Deyrolle is Paris’ famous taxidermy shop, where luminescent green Polynesian butterflies line the walls and stare down on stuffed jaguars and polar bears (all of which are for sale). And it famously burned down in February 2008. Thanks to a public auction and a very wealthy owner, but mostly due to the fact that the shop is as dear […]

It turns out billionaires haven’t changed that much. I’m 24 years old, I’m richer than God and I want a massive house. François 1er’s Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley is as Californian as architectural folly gets. The guide books will tell you otherwise, but if you really want to understand the chateaux of […]

One of the things I love about Paris is that it simultaneously manages to be both conspicuous and coy. In a sense, it’s the world’s most obvious place—glaringly gorgeous and positively popping out of its Haussmannian dress. And yet, it’s a city that keeps plenty secret, holding you slightly at bay which, of course, keeps […]

You may (or may not) have noticed that we haven’t posted a single new Sounder article since the tail end of 2012. What can I say, we’ve been busy planning a lot of trips. I hasten to add that our long-time, ever-steady and always-reliable Sounder editor, Amy Smithers, skipped town a month ago to travel […]

Let’s go out on a limb and predict that the world isn’t going to end tomorrow. Christmas and New Year’s will come and go, and then those of us in the northernmost parts of the northern hemisphere will enter what one Trufflepig planner calls “the long, dark tea time of the soul.” Give your soul […]

Cast aside your umbrella, intrepid shoppers of Paris. Even as November’s freezing rain pours down, you can stroll the streets of the Right Bank undrenched; shopping, dining and even staying overnight in the passageways and galleries of Paris. From Stella McCartney to wine bars, teeny tiny antiques shops and seconds art book stores, there are […]

If you think about it, privacy is the ultimate luxury. Now that you’re a grown-up, you don’t have to share your toys anymore, and how lovely not to share your pool with anyone, either. Where:  Domaine de Murtoli, Corsica, France Why: Yes, there are some other people staying on this sprawling estate in the unspoiled French […]

Warning: Do not operate heavy machinery after eating this dish. Where: Riquewihr, France What: Potatoes with bacon and melted Munster cheese. This is one of those drop-dead simple dishes you could so easily make at home. Except for the fact that your potatoes, bacon and Munster won’t be as divine as they are in this […]

There’s something curiously memorable about the cash and grab picnic. You know the kind I mean. Visit the local market, buy whatever random ingredients catch your eye, and then find a place in a park to park it and pork out. Where: Cordes sur Ciel in Southwestern France. What: Le pique-nique. A wheel of bread large enough to […]

But you should. Jack Dancy is one of Trufflepig’s founders and the man knows France like no one’s business. Conde Nast Traveler recently named him as one of their Top Travel Specialists and they’ve only picked 133 worldwide, so it’s pretty cool that he’s been cited as the Gallic go to. While it’s true you […]

Some argue that of all the towns dotting the swanky French Riviera, Nice is the least… French Riviera-y. True if you’re into hobnobbing and celeb-spotting, but for anyone into photography and flowers (and tiny candies shaped like fruit), Nice is a perfect stop. As luck would have it I am, in fact, into photography, flowers, […]

The French have a knack for signs. Funny, confusing, iconic or just plain odd, there’s a character to their signage that gives quite a lot away. Here’s a collection of photos to take you on a trip around France. Following the signs. Some of them show advertising of one form or another—and most of those […]

The humble culinary underclass of the café lunch and the jug of wine is what makes the true francophile’s heart beat the fastest. Say non to the Michelin star and the TV chef, and oui to the institution of the menu à onze. The menu à onze is just that: an €11 lunch. Last I checked, eleven […]

Together with Kate Hill of the Kitchen at Camont in France’s Gascony region, Trufflepig is offering the grand prize for the craziest food phenomenon ever to hit the web: the aptly-named Charcutepalooza. Read on for details of how to win a food trip that’s really worth its salt. It hardly needs pointing out that at […]

Remember summer? It’s fun at the time, but I enjoy it even more in the winter, scrolling through photos of bright blue and bright green with the odd glass of pastis gleaming in the foreground. Uh oh. My body is in January in the office; my mind’s in July in Provence. And not in just […]

It has ‘royal’ in its name and it’s a palace—but Le Royal Monceau is anything but stuffy and uptight. I visited the hotel last week and was delighted with all that I saw. This is going to be an easy hotel to recommend. I’m generally wary of new hotels. Nothing works, the showers leak and […]