Dating back to the late 1990s – early 2000s, the region has grown & now has 25 wineries, with more on the drawing board.  Its high altitude (>6,000 feet) provides for hot days and cool evenings---a perfect climate for making complex wines.  International varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are grown, as is Argentina’s famous Malbec & France's Semillon.

The public library’s ceilings & walls are works of notable art.

While San Miguel is a mecca for food and wine lovers, perhaps it is even more known for being a world-famous magnet for artists.  The city offers numerous universities and schools of art.   Modern painting and sculptures adorn everything from convents and churches to building exteriors and parks.   Even the humble public library is a tribute to the importance of art in this city.   

Wine-Knows was so impressed with San Miguel that it's offering a tour in April 2026.  The tour is completely sold out, but if you're interested in being placed on the waiting list, please contact us. 

San Miguel de Allende – Wine-Knows Travel

Sibenik, Croatia---a UNESCO Charmer

           Join Wine-Knows in September on their private yacht charter along the Croatian coastline

Only five cities around the globe have two UNESCO World Heritage monuments.  Sibenik is one of them.   The United Nations grants this special status to sites with significant cultural, historical or scientific importance.   Places such as the Great Barrier Reef, Acropolis, Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Westminster Abbey, and our own country’s Grand Canyon and Yosemite are UNESCO World Heritage sites.  The fact that the small town of Sibenik has two spots on the list of world treasures is extraordinary.

                                 Backstreets create ja perfect stage for the movie industry

Sibenik is also the oldest town in Croatia.  Tossed back and forth between the Venetian Republic, the Byzantine Empire, and the Austrian-Hungarian Dynasty, the town is a medieval treasure trove for architecture.  It’s no wonder that Game of Thrones chose Sibenik for filming as its labyrinth alleyways make for picture-perfect Hollywood sets of Gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance splendor.

                               Invaders had to sail past this Fortress to enter  Sibenik's bay

The St. Nicolas Fortress is one of the coveted UNESCO sites.   Located on a small island protecting the entrance to Sibenik’s bay, this fortress is one of the best preserved on the Dalmatian coastline.  The Venetians built St. Nicolas in the 16^th century to fend off maritime attacks by the Turks.  Shaped like an arrow, with a seemingly impenetrable exterior protected by 32 cannons, the fortress was designed to send a “don’t mess with me” vibe.

                         Wine-Knows will have a private tour of this UNESCO masterpiece

The Cathedral of St. James is the other UNESCO gem.   The church was initially conceived to be a simple one, however, several successive Italian architects over a period spanning more than 100 years turned the building into something far from simplistic.  The end result was a perfect fusion of Gothic and Renaissance.

Wine-Knows will visit Sibenik on this September’s private yacht tour of the Croatian coastline.  There are still one or two spaces left on the September 2-9 week (the week of 9-16 is old out with a waiting list).

https://www.wineknowstravel.com/croatia-itinerary/

Pizza is Now U.N. World Heritage !

                              Pizza from the city of Naples has been recognized by UNESCO

The art of making pizza has been declared by the United Nations World Heritage (UNESCO) as an official cultural treasure.  Actually, this accolade went to pizza from the city of Naples where this internationally beloved dish originated.   Neapolitan pizza, however, has very humble beginnings in that it was used to feed the poor.

While pizza in Naples can be traced back to the 18th century, bread's history actually goes back to 8,000 BC.  Bread in some form has been instrumental for feeding human societies.  The ancient Roman Empire, however, took the art of bread-making to another level.  Romans not only made enhancements to milling techniques, but were the first to produce flour which could be made into bread.  Naples was an important cultural center of the Roman Empire thus bread-making has deep roots in the Neapolitan cuisine.

      Naple's tomatoes, grown on the volcanic slopes of Vesuvius, taste like to other in the world

One cannot discuss the history of pizza without mentioning the tomato.  First, one has to remember that the tomato wasn’t brought to Europe until the early 1500’s.  It was first brought to Spain from South America by Spanish conquistadores.  It took another 50 years for the tomato to make it to southern Italy.  Thought by many Europeans to be poisonous, tomatoes took nearly a century to catch on.  In Naples, poverty was rampant.  People could starve to death, or try to survive by eating the tomato.  Today, the local tomato San Marzano, has become a world-wide brand.

The first recipe using tomatoes can be traced back to Naples in 1694.  A Neapolitan chef wrote in Latin a recipe for a sauce using tomatoes, onions and herbs.   Even then, this tomato sauce was shunned by the wealthy and viewed as a food for the poor.  Rich Neapolitans ate meat.  Poor people living in Naples ate vegetables, and this vegetable was particularly interesting because it could be preserved through a drying process, in olive oil, or in a paste form.

                Margherita is a classical offering in nearly every pizza spot around the world

While all of the ingredients for pizza were present in Naples for nearly 200 years, it took the visit to Naples by the King of Italy in 1889 to put pizza on the map.  During this visit one of Naple’s chefs created a dish named after the King’s wife Margherita.  The creation cleverly had the 3 colors of the Italian flag:  red, green & white.  Today, this Neapolitan classical pizza Margherita is served at restaurants around the world and includes bread, tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil.

The art of making pizza belongs to the people of Naples who created it in order to survive.  While now an art form around the world, the accolades belong to the humble poor of Naples who had nothing much more to eat than bread, and took a big chance on tomatoes.   Let's remember that in the New Year.