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Everybody has heard of Paris, Florence, Barcelona and the like. But then you have the rest of a vast continent—a treasure trove of time-worn towns and affable villages…secret islands and dramatic landscapes

On the Calle Rec in Barcelona’s El Born neighborhood is a new type of “private members’ club.” Not that you’d notice it. The only sign that it’s there is a discreet bell on a glass door.

Gourmet dining may not spring to mind when you think of Nicaragua. But top-class restaurants serving international cuisine as well as the best of Nicaraguan food are growing in number.

Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II was unimpressed by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler’s new contraptions. “I do believe in the horse,’’ he said in 1886.

Figures released by the IMF reveal that the three least-affordable cities to buy a home in are Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzen in Mainland China. And the fourth least-affordable city is Hong Kong!

We lived in Paris for a month in 2012, and we were so happy that this year we increased our stay to three months. It now looks as if the grande dame of European cities will claim us for five months in 2014.

A couple would probably need around $800 a month for food, not counting several meals a week in the city’s excellent restaurants.

When I tell people that I bought a house in Italy, the usual response is, “How fantastic!” When I tell them it’s located in Basilicata, they get a blank look and ask, “Where?”

A herd of goats files into the pasture below my patio. The flock leaps over the stream, threading its way through the field. They butt each other in exuberance as I savor my morning coffee and fresh rolls with creamy butter.