Quotes of the Day
The continent that produced the world's greatest explorers has no undiscovered nooks and crannies of its own. Europe's secret places are in the open: right in front of our eyes, but invisible all the same, because our gaze is too often distracted by the glare from its brilliant metropolises — London! Paris! Rome!
Looking away from the bright lights, TIME's correspondents have discovered 14 secret capitals: not the biggest or best-known places around, but ones that have acquired star status among insiders in a particular field. European cities have always been known for specialties — Sheffield for its cutlery, Chantilly for its lace — but many of these capitals have remade themselves. Industrial Newcastle has swapped coal for high culture; medieval Grenoble has turned itself into a nanotech haven.
Other towns — Tallinn, Trieste, Bad Wörishofen — have revved up their ancient rhythms for the new millennium. So think of this special report as a salute to Europe's talent for survival and renaissance. These secrets are worth shouting about.
The Full List
| Newcastle: Urban renewal | Suzdal: Historic preservation | |
| Grenoble: Nanotechnology | Basel: Contemporary art | |
| Bergen: Aquaculture | Altea: Retirement heaven | |
| Bad Worishofen: Old and new age therapy | Talinn: The nightlife, baby | |
| Dubrovnik: The riviera, circa 1960 | Nantes: Quality of life | |
| Bristol: Green activism and filmmaking | Trieste: Gateway to the new europe | |
| Lemarche: Shoemaking | Glasgow: Rock of the north |
- TIME takes a guided tour of Europe's unsung treasures