bank of clouds known locally as the kiss of Venus. Originating as a pagan place of worship, the village stays true to its Sic

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MOUSTIERS-SAINTE-MARIE, FRANCE Revered for its production of faience, a tin-glazed earthenware that once decorated the royal tables of Versailles, this photogenic hamlet hangs off a limestone cliff in eastern Provence. Faience workshops produce plates, tu

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MONSARAZ, PORTUGAL The walled, white-washed Portuguese village of Monsaraz overlooks the Alentejo plains and is home to the Alentejana Mizette Factory, an artisanal workshop that has helped revive the regional craft of hand-loomed, brightly striped blanke

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MONEMVASIA, GREECE This walled village sits on its own rocky spur, just barely connected to the southern tip of the Peloponnese Peninsula by a narrow causeway. A jumble of Byzantine, Ottoman, and Venetian architecture, the hamletis fringed by rocky Medit

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MILTENBERG, GERMANY This riverside Franconian settlement is known for its snaking main street framed by half-timbered houses, as well as its brewpubs. The family-owned Faust brewery can help arrange a tour of local breweries. PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORG KNOLL, L

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MARIEFRED, SWEDEN All sherbet-colored cottages, this lakeside hamlet could pass for Pippi Longstocking’s hometown and offers the bonus of the Renaissance Gripsholm Castle, which houses the Swedish national portrait collection. PHOTOGRAPH BY GERALD HAENEL

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KERTEMINDE, DENMARK This harborside town on the island of Funen was home to a thriving artist colony in the early 20th century, and the Funen Painters’ Nordic impressionistic canvases brighten the local Johannes Larsen Museum. PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANK TOPHOVE

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GUARDA, SWITZERLAND Flush with chalets, the showpiece Alpine village of Guarda features 16 clearly marked