Today Second

The Loire Valley’s sensational chateaux, baguettes and beaches, snug ski resorts and the Eiffel Tower – all classic symbols of France well known to international travellers. But there’s plenty that visitors likely don’t know – at least until they get there. And now, with the European nation is re-opening to tourism, here’s a petite heads up on just a few of things that can be discovered in France that may not be thought of as typically French:

1. CANYONS

Forget lavender fields, Provence has another colourful natural beauty. Known as the second biggest canyon after the Grand Canyon, the Verdon Gorge (banner photo) is a river canyon in the Provence-Côte d’Azur region. Visitors can hike or rent kayaks or rock climb.

2. VOLCANOES

Believe it or not, the Auvergne-Rhones-Alpes region is home to the UNESCO Chaine des Puys, a chain of more than 80 volcanoes from north to south. The first eruption took place 96,000 years ago with the most recent one 8,600 years ago. Le Puy de Dome is the highest point at 1,465 m. Climb to the top for a 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside.

In Martinique, Mont Pelee erupted in 1902 destroying the vibrant community of Saint-Pierre. Last year, the completely renovated Franck A. Perret Museum (also known as the Memorial de la Catastrophe) opened with artifacts recovered from the eruption. In addition to the 432 artifacts, the museum also has an exhibit dedicated to the 7,000- plus victims of the disaster. Despite the tragic history, the volcano has been dormant since then and is a popular hiking spot full of dense rain forest and spectacular views over the Caribbean from the summit.

3. SURFING

Sipping rosé beach-side is a popular pastime, but visitors to the southwest city of Biarritz can bring their boards thanks to numerous surf spot, including La Cote Basque, which is fantastic for longboarders. Framed by the foothills of the Pyrnees, this beach has great waves for both beginners and more experienced riders.

And when one thinks of surfing, admittedly Martinique is not the first place to come to mind. However, the French Caribbean island is actually a premiere destination – the water is warm all year long and the surf spots are not overcrowded. In fact, surfing is part of the island’s DNA. Along the coasts of Grands-Rivieres and Basse Pointe, the Amerindians practiced the ‘bwa flo’ This early form of surfing consists of riding the waves on a tree trunk. Today the long and powerful swells of the Basse-Pointe (Martinique’s northeast coast) are a favourite of surfers for the ability to execute multiple maneuvers. Anse Bonville is the most popular spot on the island but Anse Couleuvre on the northern tip of the Caribbean coast has some of the best waves on the island.

4. GOLF

In 2018, France hosted the Ryder Cup on the Albatross course of Le Golf National, outside of Paris. In 2024, the Olympics are scheduled to take place there as well. Plus, Provence’s Terre Blanch Hotel is home to two renowned courses (voted Best Golf Resort in Continental Europe by Golf World UK) that take inspiration from nature; they’re filled with valleys, lakes and waterfalls.

5. PRETZELS

Actually it’s known as a Bretzel in the Alsace region. That’s where you’ll find these treats. The dough is precooked in boiling water then sprinkled with sea salt and caraway seeds and baked in the oven. Bretzels are typically washed down with beer. Some boulangeries even make a sweet version.

6. ROMAN RUINS

The Romans ruled what is now France for more than 500 years and impressive vestiges of that period are still visible. The most famous is Pont Du Gard, one of the best-preserved aqueducts in southern France.

Nearby, Nimes was an important Roman city and the Arena (home to gladiator contests) and Maison Carrée (temple) are stunningly intact. Next year the city of Narbonne will open the Musée NarboVia dedicated to Roman history in the area.

Lastly, the town of Orange is home to the UNESCO Roman Theatre, the first of its kind in France and the most well preserved of its kind in all of Europe. The intricate carvings and designs of the enormous stage and wall are still intact.

7. LOBSTER

France’s version of Maine, the Brittany region, is known for “le petit bleu.” This lobster with a black shell with blue highlights, is known for its extremely fine taste.

8. NATIONAL PARKS

Of the 11 national parks in France, highlights include Mercantour near the Italy border, where thousands of ancient rock carvings dating from the Bronze Age can be seen, or Les Calanques just outside of Marseille where one can rent a boat to explore the limescale crevices and coves.

