But the more time you spend in the Cocora Valley, nestled in the central Colombian coffee growing region (la zona cafetera), the more the scenery unfolds.

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Chef Matteo Bergamini will prepare a multi-course dinner paired with a selection of wines from La Querciola Winery in the Barolo region.

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Mr de la Torre predicts that in the region as a whole fiscal revenues will fall as a proportion of GDP from 24.4% in 2008 to 21.2% this year.

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If that is not much consolation in places such as La Matanza, it is up to the region's democratic politicians to put it right.

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The Pavelot la Dominode is often considered the first among the region's many premier crus, although Mr. Bize's Les Vergelesses, from a rocky, well-exposed vineyard at the north end of Savigny, vies with it for supremacy in the appellation.

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This cosy French city of roughly 66, 000 people in the eastern Alsace region is home to five charming winter fairs, all part of La Magie de Noel (Christmas Magic) market, a tradition that dates back to the late Middle Ages.

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"We know that it's a difficult region, " said Nahida Nakad, editorial director of Audiovisuel Exterieur de la France, of which France 24 is a part, the television network reported.

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Guggenheim Museum in New York, who then ran the La Jolla (now San Diego) Museum of Contemporary Art, which was then the region's top contemporary art museum.

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