Holiday itinerary
This 7 night/8 day gourmet Tuscan cookery holiday is ideal for both beginners and advanced cooks to immerse yourself in Italian life and its wonderful flavours. You will learn to make authentic Italian recipes whilst exploring the history of Tuscan food from medieval and renaissance periods right through to contemporary Tuscan cuisine.
In your hands on lessons you will learn to choose the finest Tuscan ingredients and balance flavours creating Italian dishes that any Italian Nonna would be proud of! When you are not in the kitchen you will be touring through the wonderful Tuscan landscape, olive groves, vineyards and castles in order to taste the finest local produce and wines in this enchanting region. You will also visit bustling Florentine markets, producers of Vin Santo dessert wine, organic prosciutto producers and much more.
Stay on site in one of the beautiful villas on the estate, all of which will take you back in history to a time of renaissance splendour. The villa’s estate produces red Chianti wine and extra virgin olive oil from its own vineyards and groves and the antique cellar is used for storing wine. All produce used during your lessons is sourced from the estate.
Indulge your passion for food, wine and all things Italian on this fantastic Tuscan cookery holiday, an experience that you will treasure long after your trip is over.
Suitability
- Suitable for all levels from beginner cooks to advanced chefs
- Minimum age 18 (under 18s accepted accompanied by an adult)
- All classes are taught by English speaking Italian chefs
- This course is on request but we can usually accommodate your requirements, to check availability, call us on 08445020445 or email us on with your preferred dates as well as any accommodation needs you have and someone will get back to you very quickly
Non-Cooking Guests
- Non cooking guests are welcome to share a room with a cooking guest and prices for the non-cooking guest will be discounted accordingly (this can be added as an optional extra at the time of booking)
Tuscan Cookery Holiday Start Days and Schedule
- This course starts on Saturdays
- On the day of arrival you can check into the accommodation from 2pm onwards, you will enjoy a welcome dinner at the villa in the evening
- Cooking classes take place in the morning at 10am in time for lunch or in the evening at 5pm in time for dinner
- You will have your 4 cookery lessons on days 3, 5, 6 and 7, check out of the accommodation on the morning of day 8
Tuscan Cookery Holiday Itinerary
Day 1 - Saturday - Arrival
- Arrival at the villa in the afternoon with time to settle into your wonderful accommodation
- In the evening you will have a welcome dinner prepared by the master chefs in the main estate kitchen, with the organisers, villa owners and fellow chefs all in attendance
- This is a fun and easy way to get to know everyone including fellow participants your guides and chefs
Day 2 - Sunday - Pienza/Bagno/Vignoni, Montalcino, wine tasting and pizza
- In the morning you will have breakfast in a local pastry shop
- You will be visiting one of magnificent medieval hill top towns of either Pienza, Bagno or Vignoni
- Following this visit you will head off for lunch in a typical trattoria for a wonderful
- After lunch you will be driven to a short visit of Montalcino
- You will enjoy a cellar tour and a Brunello wine tasting
- On returning to the village with your driver you will be taken to a local pizzeria where a typical pizza dinner is organised for you and your fellow participants
Day 3 Monday - Cooking classes and free time
- Your 4 days of cooking courses with the professional chefs will take place in the beautiful kitchen facilities; the vast arched gallery kitchen provides the perfect setting for you to immerse yourself in Italy’s rich culinary and cultural history
- You will have a free morning to relax, enjoy the grounds and pool but if you would like to go to Florence, the cookery school can have the driver take you there (not included in the price)
- Your first cooking lesson will take place from 3pm
- The cooking class will finish with a delicious 5 course dinner
Day 4 - Tuesday - Market and Florence visit
- The day will begin with breakfast at the local bakery for fresh Italian coffee and pastries with a tour of a Florentine market and a historical tour Florence
- Next it’s off to Florence to meet your guide for a historic tour before the tour of the central food markets where you will witness a real part of Florentine history, the best way to see fresh produce and Florentine life at its best
- After lunch at a charming little Osteria.
- Afterwards you will have free time to shop, explore the city or visit the Uffizi museum
- A transfer will be arranged to take you back to the villa in time for a fantastic dinner at a villa just 5 minutes from your accommodation, a villa that was once home to a very famous opera singer!
Day 5 - Wednesday – Cooking classes and free time
- Your day will start with your second cooking class at 9am
- Your afternoon is free to relax or participate in an organized activity like a day trip to Rome, Cinque Terre, Venice, Lucca and Pisa , Siena and San Gimignano or Florence (not included in the price)
or go truffle hunting - available from Sept – Dec (not included in the price)
Day 6 - Thursday - Cooking classes and free time
- Your third cooking lesson will start at 10am
- You will have the evening free to relax, enjoy the pool or do an excursion
- You will end the day making a light dinner/platter and have a glass of fine Tuscan wine- maybe finishing with a Vin Santo and a Cantucci
Day 7 - Friday – Ceramics, cooking and farewell dinner
- Today you will enjoy a local tour of one of the Medici Residence's in Poggio a Caiano , a medieval hamlet and a ceramic factory that has been producing ceramics for over 1000 years. If you prefer we can do a local wine tasting instead of the villa or ceramics.
