Italy and good food are synonymous! This is particularly true in Tuscany, the land that produces much of Italy's Chianti wines, porcini mushrooms, rare truffles and Pecorino cheese among other delights. While Tuscan cuisine have evolved from simple peasant fare that tend to involve offals and four-finger thick steaks, there is enough for the non-adventurous foodie too.
The famously pretty Tuscan countryside was lush and green in its spring-time glory. As we drove out of Florence, we saw undulating landscapes dotted with Tuscany's signature cypress tress, vineyards and olive trees stretched out all around us. We spent most of our time in the Chianti area, home to the famous Italian wine, that is dotted with small farms producing dairy, meat and wines.
Since our first family vacation in Paris, we had never been able to find more than a week in Europe at a time. While we made many memories during our trip to Rome, we had also wished we had more time to spare to explore more in that part of Italy. This time, we had nothing to complain about! We had all of two weeks to spend in the crucible of the Italian Renaissance and the heart of Tuscany: the city of Florence.
I was in Zurich on a short business trip and I decided to make up for not finding the time here while on my Switzerland vacation a few years back. I had then taken the train directly to the picturesque hill town of Grindelwald, without getting out of Zurich airport. This time I was lodged at the atmospheric Hotel Schweizerhof right in the heart of this city.
The Leela Palace in New Delhi is among the fanciest hotels built by the group. While not the largest, this hotel has clearly tried to position itself as one of the most luxurious. With this in mind, the hotel opened with high-end restaurants that are destinations in themselves. Le Cirque occupies top spot here, but since I have experienced this well-known French restaurant at their Las Vegas location, I decided to try Megu instead.
While there was much to absorb and luxuriate in during our few days in Rajasthan, the elaborate Rajashani royal cuisine was clearly one of the highlights. Typical local fare here tends to be made with creativity from the few ingredients that grow locally. However, elaborate versions of this same cuisine mastered by generations of royal cooks can clearly impress even the palate of the most jaded foodie.
