Even when ingredients are unfamiliar to us, dishes difficult to pronounce, or a language barrier exists between service and guest: food has the power to comfort, heal, and build connections.
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FOOD AND CULTURE IN LIMA AND THE SACRED VALLEY
History and traditional culture run deep in Peruvian cuisine—just ask any of the numerous acclaimed chefs that have gained international attention and reclaimed national pride for Peru in the last decade.
While a visit to one of the many award-winning restaurants in Lima is a good start, to fully understand why Peru is considered the Best Culinary Destination in the World (for eight consecutive years), hungry travelers must dig deeper.
Beginning in Peru’s capital city, you will visit top chefs Chef Virgilio Martinez of Central and Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura of Maido for culinary explorations: the former offering a 17-course tasting menu showcasing the nation’s bio-diversity, and the latter whose Nikkei creations are an example of the cultural shifts in Peru. Interspersed with walk-throughs of colorful markets, studio visits with cutting-edge artists, historical homes and archaeological sites, your time in Lima will reveal the diverse elements and background that result in a vibrant modern city.
Heading south to the heartland of the Inca empire, your visit to the Sacred Valley will be an enlightening journey back in time. Visits to agricultural sites like Moray—once used for research and experimentation of crops at varying elevations—will prove the genius of the Incas and the cultural connectivity to modern pursuits, such as Martinez’ nearby project, MIL Centro. Of course, no visit to Peru is complete without a picturesque train ride to Machu Picchu, whose presence will be reverberated in the performances of Andean music and ancient cooking methods—all before we set forth to Cusco city to tour the many fortresses and ruins interspersed among the cobblestone streets.
Part 1
Lima city
Gallery + Highlights
Experience the gastronomic possibilities of Peru at Central, the 6th best restaurant in the world according to the 50 Best Academy. Chef Virgilio Martinez’s “elevated” tasting menu is a sensational tour of Peru’s bountiful ecosystems found at every elevation level.
Dine at Maido, voted Latin America’s Best Restaurant, to discover Nikkei cuisine – which evolved from the immigration of Japanese people to Peru. Learn from Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura the process of creating his unique dishes such as Liquid Nitrogen Ceviche or Sacha Soba: handmade soba noodles using sacha papa, a purple tuber native to Peru.
Experience a private cooking class in the kitchen of one of Peru’s leading chefs. Start this experience visiting an iconic and picturesque market in Lima to sample and purchase fresh, seasonable ingredients typically used in Peruvian cuisine. Back in the kitchen, try your hand at Peruvian classics such as ceviche and the country's national cocktail: the Pisco Sour.
Lunch at Huaca Pucllana, an elegant restaurant located inside the impressive ruins of the eponymous adobe ceremonial center constructed by the Lima culture around 400 AD.
Home studio visits of cutting-edge artists who have been at the forefront of Lima’s contemporary art movement. The likes of Miguel Andrade Valdez, Ishmael Randall Weeks, Ramiro Llona, and more are ready to welcome you inside their creative spaces.
Enjoy an afternoon of shopping while visiting the boutiques and studios of internationally recognized fashion designers including Mozh Mozh and Escudo, as well as Las Pallas folk art store.
Private visit to Casa Aliaga, a 480-year-old private home inhabited by the same family for 17 generations. It is one of the last standing homes of the very early Spanish colonial rule.
Visit Lima’s 140-sq-meter Plaza de Armas, also called the Plaza Mayor. This was a center of the Spaniards’ continent-wide empire as well as a number of significant public buildings.
Curator-led tour of Lima’s art museum MALI, the most representative collection of art in Peru (more than 17,000 works) which spans 3,000 years of history, from the first Andean civilizations to today.
Private visit to the home of Peruvian superstar photographer Mario Testino where you will enjoy his phenomenal taste in contemporary art and interior design.
Director-led visit of Testino’s very own MATE Museum whose permanent collection includes iconic portraits of Princess Diana as well as beautiful portraits of Andean highlanders in traditional dress.
Part 2
Cusco and the Sacred Valley
Gallery + Highlights
Visit the circular terraces of the Moray archaeological complex, an agricultural “research laboratory” for the Incas. Here they studied temperature variation from one terrace to another in order to develop different crop varieties, with the hardiest of seeds distributed throughout the Inca Empire.
Lunch at MIL Centro, set on the edge of Moray, whose one-of-a-kind tasting menu benefits from working closely with three nearby indigenous communities that lend their knowledge and techniques of farming, growing, and cooking in high altitudes.
Lunch at a private hacienda in the Sacred Valley on the summit of a hill sheltered amidst Andean peaks. You will be hosted by the owners as they share with you their private collection of colonial and folk art.
Enjoy a typical Andean meal of Pachamanca: a traditional dish which is more so a cooking method that utilizes hot stones laid underground to cook a variety of meat (beef, pork, chicken) as well as delicious Andean potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn.
Be part of a private special ceremony of sound and traditional offerings to Pachamama, or Mother Earth. This ceremony evokes the spirit of healing and will include many sacred medicines like Palo Santo, Tayta Sayri, Mama Coca, Condor’s feathers, essences and incenses.
