The Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia

© Jeremy Woodhouse/Getty Image

Info. The Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Today we’re looking across the Adriatic Sea to the medieval city of Dubrovnik in southern Croatia. It is known for its distinctive Old Town, which is surrounded by medieval walls. Visitors can walk along the walls, which stretch almost 2,000 metres and were built to defend Dubrovnik from pirates and other unwelcome guests during the Middle Ages. Marked by fortifications, bastions and towers, the walls offer spectacular views of the Adriatic Sea and the Old Town's terracotta roofs.

The roof tiles of Dubrovnik were originally moulded in the shape of the human thigh. Take a closer look and you’ll see a mixture of vibrant orange and dark brown rooftops. The more brightly coloured tiles are replacements after hundreds of buildings were damaged by bombings in the early 1990s during the Croatian War of Independence. The restoration process was supported by UNESCO – the city had been made a World Heritage site in 1979.