Detailed course itinerary

This 3 night 4 day Tuscan cookery holiday is a great insight into Italian cooking as you'll not only learn to make fresh pasta and a typical 3 course Italian meal but also how to make pizza in a wood fired oven at the local pizziera.

Chef Jonathan will guide you through your 3 cookery lessons over 3 nights and whilst the pizza making lesson takes place at a local pizzeria, your other 2 classes will take place in the spacious kitchen of a converted monastery which was once used for preparing meals for the monks.

Stay for 3 nights in the enchanting monastery which has been converted to offer great value bed and breakfast for Italian families and tourists visiting the area, as well as unbeatable views! All rooms are comfortable, heated and with en-suite bathrooms and just a 2 minute walk from the bustling and vibrant Etruscan town of Cortona. 

Each evening when the menu is ready, you and your fellow cooks will dine on the terrace, sipping wine and overlooking the rolling green hills of the beautiful Tuscan landscape.

Suitability
- Suitable for all levels from beginner cooks to advanced chefs
-  Your Chef Jonathan will go  into some depth regarding the history and science of the dishes, so even experts will come away having learned quite a lot
- Minimum age 18 (under 18s accepted accompanied by an adult)
- All classes are taught in both Italian and English
- 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

Travelling Solo?
- These course make great singles holidays and there's no single supplements
- Solo travellers can join existing groups, please contact us on with your ideal dates of travel

Tuscan Cookery Holiday Start Days and Schedule
- This course can start every day of the week
- On the day of arrival you can check into the accommodation from 2pm onwards, your first lesson will take place at 6pm
- Cooking classes take place in the evening and start around 6pm
- You will have your lessons on days 1, 2 and 3 and check out of the accommodation on the morning of day 4
- Pizza lessons take place at a local pizzeria (a few minutes walk away) and other cooking lessons take place on site in the kitchen of the converted monastry where you'll stay

Tuscan Cookery Holiday Itinerary
Please note: The exact day of your pizza lesson will be confirmed on arrival

Day 1
- You may check-in to the former monastry Casa Betania anytime after 2pm
- You’ll have the time to visit the beautiful hill top Etruscan town and enjoy a real coffee in the Piazza, or relax watching the beautiful views of the rolling Tuscan hills
- Your cooking lesson starts at 6pm and finishes around 10pm after you sat and enjoyed the wonderful dinner you have cooked
- Once you’ve cooked, you’ll sit down to enjoy your meal accompanied by a glass or two of good local wine on the terrace of the monastery overlooking the wonderful Tuscan plains

Day 2
- Enjoy breakfast at the accommodation before you will have the morning and the afternoon free to explore the area, Tuscany, Umbria, Perugia or even Rome by train
- Your cooking lesson starts at 6pm and finishes around 10pm after you’ve eaten the dinner you’ve learned to cook
- Once you’ve cooked, you’ll sit down to enjoy your meal accompanied by your fellow chefs and a good glass of Tuscan wine

Day 3
- Enjoy breakfast at the accommodation before you will have the morning and the afternoon free to explore the area, visit the local bustling markets, and perhaps enjoy a lunch in a local restaurant
- Your cooking lesson starts at 6pm and finishes around 10pm after you’ve eaten the dinner you’ve learned to cook
- Once you’ve cooked, you’ll sit down to enjoy your meal and wine in this scenic setting

Day 4
- After breakfast guests are asked to check-out of their rooms ready for departure taking home with them new cooking skills and an insight into the rich culinary culture of Tuscany

About Your Chef
- Passionate about enjoying real Italian food your chef Jonathan is British by origin but has been living and cooking in Italy for over two decades and is one of very few Englishmen to have been asked to cook for Italian nobility
- It is a passion which has led him to be invited to teach in England, France and the USA to both amateur and professional Chefs
- As Italians often attend the cookery courses, especially in winter, your classes will be taught in both English and Italian so the Chef’s bilingual daughter is often on hand to help out, a perfect chance for you to get to grips with your Italian food vocabulary!

What Will I Learn?
- You'll learn how to prepare a full 4 course Italian meal
- The focus on the classes will be on traditional and delicious food from the Tuscany region and you'll be learning to cook food that you will enjoy
- How to select fresh, seasonal produce
- Techniques for dressing the plates
- How to make fresh pasta
- How to make delicious pasta sauces
- The techniques to make the perfect pizza using a wood pizza oven including making the dough, making perfect pizza crust as well as perfecting a host of different toppings (note: the pizza oven will be prepared for you before arrival for the lesson)

Typical Italian Dishes You May Learn To Cook
Pizza
Fresh pasta with sauces

Antipasti, Zuppe and Insalte
Crostini Neri
Rucola salad
Focaccia
Raw Zucchini salad
Zuppa di Farro

Primi e Secondi Piatti
Gnudi
Tagliata with rosemary (Steak)
Gnocchi alla Gorgonzola
Chicken breast alla Marsala
Radicchio di Treviso
Verdura Saltata
Fried Zucchini flowers
Rabbit with black olives
Grilled Aubergine
Mackerel with balsamic vinegar

Dolci and Formaggi
Crostata
Cantucci
Panna Cotta
Pecorino cheese board and various types of honey

Other Italian Cookery Courses
- If this pizza and pasta holiday whets your appetite for learning to cook, longer holidays are also on offer, please follow this link to more Tuscan cookery holidays in Cortona

Accommodation
- The accommodation in a beautiful hilltop monastery that has been converted into comfortable and welcoming accommodation, it is no longer used for religious purposes
- It is set in the Etruscan town of Cortona with breathtaking views across the Tuscan plains
- The rooms are comfortable, well decorated, heated and all with en-suite bathrooms
- The rooms offer good basic facilities such as wireless internet but do not have televisions
- You will be 2 minutes walk from the centre of Cortona
- Whilst the convent is a haven of tranquillity there is also time after the evening cooking classes, for those who wish, to return to Cortona town centre which is still busy until two in the morning

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

Perfect your pizza and pasta making skills and learn to cook a typical Italian menu on this Tuscan cookery holiday with a difference.