9. PANCAKES

Everyone is familiar with crepes, but there are several savoury pancakes that are distinctly regional. In Amiens, the ficelle picarde is filled with ham, cheese and mushrooms; galette-saucisse is a Breton food truck fave consisting of a cold buckwheat crepe wrapped around a warm grilled pork sausage; and on Feb. 2, get ready to break out the pancakes for the Fete de la Chandeleur, which marks 40 days after Christmas and provides an occasion to use up all the butter and eggs before Lent as well as a way, according to legend, to ensure a plentiful crop.

10. ROUNDABOUTS

More than half of the world’s roundabouts – 30,000 of them – are found in France.

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

The New Orleans restaurant Dooky Chase’s, which served for years as a safe meeting space for civil rights activists to strategize over bowls of Creole gumbo, is the site of the first marker to go up on the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail. A two-metre-high steel silhouette of a figure carrying a protest sign was unveiled outside the restaurant recently and eventually, more than a dozen others will join it along the trail.

The markers are being installed by the Louisiana Office of Tourism to symbolize the struggle for equal rights by Black Louisianans.

When Leah Chase married Dooky Chase in 1946, the restaurant was five years old, and more of a sandwich shop. Over time, she transformed it into a white-tablecloth establishment where she would serve Black and white patrons — despite laws that prohibited such interracial mixing.

It became a meeting place for activists, particularly those involved in civil rights struggles, to gather and decide on strategy. Labour leaders met there during the Godchaux Sugar Refinary strike in 1955, and activists such as Jerome Smith, Rudy Lombard and Oretha Castle Haley met there as well. The upstairs dining room was where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and local leaders held strategy sessions.

Leah Chase died in 2019 but her family still owns and operates the restaurant, whose walls are graced by an extensive collection of works by African American artists.

During a luncheon at the restaurant just before the unveiling, as servers passed out cups of gumbo and plates of fried chicken and red beans and rice to dozens of organizers and supporters, civil rights activist Sybil Morial told the crowd how much she admired her long-time friend for volunteering her restaurant as a meeting place for civil rights organizers.

“If Leah Chase had been faint at heart, she would have followed the law, but she was brave,” Morial said. “And she said, ‘Come on. Come on upstairs to this private room and continue your discussions, and I will give you food for comfort.’”

Other trail markers will be installed at the Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport, one of the last places where Martin Luther King preached before his assassination in 1968; and the old state capitol building in Baton Rouge, where more than 14,000 Black people refused to ride in the back rows of buses, providing a blueprint King used two years later for the landmark bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.

The sites were selected by an Office of Tourism committee, including representatives of Southern and Grambling universities, from a pool of potential sites nominated by the public. The project will eventually include 15 locations across the state.

Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who oversees the state’s department of tourism and helped with the creation of the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail, said the markers are a great way to preserve history and boost tourism in the months to come.

“We have 15 that will go up this year, and then we will start working on other sites,” he said. “And from that, we hope to also produce an educational piece. There were interviews, some painful, but some great history there that needs to be told and needs to be preserved for history.”

Other trail markers will be installed at the Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport, one of the last places where Martin Luther King preached before his assassination in 1968; and the old state capitol building in Baton Rouge, where more than 14,000 Black people refused to ride in the back rows of buses, providing a blueprint King used two years later for the landmark bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.

The sites were selected by an Office of Tourism committee, including representatives of Southern and Grambling universities, from a pool of potential sites nominated by the public. The project will eventually include 15 locations across the state.

Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who oversees the state’s department of tourism and helped with the creation of the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail, said the markers are a great way to preserve history and boost tourism in the months to come.

“We have 15 that will go up this year, and then we will start working on other sites,” he said. “And from that, we hope to also produce an educational piece. There were interviews, some painful, but some great history there that needs to be told and needs to be preserved for history.”

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

With the gradual opening of tourism in Germany and the relaxation of entry regulations, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is launching three campaigns designed to intensify brand communication and kickstart interest in Germany as a travel destination this year.

The “SeeYouSoon” campaigns focus on city life, food, and wellness/relaxation, with the latter two first off the mark, starting this month and July.

German.Local.Culture.

