Places David Plotz Wants to Go

This isolated island is often capped by its own fluffy cloud.

A star-shaped fortress town fort built in the geometric model of the Renaissance utopian city.

A subterranean playground in an abandoned slate mine.

Modern-day cave dwellers carve elaborate homes out of volcanic debris.

This ancient fortress in Iran was once the oldest and largest treasury in the world.

This unusually shaped mountaintop tower looks like a UFO floating over the city.

Cavemen, elephants, and eagles greet passengers driving through the town's main intersection.

An Italian hillside ghost town.

The haunting beauty of this little-visited wreck makes it a true hidden treasure.

These particularly resplendent rodents are the state animal of Maharashtra.

The most unloved grain elevator in Brooklyn was a “Magnificent Mistake.”

Neon signs that grace the windows of Bergdorf Goodman's and Tiffany & Co. come from this studio in Brooklyn.

This 170-year-old Swiss guesthouse built into the side of a mountain is best accessed by a cable car.

This magnificent tree towering over the Atlantic rainforest is one of the oldest and largest in Brazil.

A miniature Italianate fantasy village on the coast of Wales and the set of ITC classic "The Prisoner."

A nearly abandoned Jewish settlement perched atop a hill in the heart of Yemen.

This strange sculpture of a menacing skull surrounded by sun rays was discovered at the foot of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Over 100 towers were built in Bologna during the Middle Ages, but only 22 survive.

The most remote tree in the world is more than 170 miles from its nearest neighbor.

A former mining hospital is now a vibrant artistic hub.

One of the longest natural sand beaches in the world.

A trio of giant wooden megaphones turn up nature's volume in this Estonian forest.

A library built during San Francisco's pioneer times is a student's retreat, bibliophile's sanctuary, and chess player's delight.

This edible park is open to any and all foragers.