1. Burano, Venice, Italy

This Venetian island is famous for two things: lace and its ridiculously colorful homes.

2. Chefchaouen, Morocco

Jewish refugees painted this mountain-side town blue in the 1930s and now the city has beautiful blue and white buildings to show for it.

3. Arcos de la Frontera, Spain

Spain's Andalucia region has numerous "white villages" scattered across it; this one has monuments dating back to the 15th century.

4. Jodphur, India

India's caste system may have something to do with why this town has homes painted various shades of blue.

5. St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Colorful homes dot the landscape in the capital city of Newfoundland & Labrador.

6. Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

Five villages on the Italian Riviera--Vernazza, Monterossa al Mare, Riomaggiore, Corniglia and Manarola--have pastel-colored perched homes.

7. Juzcar, Spain

The southern Spanish town was painted blue for the "Smurfs" movie in 2011. After visitor numbers ballooned to 80,000 people (from 300), residents voted to keep it that color.

8. Longyearbyen, Norwaynuo

It's forbidden to die in this town (mostly because the graveyard is so cold that bodies are failing to decompose), so residents live frigidly in their colorful wooden homes.

9. Pelourinho, Brazil

The town has an exquisite historical center (often called Pelourinho) that has so strictly adhered to the original architecture that its now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

10. Balat, Istanbul

This old Jewish district of Istanbul features homes in an array of colors.

11. Nyhavn, Copenhagen

17th and 18th century homes and bars dot the canal and entertainment district of the Danish capital.

12. Kulusuk, Greenland

What else is there to do in a town of 300 people than paint your house primary colors?