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Good Tastes of Tuscany Cooking School Please, note! This vacation school offer has expired. For similar vacation school offers currently available search here. Key Information: Class Size: 2 - 12 people Destination: Italy   Category: Cooking schools Specialty: Italian   Season: January - December Courses Per Year: 260 Course Level: All levels Min Price: 1800 Euro (EUR) per person Max Price: 2200 Euro (EUR) per person

We believe that Tuscan cuisine is one of the most universal and best-loved because of its fresh ingredients and rich historical context. Tuscan cooking courses in a rustic, authentic atmosphere should be widely available to any and all interested parties at affordable prices, regardless of cooking experience, knowledge of the region or proficiency in the Italian language.

During the classes one will experience hands on fresh pasta making, theory and secrets of Tuscan cuisine, seasons and produce all hosted by our English speaking Italian chefs. Each class has a min learning of antipasto, first course (fresh pasta and or risotto making from the beginning - broth), second course, side dish and desert.

Classes Offered:
*A First Taste of Tuscany. Introduction to Tuscan Cuisine (One Day).
*An Italian Immersion. Advanced Course in Tuscan Cuisine (One Day).
*Bella Toscana! Two or three day advanced courses in Tuscan cuisine.
*Villa Pandolfini Gastronomical Adventure - 7 day Culinary & Cultural program.

The atmosphere is unique, relaxed and a lot of fun. Guests will enjoy the Italian gardens of the Villa-castle and be explained the history of the property and the cellar. We have all the awards one may require - 100% satisfied customers and testimonials from those who attended the classes.

Italy, a country of great diversity, is made up of twenty provinces. Each has a very unique personality, with dialect, customs, traditions, architecture and of course food and wine that vary greatly from region to region. From the hot, dry south to the cool alpine foothills, the regional cuisines are as varied as the climates. The golden hills of saffron in the Abruzzi lend a zesty spice to local risotto, while the bay of Naples is renowned for its frutti di mare and mozzarella di bufala. Visitors to Tuscany can sample rustic delicacies like truffles and porcini mushrooms in the autumn, hearty soups like in the winter and lemony colomba cakes or asparagus risotto in the spring around Easter. The Good Tastes of Tuscany can be found in any season.

Good Tastes of Tuscany wants you to experience the best that living in Tuscany provides. We offer a well versed program of culinary delights with three different cooking courses, such as are single day classes A First Taste of Tuscany which is our most popular class introduction class to authentic Tuscan cuisine. For the gourmand looking to expand their repertoire should try An Italian Immersion our advanced Tuscan cooking class.

Weather it's a single day experience or a week long cooking holiday Good Tastes of Tuscany seeks to provide you with an unforgettable experience that you shall cherish for years to come. We are rated with the Better Business Bureau and travel associations. Our chefs are professionals with restaurant and catering experience in Florence, Tuscany. We can also assist our guests with accommodation, tours or just answer their questions.

That easygoing Italian way of life that visitors find so alluring and desirable, la dolce vita, is indisputably linked to the Italians' instinctive knowledge of how to drink and eat well. In today's society, many ancient culinary traditions and characteristics of Italy's distinct regional cuisines are still commonplace, even more so here than other parts of Europe. Traditional recipes passed down through the family are worth their weight in gold. The dinner table is the scene of many conversations, debates and decisions; favorite foods evoke happy memories, good health and comfort. The saying that Italians live to eat, while the rest of the world eats to live still rings true today.

Experience firsthand the good tastes of Tuscany. We have designed our cooking and wine classes to expose you to an intimate side of that Italian lifestyle that is so appealing to all. Our tours expose you to the best that Tuscany has to offer.

Spend a fruitful day in an original gallery kitchen of the 13th century Villa Pandolfini with hands-on instruction by one of our professional Italian chefs. Our menus vary according to the seasonal cuisine and are universally appealing. Our goal is to expose you to all of the Good Tastes of Tuscany. We guarantee an unforgettable experience.

Faculty Information:
2 English speaking Italian chefs with professional training. Lisa and Maurizio, Both are native Florentines. Their culinary collaboration dates back to 1990 and the renowned Florence restaurant Du Monde, which they co-directed until 2000. It was this experience that inspired the master chef and wine connoisseur to take their combined knowledge and love of Tuscan food from the kitchen to the classroom.

Lisa’s lifelong passion was ignited with a children’s cookbook of easy sweets. She developed her familiarity and creativity with the secrets of Tuscan cuisine in the kitchen of her maternal grandmother, who was herself the longstanding chef of a noted restaurant in the coastal region of Versilia. She also worked alongside expert chefs in some of Florence’s top restaurants before coming to direct Du Monde in the past few years. Both Maurizo and Lisa have studied at the L’Isituto Etoile di Chioggia in Tuscany.

Lisa’s culinary sensibility and Maurizio’s expertise in Italian viticulture bring a many-layered love of food and life into our kitchen. Join this culinary duo in enjoying the Good Tastes of Tuscany.

Other Activities:
Tuscany is the land of the Renaissance, the birth of new beginnings, where the church has reigned with near invincible power; wine has strong ties to both art and religion. Yet at the same time, wine had always been the most humble of Tuscan comforts that are present even today at almost every meal. Explore with us the history of Tuscan wines through the years and taste why is maintains its popularity even today.

Good Tastes of Tuscany wants you to experience the best that living in Tuscany provides. Engage your senses as you are exposed to the fine wines of Tuscany with our wine class, Wines of Tuscany, which explores the varieties of wines in this region. In need to get out into the countryside, or need a break from the museums, join us as we head out to the countryside for Tuscan Views to smell the fresh air. Take advantage of one of our Tuscany wine tours program to experience all the good tastes of Tuscany.

Tour of the gardens and the cellar. For the weekly cooking vacation adventure we take the group to the central food markets, dining in characteristic restaurants, local tour of the area and a visit to a Medicei villa, southern Tuscany tour and wine tasting. Good Tastes of Tuscany prepares a Great welcome and farewell dinner.

The participants will also have time to discover Florence and have free time shopping and relaxing. There is a pool on the large estate and also a lovely forest for exploring. If there are family or friends who are not interested in the cooking but would like to join the tour and outings and stay at the estate they are more than welcome! We also welcome these guests to join the meals at the cooking class even for the daily programs.

Facility Information:
Large original kitchen of a 14th century Tuscan Villa with a large open fireplace, pasta and instructor benches, large antique dining table. Cooking books supplied. The accommodations are authentic, spotlessly clean and well cared for to the minimum detail. Beautiful farmhouses and cottages lovingly restored and private gardens. There is also accommodation in the castle.

Notes:
The above costs are those for the daily classes with 2 levels beginners and advanced.
The weekly adventure including accommodation, meals and all the outings and lessons is 2200 euro per person and 1800 euro for non participants.

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Cooking schools   Europe   Italy