For Angela and Paolo Morra, this alluring country checked all the right boxes: art for her, history for him, and awe-inspiring landscapes for both. Plus, it’s a quick flight from Rome, Paolo’s hometown and the site of the couple’s June 2011 nuptials. Hooked and booked.

Once the Houston residents -- she’s an art professor, and he’s a nuclear engineer -- touched down, it was go time. Their whirlwind tour included mosques and palaces in Istanbul, underground cities and “fairy chimneys” (huge, spindly rocks) in Cappadocia, ancient wonders in Ephesus, and otherworldly hot springs in Pamukkale.

Stay: 9 days

Airline: Continental to Italy; Alitalia from there to Turkey

Flight Time: 11 1/2 hours to Rome; 2 from there to Istanbul

Travel Agent: Mysia Travel

Insider Tip: “Use a travel agent!” says Paolo. “Since it was our honeymoon, it was nice to have someone else deal with all the planning.”

Paolo haggled hard for this brass oil lamp in an antiques shop.

Their Favorite Hotel: “Cappadocia’s Katpatuka Cave Hotel is built in a fairy chimney on Aydinkiragi Hill, known for its sunsets,” says Angela (katpatukacave.com). “I never thought sleeping in a cave could be so fun.”

Most Memorable Meal: “The owner of the Hal-Tur Hotel in Pamukkale cooked us a delicious multicourse dinner that incorporated his homemade olive oil and pomegranate vinegar,” says Angela.