Burano, Italy. Newfoundland, Canada. Valparaíso, Chile. Key West, Florida.

These coastal locales are geographically scattered and culturally disparate, yet share one common trait (aside from being enjoyable places to visit, of course): Their cityscapes are vibrantly painted, often with distinctive color schemes, making them ideal backdrops for all the non-filtered, Instagram photoshoots every #MillennialVacay requires.

Right away, you have to remember that almost every single town built on the water, regardless of location, was at one point a fishing town.

Obviously, when places like Mykonos, Greece developed their now-legendary, celestial white-and-blue palettes hundreds of years ago, they didn't have the foresight to know the aesthetic would someday launch millions of hashtags.

"There are a few reasons why so many shore towns began painting their buildings with bright, highly visible paint, hundreds and sometimes even thousands of years ago," says Dr. Nuno F. Ribeiro, a professor at the University of Illinois who has dedicated his professional life to studying what inspires us to travel, and modern tourism in general. "Right away, you have to remember that almost every single town built on the water, regardless of location, was at one point a fishing town. That's the key here."

Mykonos's iconic white-and-blue scheme is government-regulated. Getty

Ribeiro notes that brightly painted homes and the fishing industry correlate in a few ways. The paint on these buildings helped the cities and villages stick out visually on the shorelines, a clearly helpful tool for sailors approaching land. Also, fishing boats were painted vibrantly, and much of that excess paint could be diverted toward buildings.

"And, functionally, many of these cities are in warmer climates… and bright paint is useful in reflecting the sun's heat, keeping the interiors cool," Ribeiro adds. That's the case in Mykonos, specifically, where the white, blue-capped homes were initially an attempt to literally help residents chill out. Now, Mykonos's iconic aesthetic is dictated by Greece's Department of Culture, and new buildings must adhere to these (admittedly gorgeous) standards, but for more modern reasoning.

"In the late 40s and 50s… after World War II, many of these shore towns, especially in the Mediterranean, were shifting away from fishing as a primary economic driver, and started to embrace tourism," Ribeiro said. "This was when destination vacations really became a thing, coinciding with the advent of the cheap, personal camera."