Cook Like a Tuscan

Cortona, Italy - 3, 5 or 6 nights
Available year round 

Stay in a gorgeous 17th Century Relais & Chateaux property located in the quiet countryside of Tuscany, just over one mile from the beautiful walled Etruscan town of Cortona which has been written about in the very popular Frances Mayes books. Enjoy an unforgettable cooking vacation with hands-on cooking classes taught and held by owner and Michelin star Chef Silvia Baracchi together with Chef Fabrizio. Immerse yourself in the breathtaking panoramas of this famed area of Italy. This promises to be an incredible experience.  

The hotel is ideally located south of Tuscany and very close to Umbria allowing you to enjoy the pleasures of each region. By car in one hour you can reach Siena, Florence and Assisi and in just half an hour you can visit Montepulciano, Pienza, Arezzo and Perugia.

The ancient San Martino villa is surrounded by a garden of horse-chestnut trees and cypress trees. From here a path between olive-oil trees and vineyards leads to our deluxe area, where the Suites are located, with private entrance from the garden and breathtaking view over the valley and our vineyards, right in front of the town of Cortona.

The two beautiful outside swimming pools overlook the town of Cortona and the Relais' vineyards which produce high quality wines. The restaurant is a one Michelin star and has an outside terrace for summer season recently covered by an elegant orangerie in iron and glass and proposes a creative cuisine, tied to the territory and its great culinary traditions. The cellar matches their menus with a wide range of Italian and international wine labels. 

The recipes reflect Tuscan cuisine, some of them specifically from Cortona and the Chiana Valley territory. The chef selects the recipes using modern techniques making them palatable for modern tastes. There is one day where the chef dedicates the menus to the Etruscans: rich in local history and culture. The recipes are simple and homey, and are easy to replicate for a dinner party with family and friends, accompanied by Tuscan wines! 

SAMPLE SIX NIGHT ITINERARY 

Day One 

WELCOME COCKTAIL WITH SILVIA

 “The stylish and fun Baracchi family, Silvia, with their son Benedetto, own the sybaritic country inn and restaurant Il Falconiere. The hospitality of the family reveals the depth of their joy of living. What a feast they produce! I was flattered when Silvia named her school Cooking Under the Tuscan Sun. Silvia is a cutting-edge chef with intact, deep country roots. Whatever I think I know how to do, Silvia can knock it up a notch. Their inn is a second home for us. Benedetto makes highly prized wines and a Champagne-method sparkling wine that inspires Ed to write sonnets“ from the Tuscan Sun Cookbook of Frances and Edward Mayes"

The aperitif will be followed by a delicious Gourmet dinner at our Michelin starred restaurant.

 Buon appetito!    

Day Two 

After breakfast, at 10:00 AM, get ready for your first hands-on cooking class. Each season brings incredible ingredients to the table, and under the expert and passionate guidance of our Chef, you’ll learn how to transform them into something truly special. The Chef will share techniques, stories, and delicious recipes that will bring out the best in every ingredient.

At the end of the lesson, you will enjoy lunch featuring the dishes you’ve prepared, perfectly paired with our wines.

In the afternoon, get ready for a fantastic guided sightseeing tour of Cortona, a charming hilltop town that inspired the book and later became the setting for the beloved movie Under the Tuscan Sun.

The day will conclude with a delightful dinner at a local restaurant, where you’ll savor authentic Tuscan flavors in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Day Three 

After breakfast, prepare to be captivated by the enchanting landscapes of the Val d’Orcia, where the colors and atmosphere shift beautifully with the changing seasons, offering a unique and unforgettable experience in every moment of the year.

Outstanding wineries, passionate local producers, and charming hilltop towns nestled among the rolling countryside. This morning the visit of an ancient mill Castello di Spedaletto, an ancient grange that, in the Middle Ages, stored the grain produced in the Val d’Orcia and provided hospitality to pilgrims traveling along the Via Francigena.

During the guided tour of the mill, you will see firsthand how our ancient grains are transformed into pasta, witnessing the stone milling process and bronze extrusion. An experience that will reveal the world of grains, flour, and pasta like never before. To conclude the visit, it’s time to taste!

