GET A TASTE OF FLORENCE...
The Helvetia & Bristol in Florence is offereing "small, intimate" lessons in Tuscan and Mediterranean cookery under its chef, Enzo Pettè. "Enzo teaches with great passion the simplicity of recreating ancient customs and traditions into a grand contemporary feast," says the hotel where his own preparations can be sampled in the Hostaria Bibendum. The afternoon classes (3–6.30pm) cost 180 euros; 160 if you attend over thee days. For information: Reservation office +39 055 2665554 or email
WHAT'S THE BEST HOTEL ANNA CHANCELLOR HAS EVER STAYED IN?
MICHAEL PALIN DIDN'T STAY HERE
The Hotel Bristol in Istanbul was built by the Greek architect Achille Manoussos in 1893. Pera, meaning “beyond” or “across” was the original Greek name for Beyoglu, the area on the opposite side of the Golden Horn from the founding city. It is where foreigners came to live and it is where the Pera Palace Hotel was built, near the Bristol, both favourites for Agatha Christie and other visitors from the Orient Express. In 2005 the Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation renovated this historical building and turned it into the Pera Museum. It has a permanent collection of Orientalist art, with more than three hundred paintings by European artists inspired by the Ottoman world from the 17th century to the early 19th and including the delightful Tortoise Trainer. Other permanent collections include Anatolian Weights and Measures and Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics, which have lively figurative decorations. The museum also has temporary local and international art exhibitions. If you're passing that way, don't miss it.
