The week of excellence​ 2024

cooking school in Tuscany

Course details​

If you decide to choose this week, be ready for a week of excellence where your will explore Tuscany and Emilia Romagna and their most famous treasures: Wine, Cheese, Prosciutto, Truffles and Balsamic vinegar, not to mention some of the most beautiful and ancient towns.

You arrive on Sunday and after a quick visit to Pisa and its Piazza dei Miracoli, you are welcomed with a traditional Tuscan lunch. The remainder of the day is yours to settle in, explore the estate, swim, or just relax while waiting for dinner to be served. This will be the only day where you can enjoy the estate and its surroundings, visit the archaeological site of Massaciuccoli, walk to the lake …or simply nap!

Essential Tuscan techniques you will master

Fresh homemade pasta, raviolis, gnocchi, pizza, focaccia, risotto, meat preparation, pastry dough and desserts, biscotti, gelato.

Places

Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano, Montalcino, Banfi Castle, Parmigiano Reggiano Factory in Parma, Prosciutto di Parma Factory in Langhirano, and Balsamic Vinegar Factory in Modena.

Activities

Truffle hunt

Schedule

On Monday you will have breakfast from 8:30 am to 9:30 am, then get ready for your first day of cooking lessons.
At 1:30 a great lunch paired with wines will be served. You will enjoy the labor of your work plus some of our dishes. This is not the week you choose for dieting!
At 3:00 pm we will drive to Lucca, mostly known for its well-preserved walls and for being the city of 100 churches . The drive is just20 minutes far from the school. Here you will enjoy a perfectly walled small city full of little shops, beautiful churches and a Roman Amphitheater. Back to the school. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm.
Wine tasting with a wine producer.

On Tuesday morning, after breakfast, we will explore the wine heart of Tuscany.
9:00 am departure for Montalcino (province of Siena) and visit to the enchanted Castello Banfi where we will have a wine tasting and a visit to their magnificent cellar.
A light lunch will be served in their restaurant.
Afternoon dedicated to the visit of Montalcino with the possibility for more wine tastings in the local enotecas, shopping or just relaxing.
Back to the school.
Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm
Wednesday morning everyone is ready for the most amazing day of the week! Parmigiano Reggiano Factory, Prosciutto di Parma Factory and Balsamic Vinegar Acetaia Sereni. 5:30 am is when we are all sitting in the vans, direction Parma. We must be there by 8:40 am as that is the time the milk gets poured into the copper cauldrons. The first visit of the day is the cheese factory where the master cheese maker will show you the incredible moment the milk turns into Parmigiano Reggiano. Approx 2 hours of visit and tasting.
After the experience at the cheese factory, we will drive to the next location : Langhirano.
This is where the famous Prosciutto di Parma is made. Lesson, visit and tasting.
Our final visit is in Modena. Acetaia Sereni, a family run business that offers the most incredible and old balsamic vinegar.
Here we will visit the acetaia, learn everything about balsamic vinegar and taste it. A delicious intermezzo with ravioli, appetizers and wine awaits you after the visit. Back to the school. Dinner at 8:00 pm.
On Thursday morning the alarm clock will wake you up early again (not as early as the day before!) as you must get ready for a great day full of activities! After breakfast which starts at 8:00 am, we hit the road at 9:00. The drive is about 1 1/2 hours, direction Siena. San Gimignano with its towers, beautiful shops and history are waiting for us. The best gelato in the World is calling you and if we are lucky, Sergio Dondoli will be there! After the visit to the town, we meet the truffle hunter and his dog and we will spend one hour in the forest foraging truffles. After the hunt, enjoy a wine tasting with local cheese and charcuterie. Back to the school. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Alessio’s Pizza will be waiting for you!
Friday will be all about cooking! Cooking and baking all morning and afternoon.
Our lessons are hands-on, and normally run from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and then again from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Classes make use of all-natural, seasonally-fresh ingredients from our garden and from our local market: farm to table!

Price 2024

April 21st/27th - Nov 3rd/9th
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$ 4,750 Price per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement applies. A $700 non refundable deposit is needed at the time of the booking.
  • What is included in the price :
  • All lessons from Monday through Friday.
  • Accommodation with self contained bathroom.
  • Transfer from Pisa (airport or train station) to the school on Sunday and transfer to Pisa (airport or train station) on Saturday morning. Please find our transfer policy in Terms and Conditions.
  • All meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner every day), Wines/Beer/Coffee/Tea with Lunch and Dinner.
  • Wine Tasting with a wine maker from a celebrated wine estate.
  • Truffle hunt with dog and hunter.
  • All the tours: Lucca, Pisa, Banfi Castle, Montalcino, Parmigiano Reggiano Factory, Prosciutto di Parma Factory and Balsamic Vinegar Factory, San Gimignano.
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Terms and Conditions

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