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Since the Arab Spring gathered pace two years ago, Morocco has avoided the violent upheaval of its neighbours. Andrew Mueller and photographer Yoann Stoeckel travelled to Rabat to discover why.

Ericeira, a small fishing village north of Lisbon on the Portuguese coast, is also a world-class surfing town. People come from as far away as Australia for great waves, good seafood and a relaxed "old Portugal" feeling that persists even as its popularity grows. Monocle films pays a visit to the surf haven this summer.

Summer recipes, sunny neighbourhoods and sizzling reports: just some of the features to get you hot under the collar in our annual Mediterraneo newspaper.

The ancient practice of agriculture meets modern city as we explore groundbreaking farms in Japan, the US and Norway. Monocle Films visits the people bringing green growth to their thriving metropolises.

Norwegian-born John-Egil Kristiansen's Fibonacci Bakery combines a love of Mallorca's cuisine with a nostalgia for his native delicacies. Kristiansen's base in the Balearic island showcases an artisanal selection of bread, sandwiches and wraps; his wares are represented in nearly 100 shops in Norway and Spain. Always on the lookout for new ideas, John forges close ties with local entrepreneurs.

Makers who bring something special to their industries are easy to love and so is cycling. These elements combine in bike shops in Toronto, Buenos Aires and Zürich, where imaginative artisanship combines with rational urban cycling design.

Australian-born chef David Thompson moved to Thailand in the 1980s. He develops exciting new dishes based around native ingredients, mining century-old cookbooks for inspiring new flavour combinations to revive. His restaurant, Nahm, opened in 2010 in the Metropolitan Hotel and is a world leader in Thai cuisine. It's a great honour particularly for an antipodean chef.

Modena native Massimo Bottura, 50, has been hailed as Italy’s leading chef. The self-taught maestro started his culinary career in 1986 when he took over a roadside trattoria in his hometown. It was not long before he was apprenticing with French great Alain Ducasse. In 1995 Bottura opened his Osteria Francescana in the historic heart of Modena, a 12-table restaurant that in 2011 was awarded three stars by the prestigious Michelin Guide.

The 50th year of the Paris Air Show was defined by the optimism of an industry looking skywards. Monocle attended to meet the business high-flyers.

They might not be slick or smart, they might be a bit dusty in the corners or a nightmare to navigate, and they won't be making our top 25 most liveable cities list any time soon. But who cares? One thing they are not, is boring. This is our list of this year's five most loveable cities.