If any product is sought after in the culinary world it is the truffle. Some humble fried eggs can be transformed into a veritable delicacy by simply adding thin sections of this aromatic fungus. One of the most coveted varieties is the white truffle found around the Piedmontese town of Alba. Also known under its scientific name, tuber magnatum pico, it is regarded as the “Mozart of fungi” or “white diamond” ofhaute cuisine.In addition to its exquisite taste, truffles are also noted for being one of the most expensive products on the market. When it comes to prices, they can even unseat another gastronomic gem – saffron. In many instances, the price of truffles can be in the €3,000 to €6,000 price range. The record was set by a Hong Kong buyer who in 2010 paid a whopping €90,000 for a truffle!

The main reason for white truffle fetching such high prices is that it is in short supply and difficult to extract. It is found some ten to fifteen centimetres under the ground, where the humidity and freshness conditions are ideal for its growth. Care has to be taken to avoid damaging or breaking the truffle when extracting it, a task requiring some skill and delicateness. Formerly, pigs were used for this purpose, a function now performed by dogs, which also happen to be less likely to consume their find. The truffle-hunting season is limited to autumn and the procedure usually takes place at night, when the sniffer dogs rely heavily on their sense of smell.

Apart from the leading chefs, the host of white truffle enthusiasts includes such celebrities as Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola, Gérard Depardieu, Alain Delon, Penélope Cruz and Oprah Winfrey. One of its outstanding properties is that it does not require cooking, while its scent is highly volatile.

The Great White Truffle Fair

The International Alba White Truffle Fair is held each year in October and November, a grand event which unfolds around this prized natural delicacy but also features tributes to other culinary marvels in the area. The Alba White Truffle Auction is the crowning moment of the fair. Held in the Hall of Masks at Grinzane Castle, is attracts a worldwide following. Incidentally, the auction also involves a good cause, as part of the proceedings are donated to charity.

The fair programme also includes the so-called White Truffle Market where visitors can enjoy themselves by examining, touching and smelling these gastronomic delicacies, all endowed with the relevant quality certifications and displayed amid strict security. Of the many activities hosted is the Alba Truffle Show, which includes debates between prestigious chefs and live cooking sessions at which secrets are revealed regarding ways of getting the most out of the truffle.

However, the limelight is not exclusive to the tuber magnatum pico at this fair, as areas are also dedicated to the region’s gastronomy. The Truffle Market stalls display local produce, notably cheese, sausage, meat, homemade pastries and egg-based pasta. Wines, too, are very much in evidence, including Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Favorita, Arneis and Moscato.

Fancy discovering this world of taste and aroma? Check out your flight here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Photos by Blue moon in her eyes

What do cities like Cannes, Berlin,Venice, San Sebastián or Locarno have in common? Well, they all host long-standing film festivals and, for a number of days and at different spots in town, all feature both screenings and parallel events as a tribute to the seventh art. Visiting these cities during a festival reveals a different side to them. Instead of the conventional tourist escapade, it involves experiencing the city from a cultural viewpoint like any of its residents. To the above-mentioned cities we should add Rotterdam, famous for having one of the largest maritime harbours in the world. It is also an industrial centre and a capital of football, with three teams in the Dutch top-flight Eredivisie – Feyenoord, Sparta and Excelsior. Over and above that, however, Rotterdam is privileged to host a highly potent film festival which turns the city into one of the leading world cinema hubs for a period of twelve days.

This time around, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (its official name) will take place from 25 January to 5 February 2017, and the programme is dedicated to art house films, both European and international, and the leading figures of independent cinema. This year is dedicated to a retrospective of Jan Němec, one of the paramount filmmakers in Czech cinema, who died a few months ago. A tribute to his figure will involve screening his best known films, as well as a posthumous film, The Wolf from Royal Vineyard Street. The official festival lineup will feature the latest movies by Jim Jarmusch, Paterson and Gimme Danger, in addition to the long-awaited film, Jackie, by Pablo Larraín, starring Natalie Portman.

