SAILING THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE
A host of Star Trek stars including William Shatner will be on board the very first Star Trek-themed cruise in January 2017.
The six-day trip from Florida to the Bahamas is organised by Entertainment Cruise Productions to mark the show’s 50th anniversary. The 2,200-capacity ship, which sails on January 9th, will boast recreated areas from the various incarnations of the Star Trek franchise such as Ten Forward, Club 602 and Quark’s Bar, where guests can mingle with Captain Kirk as well as (amongst others) Commander William T Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counsellor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) from Star Trek: Next Generation.
An ocean-view cabin costs $1,600; see
[ startrekthecruise.comOpens in new window ]
FIVE THINGS TO DO IN PIEDMONT
You’ll need to plan well ahead if you want to take part in Alba’s world-famous truffle festival (
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), which kicks off on October 11th and runs every weekend until mid-November. But the Piedmont region is about a lot more than just precious white truffles: here are just five reasons to go . . .
Drink in Barolo Just southwest of Alba, an 1,800-acre stretch of vineyards surrounding the village of Barolo produces some of Italy’s finest red wines, nicknamed the “wine of kings”. You can drink it anywhere, but if you want to visit some of the vineyards, get in touch with independent winemakers L’Insieme (
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) in nearby La Morra.
Dine in Bra It might be a small Piedmontese village, but Bra is where the Slow Food movement was born in 1986, transforming it into a place for gastronomic pilgrimage. People come from all over to explore its cluster of family-run shops stuffed with organic and local produce. Inevitably, the restaurants are all good.
Museo Egizio, Turin (Via Accademia delle Scienze 6;
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; admission €13) The world’s most significant collection of Egyptian treasures outside of Cairo is held in this extraordinary museum housed in the Palazzo dell’Accademia delle Scienze. There’s the famous statue of Ramses II and the biggest collection of papyri in the world, as well as other artefacts of note.
Visit Cuneo A mid-sized city roughly halfway between Turin and the Ligurian coast, Cuneo is renowned for its elegant streets (laid out in the Napoleonic era) and older back alleys, especially the ones north of Piazza Galimberti. The food is superb, and be sure to buy the city’s signature produce – rum-filled chocolates.
Ski the Milky Way Some of the best skiing in Italy is to be had in the two parallel valleys west of Turin that make up the Via Lattea, or Milky Way. The Valle di Chisone is one of the best-equipped ski areas in the country, while the Valle di Susa has a handful of mountain villages and the Celtic-era town of Susa.
STEAMTRAIN TO PARIS
The Railway Touring Company has resurrected the Golden Arrow steam train, which ran between London and Paris from 1929-1972, for a once-off, three-day trip starting October 9th. The carefully-restored mid-century carriages will be pulled by locomotives from the 1930s, which will depart London Victoria at 7am for Dover, where passengers will cross the Channel by P&O Ferry before boarding the ‘Flèche d’Or’ in Calais, arriving at Gare du Nord (right) that evening.
Tickets for the Pullman cars have already sold out, but there is still availability in first and standard classes.
Prices for a return journey in standard, including two nights in a three-star hotel in Paris, start at £495 per person.
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MUSEUM FOR THE PEOPLE . . . BY THE PEOPLE
This month will see the opening of a new museum in Perth, Australia that’s been completely crowdfunded.
The Museum of Perth will open on Grand Lane later this month and will showcase the city’s heritage from Aboriginal history to colonial, convict and gold rush through to today.
The owners raised $10,000 from public donations to open the space, which will also have a cinema and a cafe, but needs long-term investment to fund it beyond the end of 2016.
[ museumofperth.com.auOpens in new window ]
GET AWAY AT HOME
The Londonderry Arms (
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) in Carnlough, Co Antrim, once owned by Winston Churchill, is hosting one- and two-night B&B painting breaks from £135/£220 with watercolourist Paul Holmes on either September 28th or October 1st. The Powerscourt Hotel (
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) in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow has a Rugby Wives Getaway package that includes B&B in a deluxe room, afternoon tea and a 50-minute massage or facial from €365 per person sharing midweek until the end of October.