I recently had the opportunity to visit Troy and Gallipoli on a tour of Turkey’s Çanakkale province (pronounced “Chan-uh-ka-lay”). I knew there’d be a lot to learn from these famous sites, but I did not expect Çanakkale to be such a wonderful off-the-beaten-path vacation destination. Çanakkale is a dream destination for anyone interested in history, but even if you’re not the world’s biggest history buff, you still can’t go wrong with a trip to Çanakkale. Here’s 12 reasons why.