Blog

France - Centre-Val de Loire - Program - Gourmet
Immersed in tale of culinary accident
Tarte Tatin

During the visit to the France or a French restaurant, you might have stumbled upon a French dessert called Tarte Tatin. And you probably wondered what it was. Contrary to other desserts, like Tarte au Chocolat or crème Brulee (Chocolate cake and burned crème), the name does not betray its contents. Named after the woman who invented it, the Tarte Tatin is a famous French "upside-down" caramelized apple tart or Tarte aux pommes (caramélisé). Basically, the apples are underneath the dough – topsy-turvy indeed. The history behind this famous dessert is by far no less fascinating - it is immersed in tales of culinary accidents.

The tart is said to have been the creation of the elderly and unmarried Sisters (Demoiselles) Tatin, Caroline and Stephanie Tatin, Read more...

France - Centre-Val de Loire - Program - Arts
Underground galleries
Shelly sand mysteries

In Doué-la-Fontaine, the city of roses with a rich troglodytic heritage, enjoy a magical experience in a very special place. The site has the label “site environnemental remarquable” (remarkable environment site). The quarries include dozens of underground galleries which are between 15 and 20 m high.

A light and sound show, created by Lucie Lom, guides you from cave to cave, taking you on a time Read more...

France - Centre-Val de Loire - Program - Leisure
The places out of fairy tale
Troglodyte caves of the Loire Valley

The French countryside is full of incredible landscapes, just waiting to be discovered. Troglodyte caves of the Loire Valley are French treasures more interesting than the others. These beautiful cave-like houses, carved into tufa limestone cliffs, were used for hundreds of years as dwellings by local people. These ‘rock caves dressed in coats of ivy’, as the French novelist Balzac called them, are like something out of a fairy tale.

Historically, the caves were used for places of residence by the Loire Valley’s less wealthy inhabitants. You can find many examples Read more...

France - Centre-Val de Loire - Program - Sightseeing
French symbol of national pride
Joan of Arc

When you think of Orleans, you probably think of Joan of Arc. After all, the history of the capital of the Loire region is inextricably entwined with the history of the young woman who turned the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.

Joan of Arc, a pious peasant in medieval France, believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory in Read more...

Italy - Veneto - Program - Gourmet
The Aperitivo of The Veneto
Aperol spritz

Italy has introduced to the world many wonderfully sumptuous drinks, from Treviso’s prosecco wine, to Giuseppe Cipriani’s Bellini, but perhaps none is as famous, or as aesthetically distinctive, as the Venetian spritz.

A concoction of prosecco, soda or water, and a splash of Aperol or Campari liqueur, the flame-colored aperitif – or aperitivo Read more...