Jeff Swensen for The New York Times

The Church Brew Works, a brewpub within the restored St. John the Baptist Church.

In places where the faithful once gathered you can now see a concert, take a class and sip a microbrew.

Stuart Mullenberg

Herring Under A Fur Coat, with potatoes, onions, carrots, beets and eggs.

Vodka stars at this spot, where the menu includes more than 50 brands of the spirit, as well as a selection of small plates meant to complement a night of imbibing.

Corbin Gurkin

The hotel is within short walking distance of several tourist attractions.

The overall tone is opulent Old South, but the details are modern luxe at this boutique hotel that opened early last year.

Normann Copenhagen; Mary; Stefano Ricci /ASF by Egon Ipse

Clockwise from left: Furniture at Normann Copenhagen, Mary chocolate store in Brussels and silk from Antico Setificio Fiorentino in Florence.

From chocolate in Brussels and silk in Florence to umbrellas in Paris and hats in London, discover special items in a dozen European cities.

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Items the author found or was given on trips to Europe.

My treasured mementos are the things I didn’t buy. They’re the things I found. Or maybe they found me.

Francesco Lastrucci for The New York Times

On this island in the Venice Lagoon, glassmaking has been revered by doges and tourists alike.

Emli Bendixen for The New York Times

The third-generation distiller Guillaume Drouin, of Calvados Christian Drouin.

A new wave of producers is bringing Calvados, an apple brandy, into the 21st century.

Davide Camesasca for The New York Times

Since 1992, more than 20 neighborhood food halls have been remodeled in the Catalan capital.

Paulo Barata

Bites at Mini Bar, which opened last summer.

Avant-garde cooking is served at gentle prices at the latest venture from the prolific young chef José Avillez.

The Pig on the Beach

The Pig on the Beach, in Dorset, England.

Hop from the coast of England to an island in Germany to an olive orchard in Italy, exploring a suite of moderately priced properties.

Nikolas Koenig

One of the hotel's 173 rooms.

Ian Schrager and Marriott are behind this property, which opened in September 2013. The friendly, unpretentious service and beautiful public spaces make for a standout stay.