Welcome back to Underrated Cities, bringing you unexpected (and occasionally controversial) ideas for your next destination.
This edition: if you put these three cities in a room, we're not sure they'd get along (though Wisconsinites are notoriously nice).
Know a city that's criminally underrated and should be featured in a deeply excellent email series? Hit reply and let us know your top tip.
In the meantime, find your next destination below... |
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People who kinda-sorta-know Wisconsin usually picture cheese curds and Brett Favre (possibly at the same time). And while Madison has plenty of both, reducing it to dairy and beefcake stereotypes is doing it a serious disservice.
Sandwiched between two lakes and anchored by one of America's top public universities, Madison is a heady mix: the best bits of a college town plus the political energy of a state capital. The result? A city that's both laid-back and engaged, where you can debate policy over craft beer.
Yes, the winters are brutal enough to make a Minnesotan flinch. But that just makes summer lake culture more precious - and gives you a legit excuse to spend the other half of the year in cozy dive bars.
Our tip: walk the entire length of State Street, from campus to the Capitol. It's a greatest hits reel of Madison in 15 minutes, plus you'll build an appetite for the heck-yeah brats at Memorial Union Terrace.
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While Venice decorously sinks, and Pisa puts up with tourists drawn by subpar building methods, Naples sits squat in the south, being gloriously and chaotically itself.
Is it gritty? Yup. Will your guidebook warn you about pickpockets and terrible traffic? Also yes. But Naples is where pizza was invented, after all; it's where Italian life happens without a perpetual filter, and where the coffee will make you question every cup you've had north of Rome.
Plus - no big deal - it's your gateway to Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and Mount Vesuvius, meaning you can base yourself somewhere with soul instead of yet another overpriced coastal resort.
Our tip: find the smallest, most chaotic pizzeria you can locate and order a basic Margherita. Bonus points if the owner argues with you about toppings.
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When people think Seychelles, they picture deserted beaches and overwater bungalows. Victoria - one of the world's smallest capital cities - usually doesn't factor into anyone's fantasies. [Editor's Note: in that sense, Victoria has much in common with our co-founders].
Which is a shame, because this tiny city (population: 26,000) offers something most tropical paradises don't: genuine urban life. You get the authentic Creole culture, the spice markets, the real Seychellois food - all while being a 20-minute drive from beaches that look like screensavers.
Our tip: hit up the somewhat oddly-named Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market - the best place to try fruits you've never heard of and pick up some of the world's most expensive cinnamon as a sure-to-please-your-significant-other souvenir.
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Our rec for the Minaal gear best suited to these destinations?
You'll want to deal with snow, sand and the occasional pickpocket.
So of course, it's the Original Bag Bundle. |
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"I literally cannot say anything bad about this bag. I have owned it for years and it holds up as good as it did when I first bought it. I am able to pair it with the Daily Bag and maximize its use. It is so nice to get through an airport in less than thirty minutes after arriving, and it is easier to walk along European cobblestones that I know traditional wheeled luggage would have an issue with. On to many adventures and trips more with these bags!"
- Juan G. |
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Got a city you think is underrated? Hit reply!
Let's get planning,
J, D, & the Minaal team |
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