Ceuta, Spanish N. Africa

Ceuta is a tiny Spanish city-enclave on the Moroccan side of the Straits of Gibraltar, surrendered to Madrid by the Portuguese over 400 years ago. The city is on a headland consisting of seven peaks, at the end of a narrow isthmus. The highest of them, Jebel Musa (thought to be the ancient Abila), is one of the two Pillars of Hercules. Ringed by the sea, the hilly streets of duty-free Ceuta have a unique atmosphere and heritage, part-European, part-African, with sights including the massive 14th century city walls, a pirate's castle, lakes, waterfalls and landscaped gardens. Ceuta is on the site of a Carthaginian settlement where a Roman colony was later built.