Throughout Sicily, not only in shops and ateliers, but on verandas and terraces of many houses, we find the colorful and unmistakable pinecones and the adorned heads that carry a lot of symbolism beyond its decorative character. These heads, called "Teste di Moro" or "Moorish Heads", originated in the 11th century.

I put a short list together of my favourite museums in Amsterdam that certainly cater to different tastes. I have been to some of them countless times. When I love a museum, no matter how many times I go: it seems that on every new occasion a whole different perspective rises in my mind.

Cattedrale di Palermo: I could be content by just observing its façade. It has a rich architecture with different shapes and techniques that represents all the cultural diversity that Palermo is made of: Roman, Norman, Greek, Arabic, and even a touch of Sicilian Baroque. A great mix that could not have been more successful.

In 1920, the animal fur market in Leipzig represented 1/3 of the world market. In the streets known today as Brühl Street and also on Nikolai Strasse, it used to be mostly full of Jewish merchants (60%), who were responsible for the economic cycle of the textile retail market.

Just as Brooklin in New York and Gamboa in Rio de Janeiro lived the emergence of art spaces occupying old factories and warehouses , the Plagwitz district was no different. It is the favorite place for all types of artists who use creativity to their advantage, with a more bohemian lifestyle.

Every time I visit an old monument or building with a preserved garden as an integral part of the history of that place, I usually spend most of my time there. In my opinion, some gardens are much more charming than the museum or palace itself.

One very curious fact that I learned the first time I visited Jerusalem was that all house façades are made of stone. In 1936 the British Government banned iron in construction precisely because this raw material was widely being used during the war. Such an order became a Municipal Law and the obligation has remained a custom perpetuated until today.

Besides being a rather eye-catching building, The Duke's Diwan is Amman's most ancient building and is open for visitation. It is in the heart of the city center and opposite a good, famous restaurant called Hashem. Its history goes back to 1924, the year of its construction, where the first Post Office of the city once functioned.

The visit to Amman is complete when you get to know the Roman Theater. So much so that some tour guides start the city tour at this place, considered an architectural relic created more than 2,000 years ago during the Roman domination, when Amman was chosen capital of the Roman Empire and was still called Philadelphia.

I will hardly insist on anyone visiting a museum. But when in Rotterdam, if I must suggest some of the most must-see places in one’s life is the Boijmans Van Beunigen. Its qualitites are countless. It has, altogether, works of art made by Rembrandt, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Magritte, Salvador Dalí and so on.

In Maastricht, many old gothic constructions are still admired and reused for different purposes. One of the nicest places to go for those who enjoy reading is the Boekhandel Dominicanen library.