1 . We’re looking at the best Italian countryside escapes to help you find the ideal spot for your real Italian holiday.

Located in southern Italy, bordering Puglia, Basilicata holidays are all about wonderful hilltop towns waiting to be explored. Since this area is relatively unexplored, you’re in for untouched history at your fingertips. If you’re looking for a countryside escape off the beaten track, Basilicata offers an impressive mountain landscape.

Tuscany countryside holidays are a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We’ve all seen photos of the rolling hills, vineyards, and hilltop towns, but believe us when we say that nothing prepares you for experiencing the unique beauty of the Italian countryside in Tuscany firsthand.

For a true Italian countryside, a visit to Umbria is in order. The historic hill towns date back to the Etruscan era, with many structures remaining untouched and authentic. Umbria holidays offer smaller towns that hold tradition close to their hearts and long winding roads in between, where the silence of the countryside is unmatched in any other part of Italy.

Situated on the border of Switzerland and France, Piedmont is about as picturesque as the Italian countryside gets. It is surrounded by three sides of the Alps, proud of some of the biggest glaciers and highest peaks in Italy. The attractively vast vineyards and rolling green hills, as well as the luxurious lakes of Orta and Maggiore, Piedmont countryside holidays offer Italian beauty at its finest.

For centuries, sunmao structures have been providing strong and lasting support for Chinese wooden architecture, large components of     1     are often pieced together using these smart structures. The sun and the mao, when     2     (join) together, support and contain the neighbouring parts. This enhances stability and adds     3     (flexible) to the architecture. Craftsmen can make and process the components in advance and assemble (组装) them quickly on site, which is     4     (incredible) simple and efficient.

In the Hemudu site,     5     (date) back around 7,000 years, hundreds of wooden components with sunmao structures have been unearthed from the remains of houses. They are the earliest known application of sunmao structures in China in wooden-frame buildings. Since the Shang and Zhou Dynasties,     6     (generation) of carpenters have produced over a hundred types of sunmao structures and a whole set of systematic methods     7     (invent), from selecting locations and choosing materials     8     structures, measurements, manufacture and assembly.

For the craftsmen who have preserved and guarded this heritage, and for the people who have lived in and among the spaces defined by it across China, sunmao structures have always been an important part of Chinese architecture. Their styles may differ,     9     they all share the same root. Chinese people’s love of nature and pursuit of     10     (harmony) coexistence also run deep within.

4 . Best Places for Your Vacation

The following are the best places to spend your vacation.

Thailand

Thailand holidays offer the ideal mix of peace and adventure. The year-round tropical climate lends itself to the perfect paradise feel with white beach days and charming green jungles. To get into the local traditions, Chiang Mai is where you want to spend your holidays.

Dubai

Dubai holidays are all about luxury 5-star service. From shopping fever to fun family-filled activities and glorious historic architecture, Dubai is one of the best places to spend your holiday, with some of the best restaurants in the world dotted throughout the city offering fantastic views of the fireworks displays and white sands with warm clear waters.

Maldives

White soft sands, clear waters, and luxury service await on your Maldives holiday. Whether you’re looking for a fun water adventure, relaxing poolside with a cocktail, or a peaceful treatment, the private islands offer coral reefs and world-class diving, inviting you to enjoy the warm surrounding waters.

Bali

Bali, a small island to the south of Indonesia, is so picturesque that you could be fooled into thinking it as a painted backdrop: tropical forests and the white beaches. Being a fascinating tourist attraction, it offers Western food, great shopping, surfing, sunsets and colorful nightlife.

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Building a successful garden in the Suzhou classical style took around 300 years. Garden-building, then, was traditionally a project taken on by a family, passing along from one generation     1     the next.

At the heart of Chinese classical gardens     2     (lie) a combination of Daoist and Buddhist philosophy. Gardens provide a place to escape from the demands of a    3     (political) engaged life. In order to facilitate     4     sense of calm and quiet, classical gardens aim at simplicity. All of the elements within the grounds — the rock formation, plants, pavilions (亭子), and waterways —     5     (construct) according to this concept.

Suzhou today is home to gardens representative of the key periods of development of classical gardening styles, the Yuan, Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Suzhou     6     (arise) as a famous center for gardening during the Song Dynasty. Song gardens aimed at the harmony in the layout of pavilions, trees and waterways, and placed special     7     (emphasize) on the mixture of color and size. Yuan gardens, built upon the Song tradition, sought     8     (make) more of an expressionist picture of the grounds. The development of classical gardens didn’t reach its peak     9     Ming and Qing Dynasties when garden designers built more multifunctional facilities than before.

Though many of Suzhou’s gardens have a history     10     (date) long before the Qing Dynasty, the Qing style is the form most noticeably reflected in the gardens existing today.

6 . For even the most city citizens, a quick escape into nature is always a welcome breath of fresh air. Try looking for an urban garden nearby — they often hide themselves just around the corner. Click here to know more of the coolest gardens in cities around the world.

Sky Garden

As London’s highest public garden, this social space offers splendid 360-degree views of the city. With a restaurant, observation decks and beautiful plant life, there is something for everyone in this city-center escape from urban life.

The BeltLine

In a massive, 22-mile loop (环线) around the city, the BeltLine connects many Atlanta neighborhoods with parks, trails, restaurants and art shows. Although it is still under construction, the sections that are open to the public act as alternative space to enjoy the outdoors.

Jardins de Rubió i Lluch

This walled, shady garden is in the courtyard of the historic Hospital de la Santa Creu. Decorated with lilac and mandarin trees — and string lights in the evenings — this small garden square is the perfect place to sip a coffee away from Barcelona’s crowded atmosphere.

Dumbarton Oaks

The garden at this historic estate in Georgetown was listed as one of the 10 best gardens in the world by National Geographic in 2014. It has both a formal, carefully manicured (修剪整齐的) garden as well as a naturalistic garden — allowing visitors the ability to choose what they want to see.

Dayushan Island is located in Fuding, Fujian province, known     1     its untouched nature, green grasslands and attractive coastlines.

Its coast is eroded (侵蚀) by seawater,    2     (reveal) bare bedrock and reefs. But the thick trees accommodate tens of thousands of migratory birds. It     3     (list) in the “Top 10 of the most beautiful islands in China” by Chinese National Geography in 2005. It is     4     uninhabited island and a true hidden treasure that has still preserved its quietness and     5     (origin) form.

The best thing to do here is to hike up the hills and find a high spot     6     overlooks the sea, the grasslands and the lakes! Besides hiking, camping enjoys grea t    7     (popular) on the island. The lakesides are great camping     8     (destination) with peaceful water and grassland scenery. Remember to bring mosquito repellent   (驱虫剂) and not     9     (swim) in the sea, because of the dangerous currents. The wind from the sea slowly blowing, the island morning mist     10     (gradual) disappears, and beautiful scenery unfolds in front of you.