There’s still one beautiful Southern European country with delicious food, great wine and no tourists

Skopje, North Macedonia —

Spiked with ridges and peaks that deliver scenery running the full four-seasons gamut — from electric green slopes to snow-capped crags — North Macedonia offers one of Southern Europe’s final chances to take the path less-traveled.

Previously known as Macedonia after declaring its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, North Macedonia is an underexplored pocket of the Balkans whose layered history, from the Byzantine and the Ottoman to the Yugoslav eras, has combined with its omnipresent mountains to produce a set of regional cultures with a staunch commitment to tradition, and a warm, bottom-of-the-heart hospitality.

Located directly north of Greece, this landlocked nation is one of the world’s most mountainous countries, and the dramatic terrain is central