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 Lucca, Italy - 6 nights
Available March to April, September to October - Sunday to Saturday
Join us in Tuscany for an unforgettable culinary vacation, offering the perfect balance of learning, relaxing and exploration into this very special area of Italy. Courses are hands-on under the guidance of a professional Italian chef and sommelier, and also feature guest chefs from around the world. Learn the true taste of Italian cuisine.
 Experience Tuscany the Italian way. Discover a little piece of Tuscan heaven and savour the very best in Tuscan living gathered together in the kitchen and around the table. You will learn to be experimental yet not lose sight of the true Tuscan flavours and disciplines in cooking. You will be encouraged to explore the tastes and textures of some of the finest and freshest ingredients on an inspiring culinary journey in and out of the kitchen and you will discover, recognise and start to understand the true soul of Italian cooking and how Italian food really should taste.
Accommodations for the course will be at either a beautiful palazzo in the center of Lucca, or a villa in the hills on th outskirts of Lucca - both are equally impressive. ITINERARY Day One - Sunday  Transfers from Pisa or Florence airports/train stations for arrival at your palazzo in the center of Lucca or villa in the hills/olive groves on the outskirts of Lucca.
Enjoy a welcome buffet lunch to meet your hosts and cooking colleagues with time to settle in and relax before the first hands-on cooking lesson. Hands-on cooking lesson with preparation of dinner and welcome aperitivi and orientation before dinner Day Two - Monday  After a coffee and a pastry, take an early morning stroll around the Walls of Lucca (2 and a half miles) before returning to the kitchen for a specially themed lunchtime cooking lesson - Pasta and its Sauces.
After lunch take a chef’s tour of Lucca visiting gourmet suppliers and producers for tastings and stop for a wine-tasting at Enoteca Vanni Hands-on cooking lesson and preparation of dinner followed by aperitivi and dinner Day Three - Tuesday 
After breakfast, depart for a Chianti adventure stopping at an enchanting market town as well as renowned vineyard for wine-tasting and lunch. In the early afternoon travel through Chianti countryside to explore San Gimignano and taste Sergio Dondoli’s gelato Return home for an informal pizza supper in a local trattoria. Day Four - Wednesday 
Breakfast before joining your chef for a tour of the bustling market town of Pistoia to choose fresh produce for a kitchen challenge where students and chefs work together to prepare a buffet lunch with items found at the market. Lunch followed by free time to relax or enjoy discovering Lucca. Hands-on cooking lesson and preparation of dinner. Aperitivi and dinner. Day Five - Thursday  Enjoy breakfast before departing for a day in the Garfagnana
Visit a local cheese producer before joining Andrea at Il Mulino (an old mill) for a "slow food" Tuscan tasting lunch Return to Lucca for an afternoon fish themed cooking lesson Aperitivi and fish supper. Day Six - Friday  Breakfast available followed by a specialised pastry cooking lesson.
After lunch enjoy some free time either relaxing at home or exploring Lucca. Hands-on cooking lesson and preparation of dinner followed by farewell drinks, graduation ceremony and celebration dinner. Day Seven - Saturday Breakfast available and transfers to your next destination.  Why not bring a group of friends together to celebrate a week of Tuscan cooking on an exclusively organised course designed just for you. We can tailor-make a special programme from menus and wines to tours and shopping highlights and for a guaranteed group of 10-12 people, the organiser stays for free. An example of other tour options (aside from those mentioned in our standard itinerary) could include:
*Renaissance Florence with a tour of the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio, Duomo and Giotto’s Tower, and some great Italian shopping on Via Tournabuoni. *A visit to a local Lucchese press to watch the whole process of olive oil being made followed by a tasting (November-January)  *A boat trip along the Ligurian coast and the world heritage site of the five cliff-clinging villages of the Cinque Terre with a visit to a local vineyard and a picnic lunch.
