Bird's Eye Views of UNESCO Cultural Sites

Check out these stunning DVOW nominated film of Italy's Amalfi Coast, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and pilot CG Films.  The coastline consists of a series of towns on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in Sorrento, one of the provinces of the southern Campania region.   The westernmost of these towns is Positano, while the easternmost of the chain is called Vietri sul Mare and is just west of Salerno at the base of the peninsula.  Since 1997, the towns of the Amalfi Coast have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Prepared to be amazed by this stunning drone video from the great Italian city of Siena by DVOW nominee Mauro Pagliai.  A promotional piece for the Siena International Photography Awards, the video will take you over this cultural treasure and UNESCO World Heritage site, which is situated in central Tuscany.  You will be treated to spectacular aerial views of some of Siena's most well-known sites, including the Siena Cathedral, which dates to the 12th century; the Piazza del Campo, the Palazzo Salimbeni, and more. 

The most recognizable site in Cambodia is the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat, in the Siem Riep province. Built in the early 12th century, the world’s largest religious monument was originally a Hindu temple before becoming tied to to the Buddhist religion 100 years later. Top content creator and pilot Fabio Knoll used a drone to create a visual masterpiece of this ancient temple, once the seat of the Khmer Empire which ruled much of Southeast Asia from the 9th to the 15th centuries AD.

Spis Castle (sometimes called Spisky Castle) in the eastern portion of Slovakia is one of the largest and best known castle ruins in all of Europe. Built in the 13th century and then destroyed by a fire in the late 18th century, the castle is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site.  It's been used as the shooting location for numerous movies, including Dragonheart and the Last Legion.  Contributor Ivan Dovala flew a drone over Spis on a foggy morning and created this sensational bird's eye view.

Meteora is a spectacular rock formation in the Thessaly region of north-central Greece.  These immense pillars represent a geological phenomenon which is essentially unique in the world.  Beginning in the early days of Christianity, a group of monasteries was built on the pillars, six of which remain standing today. Contributor and drone pilot Rickrayfilms treats us to a spectacular aerial tour of the area, which is considered second in importance only to the Holy Mountain of Athos in its importance to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Masada is an ancient fortification built atop a plateau in the Judean Desert of southern Israel, overlooking the Dead Sea.  During the First Jewish War of the first century AD, Masada was the site of a famous siege by Roman troops following which the Jewish defenders (numbering perhaps a thousand) committed suicide en masse rather than surrender.  Contributor Nelly Volkovich used a drone to create an amazing aerial video of this hallowed mountaintop, which is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site.  

Hoi An is a mid-sized city on the coast of Vietnam, lying at about the halfway point of the coastline on the South China Sea.  Part of the  Quảng Nam Province in the country's South Central Coast region, the city was an important trading port as early as the 15th century, and created connections with numerous other cities along the coast of mainland Asia.  Contributor Vincentlevu used his drone to create an amazing aerial video of this city, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Mont Saint-Michel is an island off the coast of northwestern France. It is situated near the mouth of the Couesnon River, which forms the border between Normandy and Brittany. The monastery which dominates the island, built in the 8th century, is one of the most widely recognized historical sites in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Contributor Freeway Prod, one of France's the top drone piloting firms, treats us to an aerial tour of this magnificent place, which was featured in the famous Bayeaux Tapestry.

In 2016, contributor and pilot Nomad Drone created this incredible aerial tour of the trek to Machu Picchu, the great Inca city high up the Andes Mountains in Peru.  With amazing aerial shots of the landscape as well as the local inhabitants, this drone video will astound you.  Built in the early 16th century in the Andes Mountains as a royal estate for the Inca King, Machu Picchu was abandoned prior to the completion of the Spanish conquest of Peru.  It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site.  

The Christ the Redeemer Statue (Cristo Redentor) sits atop Corcavado Mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The view of this landmark situated above the city's harbor is one of the most iconic sights in Brazil, and it's been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site.  In this memorable video, contributor and pilot Droneaventura flew a drone over the famous edifice, creating a spectacular view of the 1930's era Art Deco masterpiece and the amazing coastal city lying beneath it.

Kinderdijk is an incredibly well preserved Dutch village in the Netherlands province of South Holland.  Kinderdijk is known primarily for its large concentration of old fashioned windmills, which were not invented by the Dutch but which represented localized perfection of an older design.  AirVuz contributor and pilot Mike Zwiggers used a combination of drone and ground footage to create this amazing video of the iconic looking town, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Kotor is a spectacularly well preserved town in the former Yugoslav nation of Montenegro along the Adriatic coast.  Located on the Bay of Kotor, the city was fortified many centuries ago due to its strategic importance to the entire Adriatic Sea region.  Contributor and pilot Alex Avsharov used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to create a stunnig aerial tour of this city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.   Prepare to be amazed by the stunning beauty of this ancient city in the heart of the Balkans region of southeastern Europe.  

Krakow is Poland's "second city" after Warsaw.  It's situated in southern Poland, at the base of the Carpathian Mountains.  Having survived World War II with less physical damage than Warsaw, it is arguably the most important cultural and historical city in the country.  AirVuz star contributor iDrone Aerials used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to take us on an incredible aerial tour of this ancient city.  The Old Town of Krakow, shown in the video, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site.  

Located in southern Peru, Cusco was the seat of the Inca Empire from  the 13th century until the area was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century.  Contributor Martigen traveled to Peru in early 2018 with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.  He created this amazing aerial video of this city which lies at an altitude of 3.4k m (11.2k) feet and which is the gateway to the great Incan royal estate and citadel of Macchu Picchu.  Like Macchu Picchu, Cusco has also been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage cultural site. 