The focal point of the festival will be De Doelen, a venue with an eventful history in downtown Rotterdam. Its location gives you plenty of time to stroll around and discover the city between screenings. De Doelen was built in 1966 and is both a convention centre and the primary venue of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The other cinemas providing screenings are also in the city centre, in such charming theatres as Oude Luxor and the Pathé Schouwburgplein. They are relatively near some museums which are well worth visiting, including the Maritime Museum, devoted to the importance of maritime culture and various aspects of sailing. Apart from the exhibition space, it features a canal in the surrounding area offering all types of parallel activities. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is Rotterdam’s stellar art museum with an amazing collection, a dream come true for any painting enthusiast. Its exhibits include works by Salvador Dalí, Tintoretto, Hubert van Eyck, Willem Heda and Pieter Bruegel, among others, but it doesn’t stop there – the museum also covers other art disciplines (industrial design, installations, graffiti) and itinerant exhibitions that are refreshed each month. By the way – the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is just a stone’s throw away from Museumpark, one of the city’s lungs and most beautiful parks.

Apart from the aforementioned films and cycles, the International Film Festival Rotterdam also hosts a number of out-of-the-ordinary special screenings. One of the most prominent is a whole, day-long session dedicated to children. This year it falls on Sunday 29 January and features a selection of films which the little ones can enjoy in the company of their parents. Other events worth mentioning include two short marathons to be hosted on 4 February. Lasting six hours each, they will be held in the Kino Rotterdam, a cinema where you can also have dinner or a drink, if you wish. Check out the rest of the festival events here.

Be sure to discover Rotterdam through the prism of its cinema festival – book your Vueling here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

History has been generous with Périgueux. This town, emblematic of the Aquitaine region, is fortunate enough to boast well preserved remains of its Gallo-Roman and medieval past, making it a unique spot. Situated on the banks of the river Isle, Périgueux makes for a great getaway, on account of both its stunning heritage and as a place to indulge in culinary delights, notably its foie gras. Périgueux, the ancient Vesunna Petrucoriorum, was one of the most important Roman centres in southern France. This is evinced in the extant remains of that civilisation, noteworthy being the Roman wall and the amphitheatre, with a capacity of 20,000 spectators, which must have rivalled Nimes or Arles. Well worth visiting is the Vesunna Gallo-Roman Museum, built around a grand Roman villa from the 1st century AD, the so-called domus des Bouquets (Domus of Vesunna). Judging by its sheer size – it covers an area of 4,000 square metres – it must have belonged to a high-ranking official of the region. Thanks to a system of walkways, the interior of the villa can be viewed from above, without impinging on the original surfaces.

A few metres from the old Gallo-Roman wall, which had some buildings set on top of it, lie vestiges of the town’s medieval past, including those of the 12th-century Château Barrière, destroyed in a fire in the 16th century, and the church of Saint-Étienne de la Cité, Périgueux’s original cathedral – up until the Wars of Religion – during which two of its four domes and the campanile were destroyed.

Touring Medieval and Renaissance Périgueux

It seems that God Himself stopped on the summit of Le Puy-Saint-Front, where man ended up building a cathedral of the same name over a former Merovingian and Carolingian church. This formidable cathedral, which rivets your gaze upwards as soon as you get near it, is a compulsory stopover for pilgrims on the Road to Santiago. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1998. Saint-Front Cathedral is unique in that its fabric reveals exotic Byzantine flourishes at times, as well as the legacy of Sacré-Cœur on Montmartre, Paris, at others. Its interior is not quite as striking, although it does harbour the odd exceptional detail, such as the chandelier that lit the wedding of Napoleon III and countess Eugénie de Montijo in Paris.

Medieval Périgueux, with the Mataguerre Tower as the last bastion of its ancient wall, is also graced with Renaissance buildings featuring such characteristic elements of this style as inner courts and staircases. Among the most emblematic buildings is the 16th-century House of the Patissier and the Saint Front Residence, a mansion located on the Rue de la Constitution.

