Combination Tours> Italy> Cooking and Italian Lessons in Tuscany

Italy: Cooking and Italian Lessons in Tuscany
Tuscany, Italy - 5 nights


Learn the art of Tuscan cooking, eating and living! For over 15 years, your hosts, Simonetta and Paola have been holding hands-on cooking classes in both Florence and Chianti. You will learn traditional Italian family recipes, taught in English and will get the flavor of living in an Italian country home and being with an Italian family. You will stay a beautiful 13th century "casa colonica", a typical Italian farmhouse in the Tuscan countryside with terracotta floors and chestnut beams. Enjoy a large, comfortable room with 2 bathrooms and 2 showers just in front of the room, available only for the guests. It has been lovingly restored by the family, one of the oldest noble families in Italy. There is an organic garden, vines, olive trees, roses, oleanders, geraniums, spices, fruit trees and other typical plants of the area.

In the area, you can discover the treasures of Chianti, an area well-known for its castles, its medieval "borghi", wine producers, skilled craftsmen, warm and hospitable people, restaurants, typical Tuscan food, Chianti Classico wine and olive oil. The Chianti region offers picture-book rural scenery, from fields to sunflowers to rows of ubiquitous pencil pines in the hazy distance. Smaller towns such as Radda in Chianti, Monteriggioni, Volterra, San Gimignano are all an easy drive away, with stunning atmosphere and scenery. Tuscany is centrally located and is well connected by highways and a fast rail network to the rest of Italy, so you can visit other areas after or before your stay.

Five Night Itinerary

Day One - 6:00 pm Arrival in Greve by bus from Florence. Transfer by private car to your home for the week. Meeting the other guests and welcome dinner.

Day Two -  Breakfast with the family. Hands on cooking class. We prepare together 4 or 5 different recipes. Lunch together. We eat our recipes and taste the accompanying wine. Italian language lesson. Free afternoon for relaxing with a good book in the garden or in front of the fire during wintertime or walking around discovering the area. Dinner at home, talking about Italy.

Day Three -  Breakfast with the family. Hands on cooking class. We prepare together 4 or 5 different recipes. Lunch together. We eat our recipes and taste the accompanying wine. Italian language lesson. Guided excursion in the Chianti area, visiting wineries, ceramics and beautiful sites. Dinner at home, talking about Italian culture.

Day Four - Breakfast with the family. Hands on cooking class. We prepare together 4 or 5 different recipes. Lunch together. We eat our recipes and taste the accompanying wine. Italian language lesson. Free afternoon for relaxing with a good book in the garden or in front of the fire during wintertime or walking around discovering the area. Dinner at home, talking about Italian lifestyle.

Day Five - Breakfast with the family. Hands on cooking class. We prepare together 4 or 5 different recipes. Lunch together. We eat our recipes and taste the accompanying wine. Italian language lesson. Guided excursion for a culture visit and shopping. Dinner at home, talking about Italy and Italian culture and lifestyle.

Day Six - Breakfast with the family. Hands on cooking class. We prepare together 4 or 5 different recipes. Lunch together. We eat our recipes and taste the accompanying wine. Italian language lesson.

Transfer by private car to Greve and bus connection to Florence

DAY COOKING CLASS IN CHIANTI 
Times: Morning Hours (9:30 am -2:00 pm); Afternoon Hours (4:00 pm-8:30 pm)
Description: The hands-on course covers traditional, home-style Tuscan and Italian recipes. Many people like this approach as they come away feeling they've had a real holiday, having enjoyed the wonderfully intense flavours and freshness of traditional Italian dishes cooked in an evocative stone farmhouse in the hills of Chianti, surrounded by vineyard and olive groves. The classes are held in a friendly atmosphere and you have the chance to make new friends and learn a few secrets from Simonetta and Paola. Participants cook and eat dishes prepared using fresh, natural ingredients. A complete meal (5 recipes) such as appetizers, a pasta dish, a vegetable or meat dish and then a dessert is prepared every day and is accompanied by the wine which best complements it.

