Offered by the exceptional tour company Context Travel, the half-day Rome Cooking and Market Tour is a must for foodies who would love to learn about Roman cuisine. Led by Chiara Sulli, a local expert, a group of no more than six are led from the Testaccio quarter––the heart of traditional Roman gastronomy to the new Trionfale Market to browse stalls displaying seasonal veggies, herbs, fruits, meats and cheeses. Fabulous food shops are on the expedition, too, such as the famous Gastronomia Volpetti, a favorite for cheese, bread, and cured meats. Chef del Balzo in Rome In the chef’s kitchen,…
Author: Deep Culture Travel
On our first visit all those years ago, a few days before Christmas, Michael and I came down to San Miguel de Allende from Mexico City on the train, arriving at the dusty station to be met by a marauding posse of young boys and the owner of the apartment we were renting. “Joven!” she called out to them as she handed some coins through the car window. “Déjennos en paz!” After she settled us into the little apartment over Cello’s Pharmacy on Canal Street, we looked out as a full moon came up over the golden dome and crenelated…
Specializing in bike tours with a cultural focus, Ciclismo Classico is stacking up kudos from Outside and National Geographic Traveler magazines, and from such media as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Bicycling, and Forbes. Cycling Around Puglia Among their many bike tour choices in Europe, “La Bella Puglia” features a route that meanders through idyllic winelands, ancient towns, olive groves and the rugged coastline. Greek, Norman, and Arab history and architecture are on the itinerary, including three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Baroque architecture in Lecce In the Trulli region, 1,000 conical dwellings in Alberobello Matera the “City of Stone” with 155 cave churches Restored agricultural estate…
Accompanied by a lively local guide loaded with insider knowledge of cuisine, lesser-known attractions and the history of Prague, take the 4-hour Eating Prague Walking and Tasting Tour through the heart of the city. Rick Steves said of this tour: “A ten-stops-in-four-hours, movable lunch feast!” Meet chefs and locals from the city’s culinary community Take a private tour & a pint at Novoměstský Pivovar, a working brewery Try Prague’s famous open-face sandwiches Stop in for soup at restaurant Zvonice Indulge in 50 flavors of hot chocolate & traditional Czech desserts Watch the action at a famous butchery Drink in the…
Shopping for a meaningful, culture-focused cruise experience? Getting a little tired of those midnight buffets? Don’t fancy sharing your ship with thousands of your closest friends? We’ve discovered and “vetted” for you six small-ship cruises to (primarily) lesser-known ports, each journey so rich with authentic cultural experiences that they comprise once-in-a-lifetime adventures (sorry, no casino and no shuffleboard tournaments). The Romantic River Shannon Greek Islands on a Gulet New Mekong Voyage into China Europe to Iceland and Back India in the Ganges Delta Canals and Channels from Manhattan to Quebec Even if cultural cruises are not on your bucket list…
You know that a bike trip in Europe has always been on your bucket list! The good news: 2018 is the year to take advantage of lower airline fares to Europe, and the popularity of cycling tours––so many from which to choose. Here are four carefully curated bike tours offered by top-of-the-heap, trusted companies whose clients return year after year. Northern Portugal with Ciclismo Classico One of the best bike tour companies on the planet, Ciclismo Classico receives so many awards it’s hard to fit them onto one page. Their “Northern Portugal” biking adventure blends moderate days of pedaling with…
Draped around a vast, sheltered bay, the San Francisco Bay Area has a rollicking maritime history that began when the cry––“Gold!”–– rang out in the Sierra Nevada foothills in 1848. The bay soon filled with ships bringing fortune seekers, the population zoomed, cities rose up, and one of the world’s largest ports began to grow, eventually becoming a major destination for World War II troops and wartime shipbuilding. Although today the bay is plied by cruise ships, yachts, passenger ferries and freighters, a heroic and colorful seagoing past is preserved on the Bay Area Maritime Trail. A perfect introduction to…
Before boarding the Nautica, in London, we toured the nearby city of Winchester, where we observed the beautiful guildhall, Winchester Cathedral with its Norman Romanesque-style and English “Perpendicular-style” elements; and the Great Hall, the only remaining portion of the former Norman castle. We saw the “original” Roundtable of Arthurian legend (actually created by Henry VIII to impress a visiting continental monarch) and walked the bustling cobblestone main shopping street filled with a lively little street market. Bruges and Rotterdam After boarding our ship, we enjoyed dinner with a couple of ladies from Swansea, Wales, followed by a good night’s sleep…
I’m a fan of the three Masterpiece Theater PBS series based in Oxford, as much for the spectacular architectural and cultural riches of the city as for the detectives. A 21st-century sequel to the beloved, long-running “Inspector Morse” series, the “Inspector Lewis” episodes feature Morse’s former sergeant, Robbie Lewis, who is now accompanied by DI James Hathaway, a skinny, blonde, blue-eyed Cambridge grad who mutters literary references as he unearths the miscreants and murderers who seem to be rampant on the old streets of Oxford. (Horrors! the Inspector Lewis series is currently in its final season!) A prequel to the original Morse series,…
After an almost three year hiatus, the long awaited re-opening of the newly revamped San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is now alive and open to the public. Museum Chair Charles Schwab described SFMOMA’s goals in his opening address when he said, “Three words––art, architecture and access––best describe the museum’s mission.This is a treat that will challenge the senses and our goal is to make the museum incredibly accessible to the public.” To that end, SFMOMA now offers permanent free admission to those 18 and younger and also open its entire first floor to visitors without a ticket, thus making…