Germany’s leading tourism segment is city trips, according to the GNTB, and the “German.Local.Culture.” campaign is designed to address the increased desire of travellers for authenticity and traditions and gives insights into German customs from handicrafts to local and regionally typical dishes. Potential vacationers will be invited to access information in the subject areas of Craft, Taste, Flair, and Green, as well as outdoor activities, while the campaign-related microsite will serve as a central inspiration and information hub, including detailing health and safety measures.

GNTB content will be supplemented through marketing collaborations with local partners, including the Bremer Touristik-Zentrale, the German Wine Institute, Romantic Rhine Tourism, and Saxony-Anhalt and Stuttgart Marketing.

Feel Good

Highlighting Germany’s highly regarded reputation for sustainability, the GNTB’s “Feel Good” campaign will include new content, with GNTB CEO Petra Hedorfer explaining, “In many of our source markets, awareness of sustainability has increased significantly. Corona has now become the amplifier of a trend that has been emerging for a long time. This is an opportunity for Germany as a travel destination. Service providers have developed offers along the entire value chain for many years with great professionalism and are continuously expanding them. With “Feel Good,” we communicate certified offers on an international level in a targeted manner.”

The inspirations and offers compiled on a microsite are selected by the GNTB in cooperation with the regional marketing organizations and external sustainability experts.

German.Spa.Tradition.

With the “German.Spa.Tradition” campaign, the GNTO is promoting a key travel motivator, “wellness and relaxation,” positioning Germany as a health destination with high quality standards and a long tradition. The marketing campaign highlights, among other aspects, Sebastian Kneipp’s 200th anniversary and his holistic health philosophy, which is still in use today in medical-therapeutic applications and wellness offers.

Hedorfer says: “The more than 350 rated spa and medicinal baths are of great importance for Germany as a travel destination. In the pre-corona period of 2019, Germany recorded 7.2 million international overnight stays in healing and health resorts, which corresponds to 8% of the total overnight stays. At the same time, as a result of the pandemic, there is great interest in wellness and health vacations.”

North Rhine-Westphalia

Meanwhile, the region of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is marking two cultural landmarks in 2021 with events and festivities around the 100th birthday of Joseph Beuys, as well as the continuation of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig von Beethoven.

Joseph Beuys

The influential artist, founder of the Fluxus movement, would have turned 100 on May 12 and NWR is celebrating the anniversary by shining the spotlight on the man and artist, his ideas and works. About 20 museums and cultural institutions in the state are using the anniversary as an opportunity to honour, rediscover, and critically reflect on the artist’s international traces. Together with a wide variety of events, exhibitions, and performances, they make up the “beuys 2021. 100 years of joseph beuys” anniversary program.

In addition to these current events, North Rhine-Westphalia offers many original Beuys locations, many of which can be explored across the 300-km “Beuys & Bike” cycling route in NRW, which links locations that played important roles in the artist’s life and work, such as his birthplace, first studio, important works, plus museums and galleries. Locations include Bedburg-Hau, Kleve, Duisburg, Krefeld, Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf, Neuss, and Leverkusen.

Beethoven

December 2020 marked the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth with the great composer’s native city of Bonn and many other locations extending their celebrations until September 2021.

About 300 projects, including concerts, workshops, and plays, are on the agenda under the motto of “Rediscovering Beethoven.” In Bonn, the building where he was born, for example, is going to host a Beethoven week in May, while August and September will see Beethoven’s Fifth meeting urban street culture, and a new Beethoven tour is planned to lead visitors through the city and its surroundings.

Tourismus NRW is using the extended anniversary festivities as an opportunity for focusing on exceptional concert venues as part of its “Listen, Baby!” campaign and this summer will host present special musical events, pending the further easing of pandemic restrictions.

Other cultural highlights in North Rhine-Westphalia this year include: “Warhol Now” at Cologne’s Museum Ludwig, the Leonardo da Vinci show at the Dalheim monastery in Paderborn, and the Dürer exhibition of the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum in Aachen.

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

A few steps from the central streets of Ancona – one of the most beautiful and unique places in Italy, is something remarkable to behold. At the base of the white cliffs of Conero is Passetto, a gorgeous rocky beach that extends for about a kilometre. Rather surprisingly there’s also more than 100 caves. These caves were excavated in the late 1800s and dug deep into the cliff face, using only hand chisels, and provided shelter for small fishing boats and related on-board equipment.

