Macdonald Leeming House Hotel, Ullswater As of July 2017, the Lake District national park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In so doing it became the 31st UK site, a “cultural landscape reflecting the combined works of nature and man”. The beauty of the landscape plus thousands of years of agriculture and industry has inspired generations of artists, poets and writers. …
A fabulous visit to Domaine Orenga de Gaffory
A fabulous visit to Domaine Orenga de Gaffory Domaine Orenga de Gaffory covers 56 hectares in the appellation of Patrimonio in northern Corsica. This family-owned wine estate is also undergoing organic conversion. It owns many small plots in five different communes. It means they have a broad range of red, rosé and white AOC Patrimonio wines. They also make the nearby …
Share this Post
Etna terroir, the Burgundy of the Mediterranean – the Lava Lout Returns, Part 2 of 2
Etna terroir, the Burgundy of the Mediterranean – the Lava Lout Returns, Part 2 of 2 The Etna Terroir Part 1 of this article described how a Sicilian volcano bestows natural gifts to create the Etna terroir. But Etna isn’t one terroir; there are many variations. Welcome to the Burgundy of the Mediterranean. Etna’s volcanic soils are free draining, and low …
Share this Post
Etna, or why I’m a Lava Lout – Part 1 of 2
Etna, or why I’m a Lava Lout – Part 1 of 2 It’s how the Earth was made. At 3,343 metres (10,968 feet), Mount Etna (Mongibello) spits, snarls and smokes. All around is ash, black as death. Above us, the summit has four active craters, caked with yellow sulphur. Etna erupts almost continuously. As we climb to 3,050 metres, it’s …
Share this Post
Une Table Corse – authentic eating in Corsica
Une Table Corse – authentic eating in Corsica Une Table Corse is a restaurant perhaps like no other. In an ancient and isolated farmhouse, Pauline Julliard, its owner, provides one of the island’s most fabled dining experiences. You’ll eat authentic Corsican cuisine in small converted dining rooms. Pauline learned all the recipes from her mother and grandmother. She is now …
Share this Post
València – where ancient meets modern
València – where ancient meets modern This article is the third and final instalment in my Levantine trilogy. Having covered Utiel-Requena and Alicante, this time it’s about the city of València and the DO wine region of the same name. They blend ancient and modern Spanish cultures into something unique. It makes both of them places of contrast and essential …
Share this Post
Eat Amatriciana for Amatrice
Eat Amatriciana for Amatrice By now, many of us will have seen the devastation caused by the earthquake in Central Italy this week. The epicentre was close to the town of Amatrice. It’s famous for the Amatriciana pasta sauce central to Roman cuisine. To add insult to injury, Amatrice was preparing for its 50th annual festival celebrating their traditional dish this …
Share this Post
Terrys All-Time
Terrys All-Time. Leeds psycho-heritage Walking down Woodhouse Lane in Leeds recently, I passed by the Universities, heading toward the city centre. On the left, past the Brutalist Car Park, and where Leeds Beckett Wellness Centre now stands, once stood Terrys All-Time. I sat down, overwhelmed by unbidden memories. Terrys All-Time, (no apostrophe) was a real 24-hour cafe, long demolished and …
Share this Post
How to walk on water
How to walk on water Ever wondered how to walk on water? Well, for a brief time this summer, it is possible. Is this heaven? No, it’s the Bresciano Lago Iseo is Italy’s hidden gem, a lake mostly known only to Italians. Sandwiched between Bergamo and Brescia in Lombardy, it has long been overshadowed by its larger siblings; Garda, Maggiore, …
Share this Post
Harry’s Bar in Venice. After Hemingway and Moorcock
Harry’s Bar in Venice. After Hemingway and Moorcock “The Cipriani family ran Harry’s Bar in Venice for 81 years. Many of the great and the good graced the tables at Harry’s Bar, which invented the Bellini cocktail and Carpaccio. Ernest Hemingway had his table in the corner as a regular patron. He made frequent reference to it in his book, Across …
Share this Post
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2