Jutting from the Istria Peninsula, Rovinj exceeded our expectations from the first glimpse of its cliff-top church rising from tiers of colored houses. CRUISE HOLIDAYS 41 MILA ATKOVSKA / SHUTTERSTOCK; EVGENIYA MOROZ / SHUTTERSTOCK; PAUL WILLIAMS / ALAMY; SAM STRICKLER / SHUTTERSTOCK; MASSIMO BORCHI / SIME / 4CORNERS Clockwise from top left: Church domes and red tiled roofs of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Rovinj is the jewel of Croatia’s Istria coast with its colorful houses clustered together on tight winding streets. Interior of Austrian Princess Elisabeth’s opulent Achillion Palace in Corfu. St. George, one of two island churches in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. The studio of Marco Epicochi, the papier-mâché artist who creates some of the world’s most sought-after nativity scenes.