Many Italian culinary (烹饪) schools offer food-related tours that give you hands-on experience with food preparation, as well as a close-up view of traditional Italian cuisine.

Organic Tuscany

Organic Tuscany focuses on vegetarian cuisine and organic ingredients. Guests stay in a 19th-century castle surrounded by grape and olive orchards in Certaldo, and courses are taught by experienced local cooks. Their five-day courses are limited to nine participants, and they break up daily cooking classes with hikes, tours of Siena and Florence, meals at local restaurants and trips to nearby farms and vineyards.

Capezzana

Located within an hour of Siena, Capezzana offers an authentic experience into Italian food and wine. Guests stay in country farmhouses near Mount Albano. The school has its own olive oil and wine production facilities (场所) where guests can view the process from start to finish. Capezzana offers a one-day course where students tour the facilities and learn to make a meal. There is also a five-day course including trips to local markets, classes on wines, olive oil and bread-making.

DivinaCucina

DivinaCucina is an internationally known Italian cooking school located in the heart of Tuscany. Guests stay in nearby apartments, and the school offers two one-day courses and tours. The Monday tour centers around the historic San Lorenzo market, and the Wednesday tour includes a visit to the weekly market in Chianti followed by a hands-on cooking class. A five-day course includes daily cooking lessons and tours to surrounding towns and farms, focusing on sources of local meat, wine and produce.

The Awaiting Table

While most cooking tours are centered in scenic Tuscany, the Awaiting Table is located in the pretty town of Lecce. The Awaiting Table offers not only authentic local recipes, but also an enthusiastic introduction to the “Italian” experience. Guests meet the vendors (商贩) at the local markets, participate in daily cooking lessons and even learn some practical Italian. Each day of the week-long course focuses on one type of food, with an educational field trip before the lesson. One-day tours and lessons are also available, as well as lessons specializing in olives.

5 . Exploring Jaipur’s Art and Design Scenes

Still home to the royal family of Jaipur, this 300-year-old palace has lost none of its grandeur (壮观). The complex of courtyards, gardens and buildings is a mixture of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. Among other things, the thoughtfully decorated museum houses an extensive textile (纺织品) collection, featuring rich fabrics as well as a carpet dating back over 400 years.

Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing

Situated in a restored old house, the Anokhi Museum is the perfect introduction to Jaipur’s textile industry. Information boards are excellently written, and the clothing on display is impressive. Don’t miss the on-site shop. Combine a visit with a trip to the UNESCO-listed Amber Fort, a remarkable walled castle that rises above the city and is only a five-minute ride from the museum.

Block Printing Project

Feel creative? A workshop is a great way to get a feel for the printing process. You’ll work alongside local craftsmen (工作), choosing your own blocks and colours. There are scores of companies providing the experience, but consider one of the sessions offered by the Wabisabi Project, which include a field trip and black tea to keep that creative energy flowing.

Jawahar Kala Kendra Centre

Just outside the Old City, Jaipur’s most important cultural centre was built to preserve Rajasthan’s rich heritage and master craftsmanship. Showing a wide range of both traditional and contemporary art, the space houses six galleries, as well as a museum, a library and an open-air theatre with programmes from plays to Indian folk dance. It also hosts its own theatre festival.

The Giant Panda National Park,     1     officially came into being in 2021, is a hugely ambitious project.     2     (cover) an area of 27, 000 square kilometers of countryside in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, the park is a massive drive     3     (protect) China’s pandas.

In Wannian Village, however, the news     4     (greet) with some anxiety. Thousands of people were already living in the area when the park was announced. And many of them were making a living through     5     (activity) that were illegal under the new policy.

For decades, mining and hydropower (水电) were the main industries in Wannian. The projects were     6     (profit) and created a lot of jobs. But the mines were ruinous to the local environment.

There only appeared to be one way out: turning the village     7     a tourist hotspot. Wannian has several natural advantages: it’s only 200 kilometers from Chengdu. The village also sits right on the southern tip of the park, making it     8     great jumping-off point for visitors. Plus, the nearby panda training center is famous all over China.

Local officials     9     (immediate) set about rebranding (重塑形象) Wannian as a “panda village”. The place was given a complete makeover. Cute panda sculptures were placed along the winding path leading from the highway. The newly     10     (build) hotels have attracted visitors nationwide.