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  (Option: Day Cooking Classes)
Lucca, Italy - 7 nights
Available year round
Lucca invites you to a great Tuscan cooking and wine vacation in the heart of Tuscany with a talented chef. In this comprehensive "hands on" cooking and wine tour, you will learn the best of "Tuscan Cooking and Living" with 4 exciting Italian cooking classes: traditional, Tuscan, pasta and fish cooking classes with more than 45 recipes! You can also choose from a large variety of exciting and eduational non residential cooking classes like soup and vegetable, fresh pasta, vegetarian, fish class and more!
 During the week you will visit fish and vegetable markets, wineries, excursions to Lucca, Parma, Modena and Siena. Your accommodations for the week is a beautiful hotel located 2 miles from the center of Lucca but at the same time in the tranquillity of the Tuscan countryside. Completely renovated in June 2006, it is located near the main art cities like, Pisa, Firenze, Siena, San Gimignano. All 26 spacious rooms have air-conditioned, with shower or bathtub, hair drier, telephone, in-room safe, air-conditioning, minibar, TV with satellite channels, and International News.
ITINERARY
Day One - Sunday - Welcome to Italy!
 Check in at hotel in Lucca.
Meet the other participants at 7.00 pm for aperitifs.
Welcome Dinner with your chef for the week.
Day Two - Monday - The Main Ingredients and Sauces Class
 9.45 am Hands on cooking lesson with your chef followed by lunch. This class is very important as you will start with lesson on the origins of the Cucina Italiana, the main ingredients, fresh herbs, an Extra virgin Olive Oil seminar, explaining how extra virgin olive oil is made and taste a dozen different olive oils to recognize the differences according to where they are produced. You will then start cooking some of the most important sauces of Italian and Tuscan cooking. Have a light breakfast because you will make 14 recipes and will taste all of them!
Afternoon excursion to Lucca and guided tour of the city. Visit an "enoteca" for wine tasting and dinner.
Day Three - Tuesday - The Fish Class
 8.00 am - Trip to see the fish and vegetable market, for Italian vegetables, herbs and fruit, salami and cheeses, but mainly to learn how to recognize fresh fish and less then fresh fish! See different types of fish and what they are used for.
Return to the hotel and start the cooking class with Italian seafood recipes.
6.30 pm - Hands on cooking to prepare some more fish dishes for dinner.
Day Four - Wednesday - ProscIUtto, Parmigiano and BalsamicO Tradizionale di Modena
 6.45 am - Trip to Langhirano (Parma) to visit Bertinelli Parmigiano Reggiano Dairy and a "Prosciutto di Parma" maker followed by lunch at the Prosciutto factory.
Drive to Modena to visit Acetaia Malpighi, the oldest and largest Balsamic Vinegar maker in Modena, taste a number of Traditional Balsamic Vinegars, from 12 year old to Extravecchio 25 year old, but also 5 year old White Balsamic, 5 year old Orange balsamic and 5 year old Fuji apple balsamic vinegar. De-li-cious!!
Return to Lucca for dinner.
Day Five - Thursday - Tuscan Cooking
 10.00 am - Hands on Tuscan cooking class about typical Tuscan Cuisine. We will make crostini ai fegatini, crostini alle melanzane, al pomodoro, Panzanella: the famous tuscan bread salad. We will hand make the local vegetable ravioli and a delicious aromatic meat ragù from Lucca with unusual spices, for main dish Arista di Maiale: loin of pork with typical tuscan herbs. For dessert we will make Cantuccini also know as "Biscotti".
Afternoon: free to relax, perhaps with a bicycle trip along the river or free to walk about in Lucca.
Dinner in a typical restaurant.
Day Six - Friday - Visit Siena and Chianti Wineries
 8.30 am - departure for Siena, we stop over in Greve in Chianti to visit this famous village in the Chianti region. Visit a Chianti Castle and its cellars followed by wine tasting and light lunch.
After lunch we go to Siena for a guided tour of this beautiful medieval city, famous for the Palio Horse Race. There is time to relax and shop.
Return to Lucca for dinner.
Day Seven - Saturday - The Risotto, Carpaccio and Scalloppine Class
 9.30 am - Your final cooking class where you you will learn four risottos, four carpaccios, four scalloppini and three delicious desserts followed by light lunch.
Afternoon free.
8.30 pm - Graduation Dinner and presentation of certificates.
Day Eight - Sunday - Departure
Breakfast and departure.
NON RESIDENTIAL DAY COOKING CLASS
 Take a hands-on Tuscan cooking class where you will prepare typical Tuscan Cuisine including crostini ai fegatini, crostini alle melanzane, al pomodoro, Panzanella: the famous tuscan bread salad. You will hand make the local vegetable ravioli and a delicious aromatic meat ragù from Lucca with unusual spices, and for the main dish Arista di Maiale: loin of pork with typical Tuscan herbs. For dessert we will make Cantuccini also know as "Biscotti". Guests should arrive at 9:45am for the 10:00am class. Class lasts from 10:00am until about 2:30/3:00pm and includes lunch and wine. All morning classes begin at 10am unless you choose to go to the two hour market tour prior to the class beginning at 8am. Afternoon classes on request - beginning at 4pm and ending around 8:30pm - (market tour not possible with afternoon classes).
You may also choose from the following classes:
The Fish Class:
8.00 am: (The market class is highly recommended with this class). Trip to the grocery and fish store to see Italian vegetables, herbs and fruit, salami and cheeses, but mainly to learn how to recognize fresh fish and fish that is not fresh! See different types of fish and what they are used for. Return to the hotel at 10am and start the cooking class with 4 fish appetizers, 3 seafood pastas, 3 fish main courses and dessert.
