Each region of the country can lay claim to its own unique contribution to Italian cooking. Northern Italy is the home of risotto and polenta. Southern Italy gives us pizza and the practice of cooking with olive oil. Parma is the home of Parmesan Cheese and prosciutto. The only place to find the world’s best white truffles is in the city of Alba in the Piedmont area.

White truffles are basically fairly ugly little mushrooms, which are found at the base of trees in the area by trained pigs and dogs. Their tastes and uniqueness has made them one of the most expensive foods in the world with prices easily reaching several hundred Euros per kilo. Macau businessman Stanley Ho has twice set records by paying over €381,000 for a single kilo of the delicacy.

The height of the truffle season is from mid-October through to mid-November. Every Saturday and Sunday during that time, the city of Alba hosts the Alba International White Truffle Fair. The fair plays hosts to chefs from around the world, food buffs and random visitors all of who are looking to experience one of the most exclusive, aromatic and even decadent foods in the world.

Many are familiar with recipes that feature carefully shaved bits of white truffle over grilled vegetables or risotto. But it is at the Alba International White Truffle Fair that the possibilities of the truffle are truly demonstrated.

Visitors to the fair are greeted straight away with a glass of wine, before even entering the fair. Once inside kiosks surround them, displaying everything from truffle pastes and butters, to truffle encrusted cheeses, to truffle oils. Farmers offer up their truffles which are displayed under glass and resting on satin or velvet cushions.

The celebration of the truffle is not restricted to the convention centre. The shops and restaurants in the town join in with special truffle items and dishes developed especially to incorporate the star of the festival.

Alba also offers the perfect finishing touch to the truffle experience. The Ferrero Chocolate Factory, whose pleasing aroma serves as a guide and sits just outside the crowded fair area and serves up the perfect dessert.

Even though “authentic” Italian restaurants can be found in nearly every part of the world, to discover the real reason the cuisine is one of the world’s favourites, one has to go to the source. The Alba International White Truffle Fair allows the casual traveller to experience one of the most unique taste treats in the world. Including Alba and the fair is a very pleasant experience. It may even serve as a catalyst for visiting a site like Gate-Away.com to purchase a house or apartment and becoming at least a part-time resident. Because while it is possible to experience the Alba International White Truffle Fair in a weekend, sampling the 400 cheeses, 300 sausages, countless sauces and cooking methods is a much longer, and very satisfying endeavour.

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We think it’s fair to say Christmas is one of the most snap-happy times of the year.  In the next week, we’ll most likely be capturing the moments when a) your sibling gets that pressie they’ve been hinting at for ages b) your parents give you that pressie you might forward to a friend c) you’re deliriously content from eating way too much turkey and stuffing d) you’re sleeping off the turkey and stuffing – as well as every iconic moment that might have you whipping out your camera while your family say “cheese”.  But if you have a sharp shooter from Sony’s impressive and affordable range of digital cameras and camcorders, your photography might be that bit more inspired this season. For instance, you can get clever and capture close-ups of everything from Christmas tree decorations to that slap-up meal.  The Cyber-shot™ is one of those handy cameras that offers DSLR quality and a range of modes such as Aperture Priority (ideal for focusing on details), or Shutter Priority (if you want to show a bit of action in your shots).  Or you could head to the Christmas markets post-December 25^th in the evening and capture some gorgeous low-light images.  The Cyber-shot™ is easy to carry around, and allows you to change lenses ensuring you can take a range of lovely pics that won’t fail to impress.   The photo opportunities are endless of course, but at least you know you can get the kind of pics you want with your camera and leave 2013 with a beautiful set of memories. For more photograph tips, check out and share the infographic below…

Courtesy of Sony

This is a sponsored post.

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But some people were really working them: oversized sweater with jeans and heels were passed off as sophisticated and stylish. So as the nights draw in again and the 2013 Indian summer is pushed out by the recent arctic wind, I am forced to readdress my winter wardrobe situation. Am I right in thinking this reindeer, snowflaked, penguin, santa jumper craze is continuing?
Checking out all the big high street movers like New Look, I dare say they have a few on their shelves. But as a source of the latest trends you would expect that. If you are in need of a bit of education,  then the reams on offer here could help out but their remit stretches far beyond a novelty sweater: jumpers, pullovers, hoodies, glittery, cropped, jumper dresses: the selection is extensive and caters for all those eagle-eyed shoppers amongst us, even those who are a little shy of the novelty jumper (moi?).
So it looks like good news for 2013, and thanks to the wealth of options the High Street give us there may be more than just a novelty jumper to your winter wardrobe. Well, maybe I could open my mind for the festive season?