John Muir Hits the Trail A Scottish sheepherder, cross-country hiker and Civil War draft dodger, John Muir arrived in Yosemite in 1868. The first white man to explore the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, an avid naturalist and writer, he joined with Century magazine, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and a group of influential Californians to lobby the U.S. Congress unceasingly until, in 1890, they established Federal jurisdiction over greater Yosemite; the valley and the Mariposa Grove remained as state parklands. Meanwhile, tourism thrived. Camp Curry (now called Half Dome Village) opened to nine guests on July 1, 1899. Stepping off…
Smoke was rising from campfires in Yosemite Valley when the Joseph Walker party looked down from the north rim in 1833. The first non-natives to see the valley, they were exploring routes across the Sierra Nevadas. Whether because of the sheer, 3,000-foot drop or fear of the firemakers, Walker decided to ride on. It was nearly two decades later before Euro-Americans set foot in the valley for the first time, an arrival that was not fortuitous for the inhabitants. First People in the Valley In the 1800s, the Miwok tribe living there referred to themselves as the Ahwahneechee and to…
As an American I never really investigated my Swedish/Norwegian/UK heritage.That all changed after a spur of the moment decision to fly to Iceland for a week. My pre-trip research told me that Iceland was colonized about 870 AD by Ingólfr Arnason , a Viking from Norway. Why, I wondered, would a family uproot itself from a stable comfortable home and set out on a 900-mile voyage in an open boat to a land of ice and snow? As a child of the nuclear-holocaust-be-prepared-60s, I always wondered what tools it would take to survive in a hostile world. Nothing could have…
What could be cozier? Twinkling lights, merry music, hot toddies, toasting your toes by a roaring fire––and no high-season tourist crowds in the most romantic and historic cities in Europe! Add to this tours and talks by the world’s best tour guides, and insider access to the cultural treasures of London, Salzburg and Venice. This year could be your Christmas holiday of a lifetime! (Be advised that you will need to book ASAP with these top-rated tour companies, as they do sell out these small group tours well in advance of the holidays.) Christmas in Victorian London: A Celebration of…
An insider cuisine and culture tour of Manhattan’s most vibrant and historic neighborhood, Taste Harlem is the brainchild of Jacqueline Orange, an escapee from the corporate world. She and/or her savvy, certified local guides will lead you on a 2- to 4-hour walking-and-bus expedition to casual and fine dining spots, art galleries, landmark architecture, and music venues. Between the generous tastings of soul food, Caribbean cuisine, African fare and more, you’ll learn about Harlem’s vivid history and hidden neighborhoods, and meet some of the district’s most fascinating residents. “Queen of Soul Food” Sylvia Woods holds forth at her legendary eatery,…
Never miss a Masterpiece Mystery? Hooked on Sayers, Christie, P.D. James and Hercule Poirot? And wouldn’t you love to meet Linwood Barclay, Peter James, Tess Gerritsen and other bestselling mystery authors? Smithsonian Journeys offers the Classic Mystery Lover’s England tour, an adventure focused on the lives, the haunts and the settings of famous detective novelists, both historic and contemporary. Murder and mayhem are afoot––not a moment to lose! The will sell out fast. A few highlights from Smithsonian Journeys’ Classic Mystery Lover’s Tour Harrogate Crime Writing Festival: Join mystery lovers from all over the world for two days at this…
One of the Road Scholar expert-led field trips, “Independent Prague: Architecture and the Arts” features professors, historians and resident experts who present rich cultural context to the “Paris of Central Europe”. Highlights of the 9-day Independent Prague: Architecture and the Arts in Prague itinerary: The architecture of Prague, from Gothic and Art Nouveau to Romanesque and Baroque 1,000-year-old Prague Castle, home of Bohemian kings Classical concert in St. Nicolas Church Lectures on composers Janacek and Dvorak Malá Strana, the charming 8th century quarter Introduction to modern Czech Republic, established in 1993 after being liberated from Communism by the Velvet Revolution…
Since the U.S. re-established diplomatic ties with Cuba, travel regulations have eased, launching a whole raft of new cruises, tours and flights to the island that is just 90 miles from Florida. Cuba has an enchanting tropical, frozen-in-time 1930s-40s vibe, flamboyant music and art, and a young, educated and spring-loaded population on the verge of bursting out into the world after 50+ years of isolation. How to Choose a Cuba Tour A big reason to book with a tour company that is already well-established in Cuba is that professional tour guides are getting scarce as record-breaking numbers of tourists and…
The co-founder of Mountain Travel Sobek and one of the world’s great adventurers, authors and TV hosts, Richard Bangs will lead a small group on an expedition into the remote mountains of western Myanmar, an area largely undiscovered by tourism. This November, on a moderately-strenuous exploration on foot and mountain bike and by boat, you will meet the Chin people in their villages, meander on a long-tail boat down the Irrawaddy River, and marvel at the thousands of spires of the Bagan temple complex, all with Bangs’ inimitable guidance and narration. Although there are several departures scheduled in January, February…
If you love river cruising and have been on the more popular rivers in Europe, you will discover a treasure chest of history and culture along Portugal’s less-traveled Douro River. One of the main waterways meandering through the Iberian Peninsula, the Douro runs from north-central Spain through the spectacular landscape of Portugal, passing ancient cities and towns before it calmly arrives in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Porto. Famous for their sleek 21st century “Space-Ship” fleet and 5-star all-inclusive luxury experience, Scenic Luxury Cruises is custom-building a brand-new ship, the Scenic Azure, just to navigate the Douro in high…