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Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Loire Valley tours, France: Stunning region of chateaus and wineries
On the chateau's airy rooftop terrace, we wander by the turrets and gaze over the moat towards Chambord's impressive gardens. Cultivated in the late-17th century under Louis XIV, they were restored in 2016 and boast more than 16,000 plants, trees and shrubs, many elaborately woven into parterres and topiaries. From up here, we also get the lay of the wider estate. Touted as Europe's largest enclosed park, it sprawls 5540 hectares, surrounded by a 32-kilometre wall. Where the royals and their courtiers once stalked stags and wild boars, today's leisure seekers pedal and hike through the estate's dense forests, row or ride electric boats along the waterways, picnic on grassy lawns or lunch at the al fresco restaurants in quaint, tiny Chambord village, which also has a shop selling local delicacies such as deer terrine and palets solognots (buttery cookies stoked with rum and raisins). About seven kilometres south of the chateau, as the crow flies, is our Loire base, Le Prieure de Boulogne, a converted former priory, where medieval monks prayed and meditated and chirpy swallows nest by the hotel's guttering during our early June stay. This four-star retreat is blessed with smart contemporary rooms, a heated open-air swimming pool and a rustic-sleek restaurant serving regional fare, from pork rillette and Crottin de Chavignol (a Loire goat's cheese) at the breakfast buffet to dishes such as duck confit and wild mushroom risotto for dinner. Swoon-worthy: Chateau de Chenonceau. We enjoy several other outings to lift the spirits. Eliciting swoons and camera clicks aplenty is the multi-arched, river-spanning Chateau de Chenonceau, where the rivalry between Catherine de' Medici, the Florence-born wife of King Henri II (son of Francois I), and his mistress Diane de Poitiers played out. An audio guide shares tales of their simmering feud and other episodes and scandals from the chateau's past. Both women have gardens in their honour by this richly-furnished property, though none are quite as vast or extravagant as those at our next stop, the Chateau de Villandry, whose multi-tiered, seven-hectare gardens look sublime even from under an umbrella. Slick with drizzle, fragrant rose bushes radiate around fruits, herbs and vegetables in its centrepiece kitchen gardens, which flaunt showy geometric motifs. Other ornamental gardens at Villandry convey the states of love – tender, passionate, flighty, tragic – in box beds shaped like hearts, flames and daggers. Sublime: Chateau de Villandry's gardens. Credit: iStock Besides the organised elements of this Albatross tour – which also includes tastings of seven different Loire wines, all made with the chenin blanc grape, at one of the limestone caves gouging this region – we have free time to stroll, eat and drink in the historic riverside towns of Amboise, Blois and Tours. Bistro-fringed lanes and cafe-framed squares draw you in, many backdropped with half-timbered medieval houses or elegant mansions and churches hewn from the same local tuffeau limestone that gleams in the famous chateaux. The Loire has been a pleasure and the good news for us is that it's merely the hors d'oeuvre – the appetiser – for a journey that will take our group through other timelessly charming French regions, with the Dordogne, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence all on the itinerary. Enjoying one last post-dinner walk through the peaceful grounds of our Loire hotel, I spot a hare dashing into the fields, beavers wading in an algae-clogged pond and those busy swallows criss-crossing a sky that remains bright well after 9pm. Not for the first time on this trip, and it won't be the last, I'm imbued with a feeling of joie de vivre. Loading FLY Several airlines connect Paris with Sydney and Melbourne, including Emirates, which flies via Dubai. see TOUR The Albatross 16-day La Grande France costs $10,987 a person based on two sharing or $14,087 for a solo traveller. For 2026, the tour itinerary extends to 19 days, including three nights in Bordeaux. Departures are from Paris in May, June, August and September with prices from $15,887 a person (twin) and $20,887 (solo). See MORE
South China Morning Post
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How truffles are revolutionising skincare: from the court of Catherine de' Medici to Netflix's dating show Single's Inferno, the culinary delicacy is now coveted for its anti-ageing properties
For thousands of years, gourmands have sought out truffles – considered a food of the gods – for their rich fragrance and woody flavour. Culinary use of the ingredient, which is technically the fruiting body of subterranean fungi, was documented in ancient Roman texts by Pliny the Elder, it was beloved by the Etruscans before that. Centuries later during the Renaissance, Italian noblewoman turned French queen Catherine de' Medici brought the white truffle to the French court. And in 1954, Marilyn Monroe reportedly requested truffles for her and Joe DiMaggio's wedding meal. White truffles are lauded for their hydrating, brightening, firming and soothing properties. Photo: Shutterstock Advertisement While we may now be accustomed to splurging on indulgent truffle-capped pasta dishes and snacking on addictive French fries sprinkled with truffle salt, the prized fungi is also moving from menus to our vanity tables. Eagle-eyed viewers of the Netflix dating show Single's Inferno may have glimpsed a spray bottle on the contestants' vanities; even more beauty fans have seen it used in one of the many K-beauty tutorials touting the product, d'Alba's First Spray Serum, as a must-have. Seen in K-beauty tutorials – d'Alba's First Spray Serum. Photo: Handout The viral formula, developed to be misted on clean skin, as well as during and over make-up for a hydrated, luminous complexion, is infused with white truffle sourced from truffle mecca Alba, in Piedmont, Italy. It's a serum, setting spray and refreshing mist all in one, with TikTok users and make-up artists alike applauding the dewy, radiant finish it gives. In fact, d'Alba's entire offering – from its hit spray serum and treatment face masks, to another fan favourite, the Double Serum & Cream – revolves around the prized ingredient. The brand cites white truffle as containing large amounts of vitamins C and B12 (beloved for their effectiveness at preventing hyperpigmentation, or fading it if it has already occurred), as well as key minerals and amino acids for anti-ageing benefits like improved skin elasticity. Elsewhere, the fungus is lauded for its hydrating, brightening, firming and soothing properties. Black truffles, on the other hand, more subtly flavoured than their white counterparts, are used in skin and haircare products for their moisturising benefits, as well as anti-inflammatory properties that can improve the likes of acne, eczema and rosacea. They may not look special, but black truffles have excellent moisturising and anti-inflammatory properties.
