Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

The Great Salt Lake’s Railroad Causeway, Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

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When the North American transcontinental railroad was being laid down during the 1860s, the engineers faced a big obstacle in the state of Utah – a great body of water, 4,400 square km in area, called the Great Salt Lake. Initially, the railroad tracks were laid around the lake over the Promontory Mountains on the north, where on May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven to mark completion of the first transcontinental railroad.

This route, called the Central Pacific Railroad, traversed the difficult mountain from Lucin, around the north end of the lake to Brigham City, and then southward to Ogden. Thirty five years later, in 1904, the Southern Pacific Railroad created a shorter route of lesser grade and curvature directly across the lake. Called the Lucin Cutoff, it reduced the distance of the railway by 42 miles (68 km).

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Monopoli, Italy

Sitting on Puglia's Adriatic coast around 30km south of Bari, Monopoli is a lovely town for a day trip, possibly in combination with Polignano a Mare just up the coast, mixing a dip in the sea with a good lunch and a wander around the old town centre.

Like so many towns on the Adriatic, Monopoli's history has been thoroughly influenced by its east-facing position and its fortified sea-front walls and castle tell many a story.

Parking in or around Piazza XX Settembre, location of a colourful street market, head east towards the cathedral. To find it just look upwards and you are sure to see its elegantly conceived bell tower thrusting into the sky. Built in 1693, the tower is over 60 metres high, completely dominating the town below.

Tunis, Tunisia

In Tunisia's capital, the term 'living history' really does apply. Here, waves of colonisation have endowed the city's fabric and culture with an intoxicatingly rich and complex flavour that becomes apparent wherever you explore.

Take the magnificent medieval medina, sidelined by the French after colonisation but coming into its own in the 21st century, as boutique hotels open and arty cafes lure locals back to the neighbourhoods their grandparents grew up in. And consider the historic settlement of Carthage, once colonised by Phoenicians and Romans but now the province of upwardly mobile locals, whose sophisticated lives play out among the ruins.

Ed Dueim, Sudan

Ed Dueim is on the west bank of the White Nile, between Khartoum and Kosti. It is home to the University of Bakht, which lies to the north of the town. The university has played an important role in promoting education throughout Sudan. It is known for its two-year course called Al Sanatain, which prepared teachers to teach school, attracting students from all regions of Sudan and neighbouring countries.