It’s a special place, which began its life in a parallel world: here the fishermen of another era would gather and go to sea in a fleet of small fishing vessels. Their families would congregate on the beach and await the return with a catch that needed skinning and gutting.

With the passage of time, a fishing community developed, and deep caves were excavated into the cliff, enabling the fisherman to safely secure their boats and tools.

The coast, at this point, is dotted with colourful caves

The caves are still alive today and have been reimagined by the fishermen’s offspring, and the generations to follow.

While some of the caves are still used for their original purpose – the hereditary owners (known as Grottaroli) have changed the original purpose of these once ‘boat garages’.

They’ve made improvements, converting them into adorable and colourful little beach cabanas, complete with electricity, running water, kitchenettes, and colourful wooden entrance doors.

Now they are a refuge for the hot summer months, enlivened by eating fresh fish and napping in the sun.

Original boat houses have been converted into cabanas

In the evenings, the caves turn on their abundance of lights, which gives it fairy-tale ambience. All of which goes to making the Passetto Caves unique, magical, and utterly enchanting.

The various colourful wooden doors, at the entrance of Passetto’s artificial caves, are striking works of craftsmanship. Some are intricately carved, others look like large garden gates, painted white, some cobalt blue, other acid green and a few are barely holding onto life.

Picture postcard village are a dime a dozen in Italy, as are primeval churches and ancient buildings, but these caves are unique.

A few of the cave doors were open so I could see inside – some were furnished with an eclectic mix of salvaged material, majolica tiles for flooring, wooden sleepers that were at one point used to pull boats ashore, and salvaged furniture which have been bizarrely repurposed. Others were kitted out to eat and entertain, containing a selection of chairs and tables, a stove to cook on, a bar fridge for the vino, and an obligatory espresso machine. In all it’s a treasure trove of sea, wood, colours, and creativity.

Seated outside their caves families were enjoying large seafood meals, caught straight from the peacock blue Adriatic just metres away. On rare occasions one of these caves come on the market for sale, but the price is steep, and comes with the warning that it’s exposed to the elements for half the year, and that they’re expensive to maintain. Yet it’s not difficult to see why they’re so highly sought after.

I stuck my head into the cave of Paolo Capici. He and his friend Stefano Ventrella, claim to live off the sea and off the grid and could think of no better way of life.

A little further along I meet Sauro Marinelli who descends from generations of fishermen and has been living off grid here most of his 73 years.

A few caves further along, directly across from “Rosa Dei Venti” (compass of the winds), painted on the pathway, a couple are opening their cabana, dragging chairs and tables out. My guide, Sergio, keen to introduce me to the locals got chatting.

Turns out Maurizio Bevilacqua is a television celebrity having starred in a famous Italian show for children. Now, he and his wife, Simonetta, spend most sunny days right here, sipping espressos, eating seafood, and contemplating life.

Sergio and I were invited to sit at Maurizio, whilst Simonetta prepared coffee then brought it to the table together with a plate of salted dark chocolate (which is catnip to me!). It’s always interesting to hear how people come to acquire prime real estate. Maurizio’s story was an interesting one. His football legend father convinced local workmen to dig him a cave when they’d finished erecting the cliff-top glass elevator they were contracted to do back in 1954.

“This is not normal, of course,” Maurizio announced, looking somewhat aggrieved. “This is what footballers could do back then. But in the late 1800s, it was all done by hand.” Whilst everyone at the table contemplated this vision, then sagely nodded in agreement, I laid into the chocolate and secured an open invitation for lunch any time I was next in the area.

• There are three groups of caves. Looking towards the Adriatic Sea, starting from the right, the first group of caves are located under the Piscina del Passetto, and is accessed by land via a small road next to the entrance to the pool.

• The central caves, just below the Monument to the Fallen of the Passetto, are accessed either by the monument’s staircase, or a panoramic glass lift, operational in the summer months. Alternatively, there is a steep path to the left of the elevator. On the beach, below the War Memorial and the lift, there is a bathhouse and a restaurant on stilts.

• The third group of caves are those on the left, and reachable via a small road off Via della Panoramica.

FESTIVALS

Festa del Mare – first Sunday of September
Hundreds of boats leave the port and go just a little way offshore, and honour the fallen of the sea, with a religious ceremony. Many related events are linked annually to this anniversary. The fair is held in the maritime district of Ancona and, as the grande finale, there’s a huge fireworks-show on the water.