 The Main Ingredients and Sauce Class
Take a hands on cooking lesson followed by lunch. This class is very important and will teach you about the origins of the Italian Kitchen, the main ingredients, fresh herbs, an Extra Virgin Olive Oil seminar, explaining how extra virgin olive oil is made. You will taste a dozen different olive oils to recognize the differences according to where they are produced. We will then start cooking some of the most important sauces of Italian and Tuscan cooking. Have a light breakfast because we will make 14 recipes and we will taste all of them!
The Pizza, Focaccia and Bread Class
Learn the art of making the perfect pizza dough ... Focaccia and bread dough. We will make all the favorites: pizza margherita, pizza amatriciana, pizza pepperoni, pizza funghi, pizza al prosciutto crudo, pizza with anchovies and olives, etc. Learn also 2 types of focaccia, ....and to finish a Dessert Pizza!
The Vegetarian Class (minimum of 5 participants is required)
In this class we will learn some elegant and delicious dishes that are the envy of non vegetarians!! There are many delicious ingredients we can use: truffles, porcini mushrooms, wine, balsamic vinegar, extravirgin olive oils and many fresh vegetables and fruits always available, delicious, healthy and inexpensive!!
We will prepare a number of sauces to serve with pasta and risotto. We will prepare combinations of beans, lentils, rice, pasta and spelt, to make complete proteins. We will also learn how to make "Seitan" a wheat protein obtained from flour, which is boiled in vegetable stock and can then be used with a number of sauces normally served with meat. Other dishes will be made with porcini, tofu, red wine balsamic vinegar reduction and truffle oil. We will finish off with a couple of desserts made using no animal fats.
The Soups and Vegetables Class
In this class we will learn to properly cook a number of vegetables from fresh spinach to green beans, from asparagus to celery, from chickpeas to lentils. We will prepare a great minestrone soup, with parmesan cheese rinds like the chef's mother makes, and good pasta e fagioli, pasta and beans soup, a lentil soup and a blended chickpea soup served with sautè shrimp and sage on top.
We will prepare and taste a number of vegetables, beans and chickpeas and enjoy them simply with some good olive oil and a pinch of salt... no need for other flavorings! We will make sauteed and grilled vegetables and beans, stuffed baked aubergines, baked, stuffed tomatoes, onions and peppers. And to finish we will prepare strawberries with 12 year old balsamic vinegar over vanilla ice cream.
The Risotto, Veal Scalloppine and Carpaccio Class
This class takes away the fear and misery out of making risotto! You will make 4 types of risotto - it is not at all difficult once you have seen it done!! Also Carpaccio di Manzo and Mozzarella al frullato di pomodoro, buffalo mozzarella with blended raw tomato sauce. We will also make four types of veal escalopes as well as two desserts!
GROUP SIZE
A minimum of 2 participants is required to run this tour and the tour is limited to a maximum of 14-20 participants. For the day class there is a maximum of 20 participants.
HOW TO ARRIVE
The closest airports are Pisa Airport (30 minutes) or Florence airport (1 hour) .
The closest train station is Lucca train station, about 6 km., 10 minute taxi ride, approximately 15€ taxi ride
*These details are provided as additional information. Please check below to see if transfers are included in this tour.
BOOKING INFORMATION
Double Room/US$2550
Single Supplement/US$325
NON RESIDENTIAL DAY COOKING CLASS
All Classes/US$165
Fish Class/US$185
Optiona Market Visit/US$45
*Pricing may vary depending on market fluctuation
After availability is confirmed, a US$900 per person deposit and the completed and submitted registration form will secure your reservation. Final payment is due in full 75 days before your arrival date. Full payment is due at time of booking for non-residential day or evening cooking classes
Available year round. Please inquire.
*Seven (7) nights' accommodation
*Four hands on cooking lessons
*All meals with wine
*All tours described above
Airfare, airport transfers, tips, drinks outside meals and cooking classes, laundry, and personal expenses are not included.
For further inquiries or to register, click here.
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CANCELLATION POLICY
Please contact us for cancellation policy information. Travel insurance is highly recommended.
CLIENT REMARKS
"Ciao Jo-Ann, Just got back from Italy. We had a fabulous class with Chef Paolo. He was the greatest. The food was great. He was charming. He got us all involved so we really felt like we cooked this great meal. Terry and I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Thanks for all of your help in getting us set up. Attached is a picture of us with Chef Paolo. If you need any references we would love to put in a good word for your company and the Chef."
"Paolo is a wonderful host. Everything was first class. The presentations are Beautiful! I can't believe how many recipes he makes for one class!"
"We took a one day fish cooking class. We really appreciated everyone's willingness to work around our dietary needs. The class was wonderful and the final products tasty. Chef Paolo is a great instructor. "
"I loved the hands-on part of the class & the cooking tips such as peeling an onion, how to fold pasta dough over into the middle, what olive oil is best for what dish, how to tell a good joke, presentation ideas and so on. The only suggestion...to make everyone knows it is ok to "just taste" each dish (not eat all of it!) I would get so full each day and I will have to go into rehab when I go home! The tours were a wonderful addition to the cooking classes..."
"This has been the best time I have ever had. The cooking, chef and staff were all top notch. I plan on coming back soon."
"An excellent experience, Exceeded all my expectations, the food and instructions were outstanding, Chef Paolo makes the class fun & Easy to learn. He is very personable and makes you feel like you are at home. Hotel was very clean and staff friendly."
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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.
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Tuscan Cooking in Lucca
