Friday Reads: The Lost Vintage

The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah

Italy's Champagne: Franciacorta

If I asked you to name three great sparking wines your first answer would probably be Champagne, which is produced in France. More serious wine aficionados might also mention Cava, which comes from Spain. Italy too has a rising star from the Lombardy region and it's called Franciacorta.

Franciacorta, Italy's Champagne

"C" is for Cicchetti

In the Dorsoduro district of Venice there's a tiny wine bar with a very long name, Enoteca Cantine del Vino Gia Schiavi. Every day we walked past the window filled with plates of fresh cicchetti, traditional Venetian bar snacks similar to the tapas served in Spain. We dropped in several times to sample these snacks and soon began to call the bar 'our little cicchetti place'.

Assortment of Cicchetti

The Tuscan Hill Town of San Gimignano

Thirty miles southwest of Florence in the rolling hills of Tuscany is San Gimignano, the Town of Fine Towers. Our visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site was a pleasant break from the cultural overload of Florence and Rome. Only 14 of the town’s original 72 towers remain standing but they create a dramatic skyline. And while wandering the streets of this picturesque town I sampled award-winning gelato, a traditional Tuscan sausage and one of Italy’s oldest wines.

San Gimignano, the Town of Fine Towers

Evening in Villefranche-sur-Mer

French Riviera towns such as Cannes and Monte Carlo are known for their glitz and glamour but an evening in the town of Villefranche-sur-Mer is delightfully laid-back. And as the sun begins to set and the air cools down, the visitor's thoughts ultimately turn to dinner.

Quai Amiral Courbet, Villefranche-sur-Mer

The Camargue, Delta of the Rhone

Port St. Louis, July 2012 - Situated at the mouth of the Rhone River, Port St. Louis marked the end of our river cruise through Burgundy and Provence with Avalon Waterways. We started the day with breakfast – and a mimosa – and then boarded a motor coach bound for St. Rémy de Provence for the Provence Extension to our tour.

The Quay in Port St. Louis

Avalon River Cruising

I  travelled with Avalon Waterways last summer on their Burgundy and Provence cruise southbound on the Saone and Rhone Rivers. After a two-day stay in Paris we were transferred by motor coach to the town of Chalon-sur-Saone to board our ship, the Avalon Scenery.

Avalon Scenery

French Wine, Chocolate and Music

Tournon, July 2012 - This morning we entered the Ardèche region of France, which is known for its chestnuts. We began our day with a walking tour of the town of Tournon, on the west bank of the Rhone.

Tournon sur Rhone, France

Tournus and the Mâconnais

Tournus, July 2012 - We awoke in Tournus this morning. The town dates from Roman times and became an important monastic center. The key site is the Romanesque Abbey of St. Philibert.

After breakfast we stepped off the ship and onto the quai to begin a walking tour of the town.

Avalon Scenery in Tournus

Beaune, Wine Capital of Burgundy

Paris, July 2012 - Today we departed Paris and headed south by bus into Burgundy to board our river cruise with Avalon Waterways.

Dinner in Tuscany

It was our second day in Florence on Trafalgar's Contrasts of Europe train tour through England, France and Italy. The morning coffee on tour has been very good. And the coffee machine in the ornate breakfast room at the Boscolo Astoria was designed to dispense any number of variations on the standard cup of java - espresso, latte, cappuccino. It resembled a Las Vegas slot machine with its many lights and buttons.

Ceiling of the Boscolo  Astoria Breakfast Room

Ventimiglia to Venice

Nice, May 2010 - We were in Nice on Trafalgar's Contrasts of Europe train tour through England, France and Italy. But the time had come for us to depart the French Riviera and resume our journey onward to Venice.

French Riviera Coastline