No need to spell it out. “The Med” is Europe’s favorite summer playground, and an equally alluring for travelers from around the world. They come to bask on warm beaches washed by cerulean waters, sip ouzo in waterfront tavernas, wander hillside olive groves, savor a pizza hot from a wood-fired oven, and take in treasured antiquities of bygone eras. This is where the great civilizations of Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome flourished, linked by a seaway strewn with thousands of islands.
Today, these islands deliver an eclectic mix of vacation experiences that could include a charming Italian pensione, a hillside villa, or a five-star oceanfront resort. With each archipelago uniquely influenced by the 22 nations that border the sea, travelers have a smorgasbord of culinary, cultural, and lodging options to discover.
