WHET YOUR APPETITE
While world class art and architecture, fragrant wines and Michelin-starred restaurants are all beguiling features of this remarkable region, it’s the fascinating personality beneath the surface which transforms the traveler fortunate enough to experience it.
It’s the fierce independence of the proud Basque people, the unbreakable bonds of sacred social institutions, millennial myths & traditions, the richness of its autochthonous language, and the importance placed on family, friends and food that leave their indelible mark on the traveler.
In this singular trip, we use food as a catalyst to gain a deep-rooted sense of place, to engage in adventures in nature and to connect us with many local hosts and friends we meet along the way. This is the hidden world of Spain’s Basque Country that we have the honor to share with you, our faithful family of fellow Xplorers!
TRAVEL DEEPLY
MARKET-TO-TABLE
Dive into the lively weekly market in the picturesque town of Tolosa, famed for its variety & quality of local products. Take our freshly bought market plunder to a nearby art gallery turned test kitchen, where we turn our goodies into a gourmet market lunch.
LIFE AT GROUND LEVEL
Shadow a Basque shepherd through pine-clad mountain meadows. Try your hand at milking a sheep, make ‘cuajada’ (fresh cheese curd) and taste Idiazabal cheese produced on the farm accompanied by a glass of crisp, citrusy txakoli wine.
ACCESS & EXPERTISE
Enjoy a rare invitation inside one of San Sebastian’s most revered, private gastronomic societies (called txokos in the Basque language). Cook, drink & chat the afternoon away with members, one of whom includes the patriarch of modern Basque cuisine.
Share history and a home-hosted afternoon with a former Basque engineer who, after learning that his family’s pig-farming roots date back to at least 1575, re-dedicated his life to developing a market for the region’s last remaining heritage breed.