Enjoy a private music performance featuring unique pre-Hispanic instruments that are the heartbeat to the Andes. Feel how the power of sound becomes a collective prayer that creates healing frequencies that should be embraced with an open heart.
Venture towards the marvelous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu on a unique and picturesque train ride. Take in outstanding views of the Urubamba River, which cuts its way through green fields beneath the high peaks of the Andean glaciers.
Stay at the exclusive Belmond Sanctuary Lodge Hotel, the only property located at the entrance of Machu Picchu.
Private tour of Cusco with photographer Teo Chambi, grandson of the late Peruvian and indigenous photographer Martin Chambi.
Visit the descendants of the Incas, the Huilloc indigenous community in the heart of the Sacred Valley.
Unique visits to Sacsayhuaman, Ollantaytambo and other impressive Inca fortresses and sites.
FOOD AND ART IN MADRID, BASQUE COUNTRY AND LA RIOJA
Madrid, Spain’s capital, has a distinctly Spanish flair and is a lively city whose culinary scene deserves special mention. Its intense social life is reflected in a proliferation of bars and restaurants where people gather to have a glass and share some tapas with colleagues or friends.
From old school establishments to cutting edge hotspots, the options in Madrid are infinite—with us, however, you will take part in an itinerary that is uniquely reserved for locals.
Madrid also houses some of the planet’s greatest collections of art: the Prado Museum; the Reina Sofia museum, home of Picasso’s masterpiece Guernical; and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, one of the largest private art collections in the world. Small galleries and collectives with contemporary exhibitions by up-and-coming artists complete Madrid’s cultural panorama.
As the Basque region’s largest city and its industrial capital, Bilbao’s transformation over the last few decades is an urban planner’s version of a miracle. Design and wine are waiting for you in the Rioja region, located an hour outside of Bilbao yet seemingly worlds away. And San Sebastian—locally known as Donostia—will unveil itself majestic and sophisticated, with innovative pintxo bars, Michelin-starred restaurants and one of the most persuasive experiences a gourmet could ever dream of: enjoying a meal at a Txoko or Basque gastronomic society. Traditionally for men only, these popular gastro-societies gather members of all social classes to cook, eat and socialize—and are gradually becoming more welcoming to female participants.
Become a devout sybarite in a region where gastronomy is religion!
Part 1
Madrid
Gallery + Highlights
Explore where Madrileños go: avoiding the sea of tourist traps, enjoy an intimate experience and gain unique insight into local culture and traditions in the Spanish capital.
One-of-a-kind gastronomic tour led by a local gourmand and chef, just for you and your party: savor delicious jamon iberico de bellota with a glass of manzanilla, elegant Rioja with a tasty roast suckling pig, or a glorious Spanish omelette accompanied by delicious red Ribera del Duero wine.
Cooking class with a chef member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Gastronomy.
Tailor-made sybaritic experiences at the most iconic restaurants and most emblematic bars of Madrid.
Art historian-led before/after-hours visit of the Museo Reina Sofía. Enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to appreciate Picasso’s Guernica when the museum is closed to the public. Nourish your soul with a thematic tour tailored to your interests – architecture, theatre, history, movements, etc.
VIP access and exclusive art program around art fairs ARCO Madrid and Art Madrid, including gallery openings and private cocktail receptions.
Private visits to collections, museums, and artists studios.
Part 2
Basque Country and La Rioja
Gallery + Highlights
In Bilbao, enjoy traditional preparations such as the bonito con tomate that reminds Basques of their childhood summers, the yummy bacalao al ajoarriero or a classical T-bone steak called txuletón at a little hidden restaurant.
Feel the rhythm of the chef’s table at Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao, considered one of the 50 best restaurants in the world.
Visit to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao for an art historian-led exploration of the permanent and temporary exhibitions that decorate this standout piece of architecture, designed by famous architect Frank Gehry.
Be amazed at the transformation of the Alhondiga, the first wine exchange built in 1905 and completely renovated as a center for contemporary culture by Philippe Stark, while enjoying a wine tasting from a personal selection of local wines.
Wander with our expert guide through the Abandoibarra district: an old industrial area that has been splendidly converted into Bilbao’s new art district of which the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is the brilliant flagship.
In San Sebastian, Europe’s Rio de Janeiro, be inspired by the blue Bay of Biscay and the seven-meter-high statue of Jesus at Monte Urgull, as you get ready to discover a stunning food scene and a singular society.
Enjoy exclusive access to a sociedad gastronomica to taste traditional dishes that have been rescued or resurrected over time. This private club, fully equipped with kitchen and dining areas with a modest yet cozy decor, is normally reserved for members of the society or their families.
Dine at Mugaritz in San Sebastian, one of the top 10 best restaurants in the world.
In Rioja, admire incredible buildings in the middle of the vineyards signed by Frank Gehry, Philippe Mazières and Zaha Hadid. Learn from passionate winemakers on exclusive private visits as you taste terrific wines and discover charming villages from the Middle Ages!