You can enjoy a farm-to-table lunch at the local trattoria , located right next to the castle’s mill.

OR (depending on the season):

After breakfast, get ready to visit a local Historic Farm since 1208, Tenuta La Fratta where the famous Chianina beef finds its origin. 
La Fratta is a living place, not a museum: family-run and deeply tied to its history, it is a true gem of our countryside, a place to experience, not just to visit: it has preserved its authentic soul for centuries. It tells a story of passion: more than 400 cattle are raised here, fed with organic fodder from our own fields. Every detail of their care is guided by passion and respect, ensuring quality from the land to the table. In fact the visit will be followed by a lunch at La Toraia restaurant that is a true tasting center for Chianina beef in its land of origin. The restaurant serves exclusively meat from their own herds, raised on certified organic fodder.

While Chianina is world-famous for the iconic Bistecca alla Fiorentina, their philosophy honors tradition by valuing every part of the animal and all the ingredients the land provides. The restaurant, set in the estate’s former breeding station - from which "Toraia" takes its name - retains its original charm. You’ll dine at tables crafted from old mangers, surrounded by the authentic history of our farm, with the nameplates of our legendary bulls still displayed on the walls.

Return to the Relais in the afternoon and get ready for your second cooking class another hands-on session where you’ll deepen your culinary skills. The lesson will be followed by a dinner featuring the dishes you’ve prepared, perfectly paired with our wines.  

Day four 

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Today, we leave Tuscany for a truly local experience in the nearby, lush region of Umbria. Here, in the small village of Torgiano, we’ll discover one of the most essential ingredients in Italian - and global - cuisine: flour.

Where the Chiascio stream flows into the Tiber, near a small waterfall, the ancient stone mills of Mulino Silvestri still turn, just as they did a thousand years ago. The mill’s history is deeply connected to the Benedictine monks who once settled in this area. Yet the Silvestri family - millers in Umbria since at least the mid-1800s - have been working here since the 1970s, combining centuries-old milling traditions with a forward-looking spirit. All the grains processed here, such as wheat and spelt, are grown organically by trusted local farmers. The mill operates using renewable energy, and in the small on-site shop, visitors canpurchase not only the flours but also pasta and other products made with the mill’s grains by selected local artisans. Lunch in town.

In the afternoon, returning to Il Falconiere, it’s time for your third cooking class: this time fully dedicated to the art of fresh pasta. Let yourself be guided by the Chef’s passion and expertise as you create seasonal sauces designed to perfectly complement your handmade pasta.

Whether vegetarian or meat-based, each sauce will tell the story of our land: a story rooted in Tuscan tradition but enriched by the cultural flavors of nearby Umbria and the ancient heritage of the Etruscans.

Your day will end with a warm, intimate dinner in our dining room, where you’ll have the pleasure of tasting the very dishes you prepared — a true celebration of your own culinary journey.

Day Five  

After breakfast, take the morning for yourself — a precious opportunity to slow down, explore the estate, and truly soak in its beauty. Wander through the gardens, breathe in the scents of the countryside, or treat yourself to a moment of pure relaxation at our Spa, where every treatment is a celebration of nature and the finest Made in Italy products.

But at noon get ready for the tour of the vineyards and winery of the Baracchi estate including a guided walking tour through the vineyards and an in-depth explanation of winemaking from the vineyards to the bottles, followed by the sabrage of our Metodo Classico.

Three courses lunch with wine pairing by our Sommelier Gianni.

In the afternoon you will attend your fourth cooking lesson. Each season brings incredible ingredients to the table, and under the expert and passionate guidance of our Chef, you’ll learn how to transform them into something truly special. The Chef will share techniques, stories, and delicious recipes that will bring out the best in every ingredient.

At the end of the lesson, you will enjoy lunch featuring the dishes you’ve prepared, perfectly paired with our wines.  

Day Six 

For the final day of your cooking journey, the Chef invites you to explore another of our culinary treasures deeply rooted in the local land: cheese.

