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4 Day Tuscan Gastronomy and Cooking Retreat

Highlights

  • Stay in stylish Tuscan apartments with a pool in an idyllic medieval village
  • Master fresh pasta specialities that you can easily reproduce at home
  • Meet the local producers and taste sustainable organic produce
From £825 pp
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What you'll do

Overview

Get to know Italy's most famous staple on a unique 3-night Italian gastronomy and cooking holiday that takes you on a journey from farm to table, meeting local artisans, tasting local produce, and making your own dishes.

2023 Dates

10-13 May

19-22 October

This 3-night pasta and Italian cooking holiday was developed by those with a real passion for teaching people what makes Italian cuisine so special. And it’s a holiday for those who want to know everything about what makes artisan pasta amazing, and understand the traditional, regional sauces that bring it to life.

This is not your typical cookery course. During this break, you will go from farm to table, discovering what goes on behind the scenes of Italian pasta making. Against a stunning Tuscan backdrop, as you spend time with cooks, winemakers, olive farmers and cheese producers – the area’s best sustainable artisan producers.

When you’re not out trying new things and meeting local producers, Oli is your experienced chef and trained pasta maker who will walk you through a carefully selected repertoire of dishes and share the secrets and skills you need to create fresh pasta and risotto dishes from scratch.

This Italian cooking holiday and pasta-making break is perfect for those who want to escape, indulge in amazing food, and pick up valuable techniques to last you a lifetime. Mixed in with rural visits, rolling countryside, and relaxing pool time, this will leave you wanting for nothing.

Please note some activities and food inclusions may vary due to time of year, availability  and weather conditions.

Arrival

– 4pm: Arrive at your accommodation and check-in to your lovely room
– 5pm: Get stuck right in with a hands-on gnocchi masterclass cookery lesson
– 7pm: Time for aperitivo and a guided wine tasting at a local vineyard with stunning views
– 8pm: A group 4 course dinner will be served including the gnocchi you prepared earlier.

Risotto Masterclass

– 9am: After breakfast at your accommodation, you will head to a buffalo mozzarella farm for a tour and tasting of buffalo cheese with the opportunity to try other buffalo milk products
– 12pm: Next, there is a visit to an organic Tuscan rice farm for a tour
– 5pm: Aperitivo and risotto masterclass, a hands-on cooking session on how to make the perfect risotto with the rice you picked up from the farm that day
– 8pm: A delicious dinner of the dishes you made in your risotto cookery class, served in the square of the medieval village, plus lots of extra treats prepared by your private chef

Pasta Shapes

– 9:30am: Take you pasta making to the next level with a fresh pasta shapes workshop where you will learn to make fresh cut pasta like tagliatelle and shapes like garganelli and farfalle
– 12pm: Lunch will include a delicious pasta dish using the fresh pasta you made that morning
– 7pm: Sit down, relax and enjoy a multi course traditional dinner at local organic family vineyard which includes wine matching for all the courses!

Departure

– 9:30am: Take part in your final cookery lesson before you head home; today’s lessons is a filled pasta workshop, using your new pasta skills to create advanced filled pastas like tortelli, ravioli, and ‘plin’
– 12pm: Enjoy a farewell lunch including the filled pasta you created in cookery lesson
– 2:30pm: Checkout from your accommodation and head home with a satisfied belly and some local treats

What's included

Included

  • 3 nights in pool side apartment accommodation (pool open from June to September)
  • If you are a solo traveller, the apartment can be booked for sole occupancy for an additional supplement
  • Cooking lessons from your private cooking instructor including fresh pasta making workshops and a gnocchi and risotto masterclass
  • Breakfast supplies of local ingredients in your accommodation to make your own breakfast
  • All meals including a 4 course welcome dinner prepared by your private chef
  • Wine and selected aperitivos
  • Various tours and visits to local producers
  • All transport during the week in a comfortable spacious van
  • Return transfers between the accommodation and Grosseto train station on arrival and departure days
  • Check in anytime between 2-6pm on day 1 and check out by 2:30pm on day 4
Your local host

Oli & Flo

Oli and Flo created and run their amazing Italian gastronomy and cooking holidays in Tuscany, born from their love of the slow food movement and passion for local organic produce. Oli is an experienced chef and pasta maker, and Flo is an events organiser from London. They have combined their skills to try to create immersive, behind the scenes cooking and food adventures for those fascinated by Italian gastronomy.

