This year our friend Tommaso is busy getting his Italian Wine Sommelier certification; wine is a curiosity he has developed over time and to which he has dedicated rather a lot of practice! Years ago he received a “compliment” when he was in the UK that went more or less like this : “Tomato (they couldn’t quite get Tommaso), you drink like an Englishman!” A note of distinction clearly! We have organized several wine and food trips to Piedmont over the years, especially during the...

Firstly a few facts: Sicily is a very large island (its surface extends over approximately 9900 square miles). It is the closest point of Europe to North Africa (Tunisia is approximately 177 miles from Marsala in Southern Sicily), its population is 4.7 million, most of which is concentrated in its larger cities and surroundings. Due to its strategic position in the Mediterranean, Sicily has seen possibly more invasions and power take-overs than any other European region: Phoenicians,...

One of our trips this year took us to Normandy. It was good to be reminded of the sacrifice that so many made for us, to be able to enjoy a free and peaceful existence for all these years since the end of WWII, given the very turbulent times we are living in. Normandy makes for a very easy trip from Paris. It takes approximately one and a half hours to drive to many of the landmarks dotted along the coast of this beautiful region of France. We stayed in the lovely coastal town of Deauville...