Did You Know...? The island is called Virgin Gorda (i.e., Fat Virgin) because its profile reminded Columbus of a reclining woman. Philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller donated the land for Gorda Peak National Park in 1974. The island is home to the world's smallest lizard, the Virgin Gorda gecko. Sir Richard Branson
Did You Know ... ? The train to Tierra del Fuego's park is the world's southernmost railway and Ushuaia the southernmost town. The so-called killer whale (the orca) is really the world's largest dolphin. The Beagle Channel is named for the boat that Charles Darwin traveled on in 1831-36. Argentina
Did You Know ... ? Today there are 14 tower houses in San Gimignano, but once there were 72. Frances Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun” is set in and around Cortona. A Volterra artist was called “the underwear guy” after he painted over the nudity in Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment.”
Did You Know...? An international banking center, Tortola counts around 500,000 registered financial businesses. More than 80% of BVIslanders live on Tortola. Laurance Rockefeller purchased and donated the land for B.V.I.’s Sage Mountain National Park (1964). Road, as in Road Town, is the nautical name for a protected and safe
Did You Know ... ? Muhlebach boasts Switzerland’s oldest village center, with houses from the 14th/15th centuries. The Nestle company was founded in Vevey on Lake Geneva, where it is still headquartered. Gruyere is the traditional choice for cheese fondues and French onion soup. Daniel Peter, cofounder of Peter, Cailler
Did You Know ... ? The Rhine and Rhone rivers originate in the Swiss Alps within 15 miles of one another. Early ski racers were dairy farmers skiing on summer grazing grounds; the Swiss still cheer skiers with cowbells. Jungfraujoch, at 11,333 feet above sea level, is the highest train
Did You Know...? Blackbeard’s Castle is the Caribbean’s only 17th century fortified tower (and never saw a pirate). Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro was born on St. Thomas (1830) to a French Jewish father and Creole mother. Coral World Ocean Park has an underwater post office box. The 99 Steps, made
Did You Know...? The island is dotted with the remains of 54 sugar mills. Point Udall, St. Croix, is the easternmost point of the U.S. Alexander Hamilton held his first job, as a child, on St. Croix. Buildings in Christiansted’s historic area must be painted in colors used by the
Did You Know ... ? The 15th century Scottish Parliament tried to stamp out golf because it interfered with archery practice. St. Andrews had set the golf round at 22 holes but eliminated its own shortest holes, producing the 18-hole game. Dunfermline was Andrew Carnegie’s birthplace (1835) and site of
Did You Know...? Sherry, a Spanish wine, takes its name from Jerez de la Frontera, sherry being the Anglicized version of Jerez. At least 100 Spanish towns, besides Pamplona, celebrate their saints by running with the bulls. Peru’s conqueror, Francisco Pizarro, was born in the village of Extremadura’s Trujillo (c.
