In these last days of winter, it is fun to think of Tuscan sun. One of our favorite hosts in Tuscany, Lorenzo Magnelli (above), recently shared some photos from the wine harvest at Le Chiuse farm. The farm has gotten much recognition for its Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino. In fact, they have been so…
Castelluccio, the lentil capital of Italy, and an easy day trip on the Umbria UnTour There are so many ways to enjoy Italy, and our UnTour offerings there are an embarrassment of riches: major cities, gorgeous countryside, placid mountains, and dramatic seaside. You could run around for months and not see it all. But…
Steve and Karen Savel at the Chora Church in Istanbul. Long-time UnTourists Steve and Karen Savel recently returned from our new Istanbul UnTour. Last week on the blog they gave us the full review of their 21st UnTour in an Istanbul UnTour Q&A. This week, we share their list of favorite sights and places to…
Long-time UnTourists Steve and Karen Savel recently returned from our new Istanbul UnTour. This marked their 21st UnTour! How did Istanbul compare? Read what Steve had to say about their exciting time in a city they adore. Q: You were an early advocate for an Istanbul UnTour, asking us to add it to our offerings…
A recent testament to the healthy properties of the Mediterranean Diet, specifically the Greek diet, has inspired us here at UnTours. (Read the entire article in last week’s NY TImes magazine here: The Island Where People Forget to Die) This article profiles a Greek WWII veteran, Stamatis Moraitis, who came to the US in 1943,…
Who goes to Italy to drink beer? Those in the know. Italians have long enjoyed beer with their pizza, but refined and complex micro brews have replaced the old Peroni. Indeed birra artiginale (Italian craft beer) is putting Italy on the world brewing map. Unlike their northern European counterparts, Italian brewers are not bound by…
In 1832, Prince Wenzel von Metternich charged his personal chef with creating a dessert for a dinner for several distinguished guests. The chef pawned the job off on his 16 year old assistant, Franz Sacher…and the Sachertorte was born. Now, the Sachertorte could credibly make the claim to being the most famous chocolate cake in…
Head over early to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, one of the crown jewels of Vienna’s stellar architecture. (The cathedral opens at 6 am.) to beat the throng and psyche yourself up for the 343 steps to the viewing platform at the top. Reward yourself with coffee at Cafe Landtmann (pictured above). This landmark cafe,…
Above is Al, happily ensconced in the Seiwald apartment, and Babs, happily capturing the beauty of Halstadt, one of the great daytrips recommended on our Austrian UnTour Tell us a little bit about your most recent UnTour. We stayed at the Seiwald apartment in Kuchl, Austria for three weeks. We found out about UnTours a…
One definition of culture that I have always liked is: Culture is groups of people solving problems over time. ) And no where is that more ably illustrated than the answer to a seemingly simple question: Why do the Swiss make cheese? Find more photos like this on UnTours Cafe There are many cultures that…