Here’s notice of an unbeatable specialist holiday: Paddy Woodworth, author and authority on all matters Basque, and Jon Warren, founder of San Sebastian Food Company and contributor to Spain’s gorgeous Gourmetour food magazine, are taking a small group to the Navarran village of Lesaka – “Little Venice” – for the fiesta of San Fermin from July 5th to July 8th. “Unlike its famous counterpart in Pamplona, this is an intimate festival,” writes Woodworth. According to his book, The Basque Country (Oxford 2008), at San Fermin you might expect flying mari, sword dances and sorcery. Hmmm. Rather more intriguing than a bull-run through the streets, then.
Good food and wine are a most important component of this four-day adventure, and it will include a special cookery class with local chefs. The itinerary reads like a dream, with culture and cuisine served in equal measure, shot through with political and historical insight. Lesaka itself is noted for its preserved 14th-century architecture.
Paddy will provide guided tours through Pyrenean villages including Etxelar, with its collection of “solar” headstones, and the Baztan Valley, where each house is traditionally a noble palace, complete with coat-of-arms. He’ll also lead a moderate Pyrenean hike, for those interested in wildlife. So, walks, talks, serial tastings and yes, they have factored in some time to relax.
On the last night, Jon Waren will bring the group on a tour of San Sebastian’s old quarter and pintxo bars.
The trip includes three nights in a 16th-century family-run hotel in Sare, said to be one of the most beautiful villages in the French Basque country, between the Bay of Biscay and the Pyrenees. The price is €1,095 per person including three nights’ accommodation, all meals, wines, special and local guides and transport, but not flights. You will need to get yourself to Biarritz, San Sebastián or Bilbao, first. See sansebastianfood.com for details.
