Henry VIII seems to be endlessly fascinating; there is no shortage of books or programs about his reign and his many brides. Katherine Parr, the last of his six wives, is buried at Sudeley Castle & Gardens—the only private castle in England to have a queen entombed within its grounds. Today visitors can explore the […]

We’re all about island paradises here at Trufflepig; there is nothing more satisfying than leaving all the work and world behind and retreating to a remote, azure-water-surrounded island. You can feel the city’s slickness slipping away from you. You can feel those hunched shoulders drifting down and your breath becoming slower as you take in […]

I like cities. I don’t like to leave them. Frankly, too much green and nature makes me slightly apprehensive. Wide open, verdant space may seem idyllic in many respects, true, but it can hide suspect hazards. Like bear traps. Or vicious moles. Or dogs off-the-leash intent on crotch investigation. A park, however, is acceptable; a […]

Take Vietnamese cooking lessons: a humdrum resolution for many, but for someone who can burn toast perfectly (how black do you want it?), my resolution is revolutionary. It’s all thanks to Tran Thanh Duc (Duc for short), the dynamic Vietnamese chef extraordinaire who charms as he chops, slices, dices, and turns up the heat. Nigella […]

On a recent trip to Athens, we had the good fortune to book a tour through those lovely and wise folk at Context. Their learned docent Smaro met us at our wee boutique hotel, The O&B on the edge of the Plaka, where we ventured through lanes and flower-strewn alleys on a sun-dappled late autumnal afternoon (it seems […]

At Trufflepig, we like to partake in all things fine and swine. When we come by fine swine, it’s sublime. Or perhaps a lovely wine, how divine. Okay, I’m done, I promise. On a recent trip to Vietnam, I was introduced to a program that is doing some great work west of Hanoi. Bloom Microventures has […]

The non-believers among you might consider skipping churches when making your sightseeing hit list; on a trip to Ethiopia, this is where you’d be making your biggest mistake. In Tigray you’ll find the oldest Christian sites in the country, and they are absolute must-sees, even if you’re of the atheistic persuasion. Church fatigue is a […]

Many people ask which spots would make for a good family holiday in Latin America. The truth is, the Latins love children; the answer could be anywhere. But of course some countries are more geared up for keeping little ones entertained than others. Here’s our rundown of travel plans to keep the whole family entertained—big […]

Fun fact of the day: did you know that if it weren’t for Iceland’s strict importation law on horses, The Lord of the Rings would have been filmed there instead of in New Zealand? In fact, Iceland and its many varied landscapes were actually the inspiration for many of J.R.R. Tolkien’s locations of Middle Earth. […]

Digging up fresh Trufflepig dirt often takes me from my Tuscan mountaintop to Rome, down the coastal Aurelia road (whose condition has not improved much since it was built by the Roman censor Aurelius Cotta in the third century BC). Whenever possible, I make a small detour to the Tarot Garden, the astonishing sculpture park […]

No matter how many tourists you have to plow through, or how many times you’ve already been to pay homage, the Pantheon sits in the top tier of Rome’s startlingly beautiful, historically rich, architecturally astonishing must-see attractions. Built almost 2000 years ago, the Pantheon was originally commissioned by Marcus Agrippa in the reign of Augustus […]

Edinburgh is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the UK. The Scottish capital is a wonderfully evocative metropolis, the old town and new town are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the city has much in store for the intrepid visitor. As you wander along Princes Street, Edinburgh Castle towers over the city grandly, […]

Brazil seems to be hogging the limelight lately, with the FIFA World Cup this summer and the Olympics in 2016. While we love it as a destination, there is plenty more in this area of the world to be excited about. Our Latin American enthusiasts here at Trufflepig feel we shouldn’t neglect the rest of […]

The Galata Tower is situated in an area of Istanbul worth meandering on foot. Once you get out of the city’s exasperatingly crazy traffic and perambulate, it is a flaneur’s delight. This beautiful tower sits on the Golden Horn of Istanbul, across the Galata Bridge from the old town of Sultanahmet, in the area of […]

When you have free time in Spain, you don’t wonder what you’re going to do. You wonder what you’re going to eat. The fact that any free time will be spent sitting and eating and drinking somewhere with friends is a foregone conclusion. It’s what is done. This weekend at lunch, for example, when we […]

When trying to describe what Tikal is like, it is always easiest to mention that it’s the area where the Ewoks live in “Return of the Jedi”.  This ancient place in the deepest jungles of northern Guatemala is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, but this seems less illustrious than its setting in the Star Wars films. […]