*An outlet shopping experience which includes Prada and the new Gucci Mall featuring a host of Italian designer names. *Time out on the golf course (with the chef!).  *A visit to Vinci to see the Leonardo da Vinci museum with its life size scale models of some of his incredible inventions. Stop off also at the Fratelli Taccini studio with a showroom full of unique ceramics, vases, plates, jars, sculptures available for purchase.
*A tour of Siena, the one-time capital of Tuscany and one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. This trip may also include a stroll around the small town of San Gimignano with its medieval towers (of the original 76, just 14 have survived) and charming piazza. *A visit to see the Bernardini family still in residence at Villa Bernardini, a stunning Lucchese villa dating back to 1615. Tour the villa and it’s beautiful gardens before heading off on a 2 hour walk through the hills to a hidden away restaurant where a special lunch has been arranged. HOW TO ARRIVE Closest Airports/Train Stations: Pisa and Florence airports/Pisa, Florence and Lucca train stations *These details are provided as additional information. Please check below to see if transfers are included in this tour.
GROUP SIZE
A minimum of 6 participants is required to run this tour and the tour is limited to a maximum of 12 participants. (The number of participants refers to how many persons are required to run the tour, not to how many persons you must have in your party. Please inquire.) BOOKING INFORMATION
Shared twin/double guestroom with private ensuite bath/shower/US$3650
Double guestroom with private ensuite bath/shower for single occupancy/US$4050
Non-participant (please inquire) *Pricing may vary depending on market fluctuation After availability is confirmed, a 25% deposit and the completed and submitted registration form will secure your reservation. Final payment is due in full 12 weeks before your arrival date. SPRING February 12-18
March 11-17
March 18-24
March 25-31
April 1-7
April 8-14
April 15-21
April 22-28 FALL September 23-29
September 30-October 6
October 7-13
October 14-20
October 21-27
October 28-November 3 *Additional weeks available upon request for a minimum of 6 persons. *Six (6) nights' accommodation in luxury en-suite accommodation
*Seven (7) hands-on cooking classes
*All meals taken on-site (breakfast each morning, lunches and dinners)
*House-wine and soft drinks
*The cost of pre-arranged restaurants
*Transfers to/from Pisa or Florence airports and Pisa, Florence or Lucca train stations
*Transport for all organised outings, guided tours and entrances to museums as arranged
*Wine tours/tastings. *On arrival, each student is presented with a course guide, a cookbook of course recipes and an apron. Graduation certificates are presented on final evening For further inquiries or to register, click here. Click here to return to top of page.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Please contact us for cancellation policy information. Travel insurance is highly recommended. CLIENT REMARKS "Thank you both so much for such a unique experience! It is certainly a memory I will cherish forever. I will strongly recommend this to anyone interested, and if I'm lucky may even find myself returning. My husband and I reviewed the DVD you gave us, thank you so much it helped me to explain the magic I experienced in your charming and historic part of the world.." "What an experience of a lifetime and you, Valter, in particular made it so enjoyable ... Simply awesome. We simply wanted to reach out and say thank you once again ... Such an amazing time." "Being with Judy and her friends ranks very high on my list of things I have done in my life that are embedded deep in my memory. I am enjoying several of your recipes – the Pesce in Cartoccio (we have an abundance of wild salmon available to us here on the island and I substitute salmon in place of the sea bass) – it makes an excellent and exciting meal for our guests. The Lasagna is another recipe that I prepare. Then, I love making the Fagottini Di Verdure, it has been a big hit with guests and we also enjoy the Melanzane Alla Parmigiana. Thank you!" There is not a day goes by when someone in our family doesn’t bring up wonderful memories. We still can’t believe how fortunate we all were to experience such wonderful sites, eat unbelieveable meals and meet such life long friends. Click here to return to top of page. MAP* This exciting region is depicted below. You can also access Google MapsTM by clicking HERE. 
*In some cases mapping may give clients a general sense of location due to changes in venue. Please inquire about specific location. Click here to return to top of page. |
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The Soul of Tuscan Cooking
