If you are not a fan of bus or car tours, take a leisurely bike tour from Parma city centre to a cheese factory to see how the city’s eponymous delicacy is made. Explore the variety of this classic cheese by sampling three agings of Parmesan: 12, 24 and 36 months. Follow your friendly guide through small, quiet roads and stop at a local osteria — a small restaurant that serves wine and simple, honest food, including Parma ham.

Built in the 17th century, Sidi Youssef Dey Mosque was the first Ottoman-style mosque in Tunis, designed by Andalusian architect Ibn Ghalib. Its eclectic mix of influences reflects the era’s cultural exchanges. Flanked by Turkish souqs — El Trouk (once tailors, now clothing and embroidery), El Berka (formerly a slave market, later jewellery traders), and El Bechamkia (slippers and shoes) — the mosque served the city’s Ottoman-era merchants. The minaret, topped with a distinctive green-tiled pyramidal crown, became a model for later Ottoman designs in Tunis. Its octagonal shape, novel at the time, subtly asserted Ottoman authority. Inside, the mosque houses the tombs of Youssef Dey, commander of the janissaries, and his family. Sidi Youssef remains an active mosque, so plan visits outside prayer times, when non-Muslim visitors may enter. Its striking architecture, both inside and out, anchors a neighbourhood rich with history.

SUPing (standup paddleboarding) has fast become a trendy and healthy Perth pastime. The city offers numerous places to learn how to balance on one of these beastly boards. The hottest activity right now is SUP yoga — equal parts challenging and fun.

Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the grand central boulevard of Tunis, channels Parisian elegance with its tree-lined median, sidewalk cafés and historic facades. The thoroughfare, named after Tunisia’s first president, serves as a busy commercial hub and an open-air museum of 20th-century history, flanked by landmarks like the French Embassy and the neo-Byzantine Cathedral of St Vincent de Paul. Dominating the eastern end, the Tunis Clock Tower rises 38 metres above Place du 7 Novembre. Its gilded, lattice-patterned design blends modernist and traditional motifs, glowing amber after dark. Though functionally modest (locals joke about its reliability), the tower’s height and central roundabout position make it an unavoidable landmark. By day, the avenue thrums with shoppers and coffee drinkers; by evening, it becomes a stage for leisurely promenades. For visitors, it’s less about individual sights than the collective energy: the hum of conversation, the scent of orange blossoms, and the weight of history beneath your feet.