Gastronomy in Périgueux

At the foot of the Cathedral lies the Place de la Clautre where local farmers sell their produce in a street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A few streets away, two open-air markets feature two of the products that are never in short supply in the pantries of Périgueux’s inhabitants – meat and foie gras.

It is a delightful experience to wander through the maze of medieval alleyways and then book a table at one of the small bistros or restaurants where you can treat yourself to local fare. One such eatery is the refined L’Eden, on Rue de l’Aubergerie, one of the most picturesque thoroughfares in the capital of the former Périgord.

Ready to discover the charm of Périgueux? Check out your Vueling to Bordeaux here.

Text and images by Tus Destinos

Photos by Tus Destinos and Alban GILBERT - CRTA

Imagine, for example that we have a few free days to escape to any of our destinations Vueling. So why not visit Minsk?

The capital of Belarus is maybe one of the most unknown destinations that we could choose. However, it is a mesmerizing town, full of culture that will surprise almost everyone, quite sure!

Minsk is the cultural epicenter of the country. Its first theaters and libraries were built in the mid nineteenth century and today we find eleven theaters, museums sixteen, nine libraries - among which is found the National Library of Belarus- and a wide range of concert halls.

The best way to get around the city is using its modern metro, which was built in the 80s and that consists of two lines that connect the center with the periphery of Minsk. Or using a still current transport as trolleybus or tram to quietly contemplate the city and feel like the protagonist of a film set in the Cold War. Remember also that Minsk is considered one of the cleanest and safest cities in Europe.

For dining, Minsk has a strong influence both Ukrainian and Russian. Undoubtedly, the typical dish of the city are mushrooms combined with many sauces as you can imagine. Plus Borsch, beetroot soup served with a sour cream called smetana with pieces of meat. Special mention to typical local fish like herring, or the more expensive and luxurious product from sea world: caviar. On the other hand, the Vodka, the Bela-Cola and Kefir are the most common drinks.

Let's review some of the most emblematic places of the city, that you should visit if you are in the Belarusian capital city:

1.-Victory Square

Minsk's main square. Located in the city center and dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. It is the place where the most important events in the capital are celebrated, as well as parades and concerts. In the center there is an 40 meters high obelisk . It is prism-shaped and on the bottom there is an eternal flame in honor of the soldiers of the Soviet Army and the partisans of Belarus.

2.-National Museum of History and Culture

Issuing the largest collection of material and spiritual culture of the Belarusian people, from 40,000 BC to this day. There we can see from ancient manuscripts, archaeological finds, to costumes and heraldic collections.

3.-Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

Built between 1633 and 1642, it is one of the few historic buildings of the city. Currently works as an art gallery and includes a superb collection of Orthodox icons such as Mother of God, discovered in the sixteenth, that work is thought by San Lucas.

4.-Island of Tears

Across the river Svisloch we find a small island where stands a monument dedicated to Belarusians soldiers killed in Afghanistan. It consists of four altars with the names of the 771 soldiers engraved on them. According to tradition, the newlyweds of Minsk should visit the monument.

5.-National Library of Minsk

It is certainly one of the most modern architectural projects of the city. A building of 72 feet tall and 22 floors diamond-shaped, modernist and futurist. At night, becomes one of the most emblematic of the city thanks to its dramatic lighting.

6.-Museum of Great Patriotic War

Second World War Museum was the first museum to open during the course of the war commemorating the German-Soviet battle after the end of the Nazi occupation. Inside we can see from a model of concentration camp until a section devoted to the Belarusian resistance. 7.- Park Chelyuskinites The Amusement Park of Minsk. Its appeal lies in the essential conservation thereof, dated 1932 In addition to all kinds of attractions, you can also enjoy the beautiful botanical garden next to it.

Imagen de Monk - Ihar Mahaniok

Por Jordi Herrero

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.