The truth about Italy’s white truffles Despite fetching thousands of euros a kilo, the white truffle comes with a dirty secret: many labelled as ‘Tartufi d’Alba’ (from Alba, Italy) actually came from Istria in Croatia. Towards the end of my meal, the waiter put a plaster cast of a human brain on my table and […]

The German town encrusted with diamonds When people first settled Nördlingen, Germany, they thought they were living in a volcanic crater. But the unique landscape was formed by something otherworldly. As I climbed the narrow staircase of the gothic church tower in Nördlingen, Germany, the worn stone steps appeared to glimmer in the sunlight, bringing […]

What its like to live in a well governed country? What makes a country well-run? Whether minimising corruption or spearheading educational and medical initiatives, governments around the world use different policies to facilitate a high-functioning society. To quantify the effectiveness of these policies, indexes like the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, the World […]

How sausage flavours the German language The one that came up most often was the classic ‘Viel Regen bringt viel Segen’ or ‘lots of rain brings many blessings’, which I suspected was less a time-tested truth than a means of consoling an inconsolable bride. My father-in-law, however, only looked at me sadly, shaking his head […]

Ancient Rome’s sinful city at the bottom of the sea Rome’s ultra-wealthy took weekend trips here to party. Powerful statesmen built luxurious villas on its beach, with heated spas and mosaic-tiled pools where they could indulge their wildest desires. One resident even commissioned a nymphaeum – a private grotto surrounded by marble statues, dedicated solely […]

The Japanese castle that defied history In a downtown park in the under-visited city of Kumamoto on Kyushu, the south-western-most of Japan’s main islands, a group of locals can be found painstakingly trying to complete what could be called the world’s hardest jigsaw puzzle. It’s a problem so huge the pieces cover the size of […]

The dutch city that’s more like Dubai   You should always arrive in Rotterdam by train. That way, as you leave the station, you can turn around, as I did last month, put your bag down and look back at one of the most joyful buildings in the world. It’s the most exuberantly designed transportation […]

Castle of dreams   Think of the most famous castles in Scotland, and Edinburgh or Balmoral might come to mind. But though the name of Eilean Donan doesn’t have the same resonance, images of it might. Dubbed “the most beautiful castle in Scotland”, Eilean Donan has been splashed on countless calendars, postcards and guidebook covers. With its […]

Genghis khan’s tomb Why genghis khans tomb cant be found This is an outsized land for outsized legends. No roads, no permanent buildings; just unfurling sky, tufted dry grass and streaming wind. We stopped to drink salted milk tea in nomads’ round ger tents and to snap pictures of roaming horses and goats. Sometimes we […]

The strange reason Spaniards eat late It is 10 pm in the Madrid neighborhood of La Latina, one of the city’s oldest areas, and the cobbled streets thrum with the sounds of people enjoying plates of gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns) and cocido Madrileño (a hearty chickpea, pork and chorizo stew). Restaurants are bustling at […]