In our roundup of travel stories this week: the Wyoming monument made famous by “alien encounters,” the rise of solo dining, and the lowdown on the “Schengen Shuffle.”
The Sicilian village of Gibellina was destroyed by an earthquake in 1968, but its ruins were to be reborn as a spectacular piece of land art.
Artist Alberto Burri poured concrete over 926,000 square feet of hillside, freezing the streets and pathways for eternity, transforming this disaster site into a modern Pompeii.
This year, Gibellina is Italy’s first ever Capital of Contemporary Art and locals hope 2026 will strengthen the legacy of this “magical place.”
Much older stone masterpieces are to be found at the Mount Nemrut UNESCO World Heritage site in southeastern Turkey, where colossal limestone heads guard a 2,000-year-old mystery.
