The French have a worldwide reputation for gastronomic excellence. But while the country still boasts some of the globe’s finest restaurants, chinks have begun to appear in its culinary armour with ever-increasing competition from other countries, from Japan to Brazil via Spain, Denmark and Britain. With so much riding on France’s
The West Bohemian city will be a European Capital of Culture next year. You can look forward to more than six hundred unique events starting Jan. 17 when the West Bohemian city of Pilsen takes up the banner as European Capital of Culture for 2015. ‘Pilsen 2015 is the biggest
The ‘sustainable city’ is only salvageable if we recognise the sociological and political problems that exist within it. Giving people a stake in the urban sustainability debate regardless of their background entails uniting around principles of diversity, recognition and participation. Currently, divisions are being created between those with the aptitude,
Candidate cities in various stages of bidding for the coveted European Capital of Culture title, took part in a meeting with the authors of the European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) reports in Barcelona on Friday 12 December 2014. The meeting featured the participation of several bidding ECOC cities in order to
We are living in the midst of the urban century. Though it is common knowledge that the world is urbanizing, it can be striking to visualize this growth on a map. Urban growth – particularly in megacities – can create distinct challenges including housing shortages, air pollution, congestion, and more. However,
Container City is located about two hours outside of Mexico City in Cholula, and is comprised of about 50 standard shipping containers. The developers took 4500 sq meters (48,500sq.ft) of space and plopped down the containers, stacking them to create courtyards, alleys and streets. The containers were then painted bright
Gaston Gérard was Mayor of Dijon from 1919 to 1935. In the early 1920s, Gérard launched the Dijon Gastronomy Fair. He considered gastronomy to be a part of the arts. This was not a revolutionary idea, but to actively make it a part of the city’s image transformation was extremely
Monsanto and its allies in the Grocery Manufacturers Association have announced they’re suing the tiny, rural U.S. state of Vermont to stop a new law that simply requires genetically engineered foods to be labeled. In fact, the mere threat of a multi-million dollar lawsuit nearly caused the state to back off
This Saturday, Dec. 13, is Spiran Lodge’s Julfest. A few rich veins of authenticity still marble Cape Ann. One vein is the traditions behind Spiran Lodge, the local chapter of the Swedish order Vasa, an active preservation of the Scandinavian culture that brought song, dance and the haunting aroma of wafting
The Association of European Cities and Regions for Culture “Les Rencontres” is pleased to announce the organisation of its next conference “La Rencontre de Fontenay-sous-Bois” to be held in Fontenay-sous-Bois/ Paris from 5 to 7 March 2015. It will be devoted to the topical theme of “Arts/ Cultures/ Migrations”. In
The Malta Tourism Authority has recently launched its 2015 desk calendar. The chosen theme/concept of the 2015 calendar hinges around the main cultural/folklore characteristics of a Maltese village feast. Some of the characteristics portrayed in the calendar include the “qubbajd” vendor, very popular with tourists, appropriate historic street decorations, the procession
In 2018, the Maltese capital of Valetta will be crowned as a European Capital of Culture. The nuances of Malta as a destination are easy to miss. Its relative remoteness has helped preserve a brand of old European life that has become increasingly rare on the European mainland. While many
Dublin City Council’s City Arts Plan 2014-2018 has been launched. The plan, developed by Dublin City Council and designed by acclaimed Irish artist Robert Ballagh, illustrates how the arts play a major role in community development and neighborhood identity across Dublin. Dublin City Council has also announced that the plan is
In November, the Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana held its second International Mexican Gastronomy Forum in the city of Puebla, about 100 kilometers east of Mexico City. The Conservatorio is a non-profit that was formed in 2006 by researchers, chefs, cooks, professors, journalists and others concerned about protecting Mexican food, its
The edition of the prestigious World Travel Awards (WTA) placed Peru as the 2014 World’s Leading Culinary Destination and government-run official tourism website (Peru.travel) was pronounced the World’s Leading Tourism Authority Website 2014, confirmed on Monday the Foreign Trade and Tourism minister, Magali Silva…READ MORE
Mannheim and Hanover can now officially call themselves “Cities of Music” and Heidelberg is a “City of Literature.” They were among 28 cities from 19 countries to become members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on Monday, December 1. The 42-member network, founded in 2004, is designed to promote cultural exchange