Contributor Justin Poore created this stunning aerial tour of Dubrovnik, the magnificent Croatian city located at the southernmost tip of the country on the Dalmatian Coast.  The city was the capital of the Republic of Ragusa in the late Medieval and Early Modern period, when it was one of the most important city-states in the eastern Mediterranean region.  Thanks in part to its extensive appearances in HBO's Game of Thrones series, Dubrovnik is now one of the top destinations anywhere in Southeastern Europe.  

Check out this fantastic drone video of one of Europe's most famous medieval castles, compliments of contributor Michael Visual.  Spain's Alcázar of Segovia is located about 60 mi. (95 km) northwest of Madrid.  It was built in the 12th century on the ruins of an old Roman fortification situated at the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores Rivers.  A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Alcázar served as an important royal residence, first for the rulers of Castile and later for the kings and queens of the nation-state of Spain.    

Top contributor iDrone Aerials created this epic aerial view of the great ruins of Chichen Itza, on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.  Chichen Itza is believed by archaeologists to have been one of the largest cities in the Mayan civilization.  It is located in the state of Yucatán, one of the three states on the peninsula along with Quintana Roo and Campeche.  It was built beginning in the 7th century.  A UNESCO World Heritage site, the site was recently named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World by the Travel Channel.  

AirVuz contributor and pilot Gilad J used a drone to film the town of Lalibela in northern Ethiopia.  Famous for its rock churches, it's one of the most important centers of early Christianity in this east African country, which saw some of the earliest conversions to the new religion beginning in the early fourth century AD.  The city's layout is believed to have been designed to replicate contemporary Jerusalem, considered the birthplace of Christianity.  Lalibela has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1978.  

Some of the oldest lands of Christianity can be found in the Caucasus region, a mountainous area which forms the border between Europe and Asia.  The predecessors of modern Armenia and Georgia were both in the Christian camp by the 4th century AD, long before most of Western Europe had any idea of the new religion.  This is the reason why the Caucasus is home to so many monasteries.  In this drone video by Malik_rus, you'll see the 6th century Jvari Monastery in the Georgian province of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Top contributor RG Cam brings us this fantastic drone video of the historic city of Ouro Preto, Brazil.  Situated in the interior state of Minas Gerais, Ouro Preto was the center of the Brazilian Gold Rush which began in the late 17th century and resulted in nearly 30 million ounces of the yellow metal being extracted.  Situated in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains, Ouro Preto was the state capital until the founding of the city of Belo Horizonte in the late 19th century.  Ouro Preto has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Easter Island is a territory of Chile which sits far out into the Pacific Ocean.  The UNESCO World Heritage site is known for approximately 100 stone statues which are believed to have been built by Polynesian settlers who came to the island beginning in the 12th century.  In this video, the Queen of the Dronie (and two-time Drone Video Award Finalist) Wrenee frames an epic selfie with five of these stone marvels in the background.  Since the 1990's, Easter Island has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Hội An, Vietnam is an eclectic, old port city off the South China Sea. The well-preserved town is known for its various architectural styles in the city's Ancient Town, made even more majestic by its surrounding canals. The wooden Chinese shophouses and temples, colorful French colonial buildings, ornate Vietnamese tube houses, and Japanese pagodas blend seamlessly. See this historic city for yourself in this piece by content creator Mattcoq, which he shot with the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Osmo Pocket.

Italy's Pompeii Archaeological Park marks the site of one of the most well-documented events of the Antiquity: the destruction of the city of Pompeii when nearby Mt. Vesuvius catastrophically erupted in 79 AD.  The explosion buried the city and several surrounding towns under 4-6 meters (13-20 ft.) of volcanic ash, instantly killing all of its 10k+ inhabitants.  Located in the (southern) Campania region just outside of the city of Naples, the archaeological park can be seen from above in this drone video by mikyciancio.  

When the Soviet Union dissolved in the early 1990's, its Baltic states were among the earliest beneficiaries.  All three had enjoyed a period of independence between the World Wars, and had longstanding cultural and economic ties to Germany and other countries on the Baltic Sea.  Latvia's capital city Riga perhaps best exemplifies this  economic progress.  Here is a beautiful aerial tour of this dynamic and well-preserved city, compliments of content creator Audrey Semjonov and his DJI Mavic Pro drone.

Check out this beautiful drone video from an important historical site in Southern Indian, compliments of contributor Tapas Ghosh.  Hampi is a monument complex in the interior of  Karanataka, in the southwestern part of the country.  The structures were built by the  Vijayanagara Empire, a Hindu kingdom which arose in the 14th century and eventually succumbed to Muslim invasions.  At the height of its power, the city was the second largest in the world.  It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

AirVuz contributor and pilot ariotrihantoro brings us this excellent drone video of Indonesia's Borobudur complex, home of the world's largest Buddhist temple.  Built in the 9th century, Borobudur is located in the Magelang Regency, near the middle of the island of Java.  Constructed in the 9th century, the temple was abandoned for centuries beginning in the 1400's while much of modern-day Indonesia shifted to Islam.  Distinguished by its massive dome and the 70 Buddha statues which surround it, the temple is a  UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Check out this beautiful drone video of Switzerland's famous Castles of Bellinzona, compliments of contributor and pilot Kpax.  Lying in their namesake town at the foot of the Alps, the three landmarks are actually fortresses: Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro.  The location of these fortifications is testament to the area's strategic importance; its geographic location affords access both to the Po Valley in Italy as well as to key mountain passes.   The castles have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.