For more info, visit: www.newlook.com

This is a sponsored post.

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Not only do they offer packages and services that make meal group bookings for seasonal parties or event management a breeze, but they can hook you up with competitive rates for UK attraction tickets for the London Eye, Tower of London and Madame Tussauds amongst others. Also, they can sort out river cruises with views of historic sites, stadium tours of the likes of Wembley, Emirates and Wimbledon and visits to places outside of the capital if you fancy the break, including Windsor Castle, Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Disneyland Resort in Paris. And if there are any Bristolians that take a peek at TCé, you’ll be pleased to know they can organize Christmas Parties in Bristol too. So as we countdown the last weeks of summer and look towards the end of the year, you can be rest assured that Hospitality Line will help you and your workmates enjoy the rest of 2013 with a bang – no stress required.

For more info, visit: http://www.hospitalityline.co.uk/

This is a sponsored post. 

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When the weather ain’t great – and being England, that’s hardly surprising – staying indoors with food, telly and flicks might be the only way to be adventurous. Well, nothing says adventure more than a bit of on-screen escapism – and judging from the number of people who’ve tuned into some of the world’s biggest moments such as the 1969 Moon Landing, Will & Kate’s wedding in 2011 and  London 2012 Olympics, we can’t knock the power of a good bit of TV.  This is why Sony’s new range of Smart TVs look perfect for movie and TV buffs looking to watch great broadcasts and enjoy a new experience with home entertainment.

Smart TV

Let’s start with the fact that they can be connected to your laptop, PC or smartphone thanks to built-in WiFi. So the next time you take a copious amount of pictures of last night’s shenanigans (that you’re not ashamed of obvs), you can display them on the large screen, as well as your phone’s videos, games and apps with help from Sony’s One-touch remote.

If you’re catching up on your favourite shows, there’s also the handy (and free) TVSideView app which you can download on your phone. It works as a remote, a TV guide, encyclopedia (you can find info about your favourite actors or actresses) and social hub, where you can tweet and chat to your friends about what you’re viewing, in a way that’s not only easy but convenient. Finally, these Smart TVs will give you the chance to get watch and listen to whatever you fancy on the Sony Entertainment Network – so whether that’s streaming HD films fresh out of the cinema, tuning into your trusty TV channels or browsing through millions of songs, it’s guaranteed that rainy days in London will never be the same again.

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Featuring over 20,000 classes, courses and all types of lessons nationwide, the site launched last December and offers a wide variety of things to do, which certainly suits us here at TCé. Want to learn Spanish? Take classes from just £10 an hour. How about calligraphy or the art of sushi making? Or like us, maybe baking or digital photography is more up your street. Whatever your flavour, you can set the search engine to the price you’d like to pay, how you’d like to learn (in a group or by yourself) and the day you’d like to do it, making it ideal for us busy Londoners.  And if you’re not sure of what you want to do, you can wishlist a course and share it with your fellow Facebook friends to get their opinion – or even get them onboard!

We’re hoping 2013 is a year where we’re discovering even more of what the capital has to offer and getting up to all sorts creative, so if you’re on the same wavelength and want to be inspired, here’s a great way to do just that (and tick off those resolutions!).

This is a Sponsored Post on behalf of lovemycourse.com 

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If you’ve been visiting The Cultural Exposé long enough – and I’m sure you have – you know we often get itchy feet and nomadic urgings to flee the madness of our beloved LDN, hop on a train, and hop off wherever we feel like. And we haven’t done too badly on the national travelling front this year either, with Cambridge, The Isle of Wight, Brighton, Northamptonshire, Cornwall, Leicester and Bradford being among our most random destinations. However, one place we haven’t visited yet (but heard great things about) is Kent, the pretty little county that’s merely 35 minutes away from London by rail and renowned for its gorgeous gardens and surroundings, historical sites (they’ve got castles!) and of course, the lovely coastline and beaches. Kent County Council Schools know they’ve got a good thing going too and are now running a Facebook competition called My Perfect Kent Day for anyone in the teaching profession who’s ever thought about visiting and discovering all it has to offer.

Interested parties simply have to submit a short story summarising what their  ‘ideal’ lifestyle would be like it  if there were living and teaching in Kent, and they can win a luxurious, all-expense paid weekend to experience the reality. The best stories will be shortlisted and put out to the public to vote on their favourite – and the story that receives the most votes win.   Sounds kinda amazing we think (especially if you’ve flirted with the idea of relocating – even for the sake of getting that work/life balance in check, know what we mean?) so click here to enter the competition and discover why this could be one lifestyle opportunity for the better. Good luck!

This is a Sponsored Post on behalf of Kent County Council Schools

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