An example of our most popular menus:

Antipasto (Starter) Bruschetta or Crostini
First Course  Fresh hand-made pasta or Potato gnocchi or Penne agli Aromi or Ribollita (Tuscan vegetable soup)
Second Course  Roasted meat (Arista alla Fiorentina) or stuffed vegetables
Dessert  Tiramisu' or Panna Cotta
Many more menus are available - do you have a special request? Just ask!

WINE LESSON AND FOOD TASTING
Description : Lessons about Tuscan wines and Italian food such as cheeses, salami, prosciutto, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, bread. You will be introduced to wines and food. Then enjoy a visit to a “winery and their vineyard where you can enjoy your wine and oil tasting. You will come back home for a light meal, for tasting and for learning how to serve Italian cheeses (pecorino, parmigiano, mozzarella di bufala, ricotta etc.), salami (Tuscan salami, finocchiona), Tuscan prosciutto, Tuscan bread, focaccia and typical Tuscan dessert (Cantucci with Vin Santo), Lesson held by Simonetta or Paola who are more than willing to share their knowledge and passion for their native land.

VISIT TO AN ITALIAN MARKET
Description : An English-speaking guide will take you to discover an Italian open market. Discover Italian cheese, salami, prosciutto, vegetables, fruit, kitchen and home products, clothing and shoes or antiques or artisan products, depending on the chosen market. We stop for a classic coffee break in a typical coffee or wine shop. Accompanied by Simonetta or Paola and with them in the driver’s seat, you never have to worry about getting lost. Then you are driven back to their home for a food and wine tasting.
Depart / Meet: Simonetta and Paola's home, accommodation in Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti or Castellina in Chianti

HOW TO ARRIVE

Closest Airports/Train Stations:
 

BOOKING INFORMATION
2008 FEES PER PERSON (US Exchange Rate ($) will be calculated on day of booking)	DEPOSIT
Five Night Program (with Italian Lessons) Double/Single Room in Italian Home 1925€ Five Night Program Double/Single Room in Italian Home 1560€ Four Night Program Double/Single Room in Italian Home 1340€ Three Night Program  Double/Single Room in Italian Home 970€ Two Night Program  Double/Single Room in Italian Home 750€ **Please inquire about Optional Bed and Breakfast or Four Star Hotel Accommodations. Hands on Cooking Class             165€ Cooking Class and Winery Visit  320€ Wine and Food Lesson                150€ Visit to an Italian Market            150€	After availability is confirmed, a deposit of 30% per person and the completed and submitted registration form will secure your reservation. Final payment is due in full 60 days before your arrival date.
2008 DATES	INCLUDED
Dates of courses take place every week except the week before Christmas.	Five Night Program with Italian Lessons *Five (5) hands-on cooking classes with the meals included *Italian language personalized course (2 hours per day) *Five (5) nights' accommodation with breakfast and light dinner every day with the family *Two (2) guided excursions in the Chianti region *Welcome dinner at home on the arrival evening *Apron, recipe book *Italian language teaching materials *Transfer at the beginning and at the end of the course from/to Florence or Greve by private car to the accommodation. (Greve is connected to Florence by coach) *Taxes Airfare and personal expenses are not included.

For further inquiries or to register, click here.



CANCELLATION POLICY
 Travel insurance is highly recommended.



CLIENT REMARKS

"Dear Jo-Ann - The course was everything we hoped and more!! We felt a true part of an Italian family. Everyone was as gracious and welcoming as they could possibly be. From Luigi to the little girls, we found them all delightful. The food was great, the instruction was great, the ambiance, the wine....everything was great. We visited Radda, a winery, and Greve with Simonetta. She was so knowledgeable and willing to share that we thought it was very enriching experience. Thank you so much for all of your help in arranging it. It's a little scary to just pick a site off the Internet and trust that all will go well. From the first email and your quick response, I was put at ease. Needless to say, I would have no hesitation in recommending your services." - Vickie C., Cedarburg, WI

"We had a fabulous time!! Simonetta was wonderful and the winery she selected for us was great. Paola was just as wonderful!! And a great cook!! The four of us were very happy. My friends have never had the experience of eating in a true Italian home (my husband and I have since my husband has family there) and the experience for them was priceless.  I have already told so many people about you and Simonetta and Paola. I will keep in touch with you since I am sure I will be booking more through you. Thank you again!" - Teri Sciamarelli, Brick, NJ