Oli and Flo created and run their amazing Italian gastronomy and cooking holidays in Tuscany, born from their love of the slow food movement and passion for local organic produce. Oli is an experienced chef and pasta maker, and Flo is an events organiser from London. They have combined their skills to try to create immersive, behind the scenes cooking and food adventures for those fascinated by Italian gastronomy.

Oli & Flo image
Sustainability Efforts

What Sustainability Efforts are we Taking?

At Not in the Guidebooks we’re committed to empowering the local communities in Costa Rica. We work closely with the local people and their businesses to make sure that they receive a fair percentage of the money you spend on your holiday there. By partnering with local guides and suppliers, we’re able to create meaningful, authentic experiences that directly benefit the people who call this incredible country home.

Learn More

Location

Your base on this unique Italian cooking holiday will be in the beautiful village of Roccatederighi, carved into the rocks 500 metres above the flatlands below. From up there, on a clear day you’ll be able to see the islands of Giglio, Elba, or even Corisca.

The undisturbed Maremma coast produces extremely fine ingredients and dishes. Some of the local specialities include stuffed pasta, cured meats, honey, wild boar, hearty soups and chestnuts.

The village and your accommodation is easy to reach from main train station and airports in the area. Take a fast train from Pisa Central to Grosseto, the nearest local train station, and it will take you just 75 minutes. If you decide to come from Rome. it will take you less than 2 hours by train. Transfers to and from Grosseto station to your accommodation are included in the price of your cookery holiday.

 

What our travellers are saying...

We had a brilliant time and the course hugely surpassed our expectations. The classes were great fun and informative, the excursions interesting and beautiful, the location incredible and the food some of the best we’ve ever eaten. We enjoyed Oli and Flo’s company so much and we highly recommend!

C McCurrach

I cannot recommend this holiday highly enough. Oli and Flo were more than perfect hosts - their attention to all the little details was very much appreciated. The Italian culinary tuition was extremely well presented and understandable. I have new skills and what's more, I am using them now. High 5!

D Summers

Incredible holiday! Oli is passionate chef with an intimate knowledge of Italian cooking and the Tuscany region. Both he and Flo made sure we were well looked after and entertained for our entire stay and showed us the best of the breathtaking scenery and local produce. Worth every penny.

M Bingham

FAQs

Features

- Cook in a traditional Italian kitchen in the old village and enjoy dinner in the medieval town square
- Visit local producers and pick up tips from them while tasting the products
- Daily excursions both varied and unique to this holiday
- Friendly, outgoing Chef who specializes in rustic local Italian home cooked food and pasta
- Stay in charming Tuscan apartments, next to an inground pool, sunbeds and a terrace to view the countryside from
- Please note: the pool is only open from June to September
- All apartments have a bathroom with a shower, kitchenette readily stocked for your breakfasts, satellite TV and internet access
- Around 1-1.5 hours from Pisa airport with transfers to and from Grosseto train station
- Within walking distance to the village of Roccatederighi

Who is it suitable for?

- Suitable for all levels from beginner to advanced cooks
- Minimum age 18 with no upper age limit (under 18s accepted if accompanied by an adult)
- All classes are taught in English

When can I start?

- This cooking course runs on selected dates from April to October
- This holiday is for 3 nights / 4 days

Restricted mobility access

- Most of the activities are operated in hilltop villages where the walkways are often steep and uneven
- In the accommodation, some of the rooms are at ground floor level
- Special requests can be made and looked at on a case by case basis and the trip tailored accordingly

What can I do in my free time?

- As you’re located right in the village, have a shop, or try a local bar or restaurant and meet some locals
- The village has a wonderful old town, built into the rocks, with lovely historical churches and architecture - don’t forget to bring your camera!
- Enjoy the sun and lounge on the deck by the pool
- Rent a bike and enjoy the Tuscan countryside
- Your hosts will help you utilize the public transport if you would like to visit nearby towns or the coast

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