Cooking Holiday in Italy – Learn to Cook Traditional Italian Cuisine in Tuscany
BOOK NOW
TOUR DESCRIPTION
Learn to cook authentic Italian cuisine with Rita, your host during your stay in this beautiful part of Tuscany. The courses are fun and informal and Rita will help you cook traditional Italian food from pasta to pizza and more. Combine cooking and wine tasting and learn all the basic Italian cooking techniques and traditions. Visit the local market, wander the streets of Barga, one of the prettiest villages in Italy and take a day trip to Pisa and Lucca. From € 998 pp for 4 nights, € 1,750 pp for 7 nights (based on 2 people sharing a double/twin room). Contact us for availability
DURATION
4 or 7 nights
HIGHLIGHTS
*Learn to cook authentic Italian meals with Rita – your fantastic host for the week
*Try some of the local wines at a wine tasting
*Visit Pisa, Lucca and some lovely Tuscan villages
INCLUDED
*4 or 7 nights' accommodation at La Mezzaluna guest house
*Full board basis, including wine and soft drinks at meals and lessons
*2 x 4 hour cooking lessons for 4 night stay, or 4 lessons for 7 night stay
*Return Pisa airport transfers
*Transfers to all locations on the itinerary
*Live music from Alex
*Wine tasting at Alex's winery
EXCLUDED
*Flights
*Any drinks not stated above
*Local taxes where applicable
*Anything not specified above
ITINERARY
N.B. This is a sample itinerary, timings and activities may change.
Day one
Transfer to residence La Mezzaluna (1 hour 15 mins) where you can enjoy a glass of wine and can talk about the weeks activities with Rita, your host. Visit Alex's nearby wine cellar for wine tasting and dinner.
Day two
After breakfast, take a morning visit to the lovely medieval village of Barga. Eat a light lunch at a local cafe then head back to La Mezzaluna for your first cookery lesson. Learn to make pasta by hand, as well as some delicious sauces; if there is time you might also make a tiramisu or flan. Spend the evening relaxing on the veranda and enjoying the food you prepared in the afternoon.
Day three
Head to Pisa to visit Piazza Miracoli, then on to Lucca for lunch at a local restaurant, followed by an afternoon wandering around the shops, admiring the various cathedrals and squares. Enjoy a BBQ dinner at La Mezzaluna.
Day four
Travel to Castelnuovo Garfagnana to visit the huge food market and stop for lunch at a local enoteca. Back at the mezzaluna it's time for your second lesson, dedicated to making pizza and focaccia in a wood fired oven. Enjoy the fruits of your labours hot from the oven as Alex entertains you with live music on the veranda.
End of the 4 night holiday
Day 5
After breakfast head to Fornaci di Barga to buy fresh vegetables and fish. Make some seafood salad and 'crostini di mare' for lunch, then enjoy a short siesta before continuing the lesson in the afternoon and dinner.
Day 6
In the morning take in the sights of the Garfagnana area, including an 18th century monastery. Eat a light lunch at La Mezzaluna followed by a lesson in making lots of good, mainly vegetarian, dishes like sformatini, farro soup, and maybe even baked aubergines.
Day 7
Visit the village of Sommacolonia, an ancient hilltop town with incredible views where Rita's parents were from, followed by a trip to the Concori vineyard to learn about the wine making process, wine tasting and lunch. After lunch you can relax or take a 2 hour basic Italian language lesson with Alessia, followed by dinner.