The Coming – 8, 9, 10 December
This is celebrated in the evenings during which time large bonfires are lit in the city and suburbs, to light the way for fleeing gentiles (of 1200AD) to the Holy House in Loreto.

WHERE IS ANCONA

Ancona is the capital of the Le March region, which is bordered by Umbria and Tuscany. Le Marche has it all – seaside, rolling hills speckled with vines and olive groves, mountains, valleys, and glorious art towns. In fact, they say that all of Italy is encapsulated in this one region. It is also still relatively unknown, making it uncrowded, with an authentic feel. Here artisans and centuries-old crafts still prevail, and mystic-looking castles dot the landscape, where streets are bursting with flowering baskets.

Ancona is a sprawling city on the Adriatic Sea. It is the largest city in the Le Marche region with 103,000 inhabitants. Yet, when you’re in the historic centre, it feels like a small town.

ARTS & CULTURE

The Conero Riveria Riviera, with its noble cities and surrounding historic villages, are real-life masterpieces of Italian art. From the Romanesque to the Venetian art collections, to archaeology, they all jostle for your attention.

There are palaces showcasing farm wagons and discoveries made of past world explorers of distant lands; the Hill of Infinity which inspired the lyrics of L’Infinito; a 13th century bell-towered church, peppered with rare frescoes; the underground tunnels of Castlefidardo Castelfidardo; an Instagram’able flower-rich street named Costarella of Numana, which fishermen would use every day, descending the steep stairs to the port; and the Persiani Theater, also home to the Beniamino Gigli Civic Museum, defined as one of the greatest opera singers of the twentieth century.

Then there’s an abundance of parks – like the densely wooded Park of Villa Colloredo in Recanati (a town who also boasts a branch office of the WWF).

In the Biroccio Museum, in the hills of Filottrano, you’ll catch a glimpse of folklore, ox carts, and peasant life, of the early 1900s.

The jewel set in the rich centre of Ancona is the 11th century church of Santa Maria della Piazza. It’s one of Ancona’s most significant monuments to the history and art, (and regularly hosts concerts of sacred and classical music).

The classic La Rondinella Theatre in Montefano stands head-and-shoulders above them all. The white stoned 19th-century theatre is opulent and entirely incorporated into the city’s wall.
www.turismo.comune.montefano.mc.it/teatri-cms

FOOD & WINE

If nothing else you must sample just one tasty local dish – ‘Made in Conero’, known locally as Spaghetti Allo Scoglio. It’s claimed to be made by the nimble fingers of accordion makers of Castelfidardo, and by the sun-baked hands of the farmers who harvest the fruits of the earth.

Mid-price range: La Luna al Passetto for the best mussels in Le Marche.
Inexpensive but good: Street food typical in Ancona “Al chiosco da Morena”.
And then there’s the nectar of the Gods. Wines born in a restricted area within the province of Ancona – in particular the unmatched quality of a red wine named Rosso Conero. It’s high in tannin levels and perfectly enhance dishes based on meat, cold cuts and cheeses.

OUTDOOR PURSUITS

As you can well imagine, with a seaside location, Ancona offers all the sports imaginable – from horse riding along the beach, windsurfing, sailing kitesurfing, diving, hiking, cycling and a few lesser active pursuits like merely sitting in the sun, people watching. Going inland there are nature reserves that preserve indigenous flora and fauna, as is the case at Selva di Castelfidardo.

WHERE TO STAY

Along Ancona’s Conero Riviera you’re spoilt for choice between trendy hotels and B&Bs. Here I urge you to step away from the touristy places and look for a country house in an adjacent ancient village, or an agritourism stays immersed in greenery. This is where you’ll discovered the gentle hospitality of Italy – interesting people with stories to tell.

Put Florence on the backburner and leave Rome to the tourists, instead explore Ancona and the Le March region. Here you’ll discover sweet hills, ancient mountain-top villages and genuinely welcoming locals. The romance of it all is profound, you will lose your heart here. And don’t be surprised when your mind’s eye starts imagining valiant ladies, brave knights and stoic soldiers walking the same cobbled paths you’re treading, because they did and probably still do, if you lend your ear to the folklore.

www.anconatourism.it

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News