You’ll start with something as simple and pure as fresh milk, and step by step, you’ll transform it with your own hands into pecorino, ricotta, and raveggiolo — the beloved cheeses of our tradition. In this final lesson, you won’t just learn a technique; you’ll become part of an ancient craft, passed down through generations. The cheeses you create, fresh and full of life, will be the heart of the dishes you’ll prepare today — a perfect celebration of everything you’ve discovered and experienced on this unforgettable journey.

The Valdichiana region has a rich cheesemaking tradition, particularly known for its exceptional pecorino. Passed down through generations, this craft focuses on the use of high-quality sheep’s milk, often sourced from local pastures, and time-honored techniques that preserve the authentic flavors.

Whether fresh or aged, these cheeses are still made following artisanal methods. Some are matured on wooden shelves, others in natural caves, each developing unique aromas and textures that tell the story of this land.

The lesson is followed by lunch with our wines pairing.

The afternoon of this final day is entirely yours: take time to relax, reflect on the beautiful moments we’ve shared, treat yourself to a well-deserved indulgence at our Spa, or perhaps head out for one last stroll through charming Cortona.

This evening brings a special new experience: dinner at Locanda del Molino, the beloved sister restaurant of Il Falconiere. Here, in a warm and welcoming atmosphere that feels like home, you’ll enjoy a delicious, authentic local meal. It’s the perfect setting for Silvia to proudly present your Chef Diploma — a well-deserved reward for your wonderful journey. Well done! 

Day Seven 

As this unforgettable journey comes to a close, you won’t just take home recipes — you’ll carry with you the scents, the flavors, and the heartbeat of Tuscany. You’ve kneaded, cooked, tasted, and laughed, discovering not only the secrets of our kitchen, but also the stories, the landscapes, and the people that make this land so special.

We hope that every dish you’ll recreate will bring you back here, to these moments lived under the Tuscan sun. This is not a goodbye — it’s just the beginning of a story we hope to continue together. Until next time, for new adventures, new flavors, and new memories to share! 

Buon viaggio!

 *The content or order of the itinerary may change depending on dates, availability of services or activities, local festivals/holidays, weather constraints, etc.

*Menus are samples and may vary according to the season

NON RESIDENTIAL DAY COOKING CLASS

If you don’t have time for a full culinary week or weekend, you can take a single day cooking class. This will add a pinch of Tuscan cooking to your vacation working with our one Michelin star Chef and professional staff. The one-day cooking class will be followed by a delicious lunch/dinner with your preparations. Class begins at 10:00 am if you choose the morning cooking class followed by lunch, and 4:00pm and lasts until about 7:30/8pm if you choose the afternoon cooking class, dinner following.  

You will learn how to prepare an entire meal, from the appetizer to the dessert, with recipes based on selected fresh seasonal ingredients preparing, for example, hand-made pasta, bread or special traditional dishes:

Pinzimonio, Traditional wild herb pie with parmesan sauce, traditional pici pasta with cherry tomatoes and aromatic herbs, local lamb in crust of Tuscan bread, sautéed greens, napoleon of custard and pears with chocolate sauce and pine nuts.

Different themes and recipes are available a per your specific request and/or depending on the products of the seasons.

*Tuscan countryside recipes - Traditional Tuscan meal
*Flavors from the see - Fish, fish and fish
*The many flavors of Tuscany - Home made pasta and bread
*Bio and natural cuisine - Flowers and aromatic herbs
*Along the Etruscan traces - Etruscan tradition and food
*Flavors from the vegetable garden - A nice and tasty vegetarian menu
*Crazy for pizza! - Make the dough and prepare many different pizza
*Cheese making - How to make the pecorino cheese and ricotta *

GROUP SIZE

A minimum of 2 participants is required to run this tour and the tour is limited to a maximum of 8 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.) 

HOW TO ARRIVE

By train: From Roma - about 2 hours; From Florence - about 1 hour and 15 minutes

Airports: PISA Airport - about 2 hours – Perugia is a 45 minutes drive – Florence is a 1 and a half hour drive - Rome Fiumicino  is a 2 and a half hour drive

*These details are provided as additional information. Please check below to see if transfers are included in this tour.
 

BOOKING INFORMATION

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.

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