- Your day will start at 9 am to have coffe and pastry in a bakery
- Next it’s off to a nearby ceramic factory to discover the making of beautiful Tuscan ceramics
- You will then be driven through the scenic countryside of Carmignano to Poggio A Caiano for a tour of the Medici Villa, the villa was built for Lorenzo the Magnificent and was an architectural triumph for the period late 1400's
- Lunch will be at the picturesque hamlet of Artimino overlooking a Medici Villa, originally one of their hunting lodges, the menu here is wonderful and it really is one of the most beautiful spots in all of Tuscany
- Your final cooking class will start at 5pm
- During the class you will all take part in the preparation of the farewell dinner for the group, including your hosts and the villa owners
- Everyone will be dining together in the villa's kitchen with lovely musical entertainment
Day 8 - Saturday - Departure day:
- Breakfast at the accommodation and transfer to the airport
- Taking home with you delicious flavours, good memories and a collection of fantastic Italian recipes to make at home
- If you would like to do an extra cooking class before you go, it can be scheduled on Saturday morning (not included in the price)
About Your Chefs
- All of the chefs are professional Italian chefs, you will find they are friendly, enthusiastic and patient
-They are passionate about sharing their skills, knowledge and passion for fantastic Italian food
What Will I Learn?
- Many ingredients are sourced from the estate's garden and you may use olive oils produced on the estate
- Start with learning to make a variety of traditional Italian breads
- If pizza is on the menu, you'll learn to make pizza as an antipasti
- The art of making amazing pasta fresca, such as gnocchi, tagliettli and more
- Special techniques on how to colour the pasta as well as making filled pasta ravioli
- How to create the perfect risotto including making the broth from scratch
- You'll focus on preparing meats and/or fish and using the meat for both main courses as well as pasta sauces and stocks
- Desserts are not forgotten and you'll make a typical Tuscan dessert to appeal to your sweet tooth
- Overall, you'll learn hands-on techniques how to prepare a full delicious 5 or 6 course Italian meal which you then get to enjoy at the end of the lesson
- History and cultural importance of Italian cooking
- You will receive a Tuscan recipe book to take home with you and put your new skills in to practice
- You'll also take home your very own apron to use at home when putting your new found Italian cooking skills into practice
- You will learn about Chianti and Vin Santo wine production as well as how to taste the wines themselves
- How to select fresh, seasonal produce from the markets
- Your lessons will also focus on the history of Tuscan food from renaissance and medieval periods right up to contemporary Tuscan cuisine
Typical Italian Dishes You May Learn To Cook
Please note that dishes are for guidance only and may change according to the season and fresh produce available:
- Tagliatelle with traditional ragu
- Guinea Fowl cooked in Vin Santo
- Red Onions stuffed with pecorino cheese
- Castagnaccio with ricotta – Peasant-style chestnut cake with pinenuts served with fresh ricotta
- Saffron Risotto
- Potato gnocchi with duck ragu
- Ossobuco
- Crepes with red radicchio and béchamel sauce
- Grilled eggplant and walnut ravioli garnished with butter and fresh parsley
- 'Spezzatino '– Chianti slow -cooked beef stew
- Potato and truffle flan
- Pear, gorgonzola and Vin Santo risotto
- Ricotta cake with chocolate sauce
- Pannacotta served with mixed berries
- Crostata Autunalle - Autumn tart with English cream
Cookery Holiday Accommodation
- Stay on site on the majestic estate in one of th beautiful self catering apartments set in either the 13th Century villa,14th century farmhouse, a 16th century villa enclosed by a stonewalled garden or one of the three outstanding villas with swimming pools.
- Accommodation is decorated with frescoes, gold gilt mirrors, terracotta floors and elegant columns carved in stone you will be taken back in history to a time of renaissance splendour
- Your accommodation will be in a self catering apartment, in an en-suite double/twin room
- Prices are based on 2 sharing a room and travelling together
- Solo travellers must book a private single room for a compulsory single supplement which can be added at the time of booking
- Please click here to see photos of the course including the accommodation
- The rooms are luxuriously decorated with antiques and silk curtains
- Indoor amenities include balcony, garden, heating, parking, barbecue, dishwasher, washing machine DVD, hair dryer, satellite, TV, laundry, linen and maid service (except on Sunday)
- There are restaurants, golf, cycling, walking, horse riding, jet-ski, a sports complex, trekking, swimming and local markets all close by
- Accommodation is included for 7 nights/8 days
- Check in anytime after 2pm on day 1 and check out by 10am on day 8
- Please note you will be asked to leave your credit card details as a security deposit for the accommodation
Want To Stay Longer?
- It is possible to add extra nights accommodation to this Tuscan Cookery Holiday, please email or call 08445020445 and we'll help you put your trip together
Airport Transfer
- If you wish to add a transfer from Florence airport to the estate, this can be added as an optional extra at the time of booking. For prices, see our ‘costings and extras’ tab.
Go on a culinary journey in Tuscany, learn to cook Italian dishes on this Tuscan Cookery Holiday with a difference and learn new skills that will stay with you long after the holiday is over.