Cities all over the world present striking silhouettes, punctuated by their tall buildings and landmarks. Modern cities display versions of skyscrapers, reaching for the heavens. Older cities often present charming juxtapositions of interesting architecture. Whichever you visit, the perspective of a cityscape is often unique and characteristic of the place, an image to be remembered or to be photographed for posterity.

    Here is a collection of some of our favorite cityscapes. To me, Chicago’s skyline is one of the world’s most striking and beautiful. Perhaps it is the presence of Lake Michigan or just the variety of interesting buildings.

 Toronto’s skyline seems to focus on the CN Tower, a very unique monolith.

 Boston presents a very different appearance.

 Here is the skyline of Los Angeles, with little or no smog.

 Some of Atlanta’s skyline is visible from Olympic Park.

Minneapolis has a very modern skyline.

The cityscape of Seattle, like Toronto above, seems to revolve around a unique structure, the Space Needle.

  The cityscapes of Europe are markedly different from those of the United States. Here, the cities are old, so there are few, if any, modern buildings. The punctuating structures are often the steeples and spires of churches. Because there are few tall buildings, more of the guts of the city is incorporated in its skyline. Look, for instance, at Edinburgh, Scotland, where the distant Edinburgh Castle figures prominently.

The city of Salzburg with its churches and its castle on the hill is a lovely vision from the Salzbach River.

Prague is a beautiful city whose cityscape often includes the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle.

  The enchanting Czech village of Cesky Krumlov is blessed with a wonderfully attractive cityscape.

 Any cityscape of Heidelberg should include the ruins of Heidelberg Castle which brood over the city.

 As in Prague, Budapest’s cityscape includes a famous castle, the Buda Castle, above the Danube.

   Florence’s famous cityscape highlights the Brunelleschi Dome of the Duomo.

     The cityscapes of many European villages display a view of rooftops which are often characteristic of the region, for example, Assisi

 and San Gimignano, with its many towers.

Positano is Lee’s favorite town in Italy. This cityscape was photographed from Amalfi Coast Drive, just south of town, and shows the homes spilling down the cliff toward the water below.

 Toledo’s cityscape was made famous in a series of paintings by El Greco.

 Any view of Seville must include the famous Giralda, the bell tower of the cathedral (in the distance).

 Berne’s cityscape features the River Aare and the city’s interesting rooftops.

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