Giving our regards to Broadway this spring! We're bringing you the cities that inspired some culturally rich Broadway musicals and operas, from the top of the Alps to the monuments of Argentina and everything in between. We salute the songbooks that pay tribute to these truly inspiring destinations.

Salzburg, Austria - The Sound of Music
Mozart and Maria collide in this very musical city. Besides being the birthplace to one of the world's greatest composers, Salzburg is also the backdrop for one of the world's most beloved musicals. The Sound of Music premiered on Broadway in 1959, but the film starring Julie Andrews six years later really brought the story of the singing von Trapp family to life. The opening of the film begins with a breathtaking view of the mountaintops in Upper Austria. Other notable attractions that made it into the film adaptation include the Nonnberg Abbey, the Mirabell Gardens, Hohenwerfen Castle—which you can see during the song "Do-Re-Mi"—and the Alps.

The film has been retitled in many different languages around the world. Some of the more interesting titles belong to Brazil as "The Rebel Novice," in Italy as "All Together with Passion," and in Thailand as "Love Spell, Heavenly Songs."

Paris, France - La Bohème, Les Misérables
Although composed in Italian by Giacomo Puccini, the opera La Bohème takes place in Paris, primarily in the city's Latin Quarter. Known for its artsy atmosphere, the Latin Quarter is home to the Sorbonne University and the educational elite. The opera premiered in 1896 in Turin, Italy, and has been one of the most performed operas throughout the world ever since.

Also calling Paris home is the musical that explores worldly themes of politics, sacrifice and love in an uncertain world. Les Misérables captures its audiences by retelling the 20-year history of France leading up to the Paris Uprising of 1832 with memorable characters of all ages from the young, innocent Cosette to the aging and morally conflicted Javert. The musical begins in Toulon, a city in the south of France, continues through Montreuil-sur-Mer and finally to Paris. In the original Victor Hugo novel on which the musical is based, one of the chief characters sits in the Champ de Mars, still a very popular grassy area today that lives between the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - Evita
Before becoming a smash on Broadway and on film, Evita was released as a concept album in 1976. Its success then led to a musical stint in London, before launching in New York. Memorable females to play Eva Perón have included Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone, but perhaps the most famous of them all is Madonna, who portrayed the beloved First Lady of Argentina in the 1996 film adaptation, co-starring Antonio Banderas. Today, Evita's powerful presence still resonates in much of Buenos Aires.You can visit her tomb in La Recoleta Cemetery where she lays to rest beside her husband. Plus, Argentines celebrate Eva each year on the day of her death, although it's not an official governmental holiday. To further her legacy, the Museo Evita was opened in July 2002; she's been featured on Argentine currency; her statue was erected in the Recoleta district near her tomb; and the town Ciudad Evita (Evita City) was named in her honor.

London, England - My Fair Lady
London is the backdrop for a score of musicals like Sweeney Todd and Spamalot, but My Fair Lady just might take the cake. In this enchanting story about dialect and class, the audience sees a young, Cockney girl named Eliza Doolittle transform into a fair lady. In the 1964 Oscar-winning film, Audrey Hepburn plays the main role and supposed outrage over the casting of an untrained singer as the lead leaked onto the set. Much of Hepburn's singing was dubbed over by Marni Nixon—all except the chorus in "Just You Wait." In general, people felt Julie Andrews should've played the title character, but Hepburn was honored nonetheless for her acting with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In a curious unfolding of events, Julie Andrews took home the statue that night for her work in Mary Poppins.