202608 Wallpaper Collection

Colourful luzzus—traditional Maltese fishing boats—fill the sheltered harbour of Marsaxlokk, a village on Malta's southeastern coast. Just a short drive from Valletta, the island's capital, it remains one of the country's main fishing hubs, where daily life follows the steady pace of the sea. Home to roughly 4,000 residents, the village is also widely known for its lively waterfront, especially its popular Sunday fish market, and for the steady return of boats carrying fresh catches each morning.

Finland is famous for the northern lights, its high happiness rankings, saunas and thousands of lakes. Helsinki adds history, design and the Baltic Sea to that list. The story begins in 1550, when King Gustav I of Sweden founded a trading town that would become Finland's capital in 1812. Today, a walk through the city can take you from Senate Square and the white-domed Helsinki Cathedral to the sea fortress of Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible by ferry.

Most landscapes change over thousands of years. Volcanoes can reshape them in a matter of hours, and on Hawaii's Big Island, they continue to do just that. Recognising the scientific and natural importance of this ever-changing environment, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was established in 1916. For more than a century, it has protected more than 1,430 square kilometres of volcanic terrain, native forests and rare wildlife.

Some railways retire. The Virginia Creeper Trail simply changed gears. Stretching 55 kilometres through southwest Virginia, this trail follows a former rail line once used to haul lumber and iron ore through the Appalachian Mountains. Its unusual name traces back to the steam locomotives that laboured up steep grades in the early 1900s.