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La Locanda Cooking and Wine - One Week offered by supplier M11228 (read about supplier) Key Information: Class Size: 4 - 10 people Destination: Italy   Category: Cooking schools Season: January - December Courses Per Year: 20 Course Level: All levels Min Price: 2815 US Dollar (USD) per person Max Price: 2815 US Dollar (USD) per person

La Locanda del Prete is a small Bed and Breakfast, owned and operated by the Innocenti family and located in Arcidosso, in the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy. This is an authentic Italian country inn, a place where locals as well as visitors, gather to eat, share a glass of wine or grappa (a digestive aperitif) and chat.

Your Itinerary:

Day 1: Transfer from Grosseto and arrival to Arcidosso. We will meet you in Grosseto which is easily accessible from Rome or Florence. Upon arrival at the Grosseto train station, you will be accompanied by car or van to the village of Arcidosso and then welcomed at La Locanda del Prete B&B. After settling in, your host and chef, Carlo will show you around and explain the week’s program! Then you can either relax in the garden or take a walk through the enchanting streets of Arcidosso. For dinner you will enjoy a Tuscan meal prepared by Carlo.

Day 2: Montalcino (wine country), Pienza and Montepulciano. After breakfast at La Locanda, your guide will take you (using our comfortable Tuscan Way van) to the charming village of Pienza, located in the heart of the Val D’Orcia valley (nominated a UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) territory. While in Pienza, you will visit its main square, Piazza Poi II, which is a model of Renaissance planning. This main piazza is so attractive that it was used to shoot scenes for the film The English Patient.

Then, you will continue on to the elegant town of Montepulciano where your guide will show you the main sites and where you will have a light lunch (not included in package price). After lunch, on your way back to Arcidosso, you will stop by a quaint family owned winery in the Montalcino area, where you can taste (included in the package price) the famous Brunello wine accompanied by a tasty pecorino cheese and/or local salami or prosciutto. Dinner at La Locanda.

Day 3: The small towns of Monte Amiata. For your last day, after breakfast, you will have the opportunity to take a cooking course – the Tuscan Way with the Master Chef of the Innocenti family. You will learn the art of La Cucina Povera Toscana (Tuscan Country Cooking), receive an apron and recipe book and enjoy the lunch you helped prepare during the course.

Then, you will be off with your guide to visit the small towns of Monte Amiata: Santa Fiora with its historic center and ancient Parish Church which contains fine terracotta bas-reliefs by Andrea della Robbia (15th century), and La Peschiera, the private gardens and swimming pool of the Sforza family (16th century). You will then go to either Castel del Piano or Abbadia San Salvatore, where you can visit the famous abbey and the crypt built by the Longobards, and finally, on your way home, you’ll take a ride through the enchanting forest of Monte Amiata. In the evening, you will enjoy dinner at La Locanda del Prete.

Day 4: Suggested tour to Siena. In the morning, after your breakfast, you’ll set off for Siena. There, you can visit the famous Piazza del Campo, the main square where the people from Siena (“i senesi”) organize, twice a year, a medieval horse race known as Il Palio. Facing the square there is the beautiful tour Torre del Mangia, where if you wish, you can climb up to the top to admire a marvelous view of the city. You can also visit the Duomo which is a gothic style cathedral. At the end of the morning, you will have lunch in a quaint restaurant in Piazza del Campo. Once home, and after having rested, Carlo will prepare a healthy Tuscan dinner at La Locanda.

Day 5: Suggested tour to Florence. Today, you will enjoy a grand trip to Florence and discover the Renaissance. While in Florence, you can do as you choose: shop, relax at a café, discover the historical treasures of Florence by visiting the museums (the Uffizi and the Galleria dell’Accademia where you can see masterpieces by Giotto, Boticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, just to name a few), walk the gardens and famous piazzas like Santa Croce. You will enjoy a tasty lunch (on your own terms) at a local Florentine restaurant. Catching the bus not too late, you will make it back to Arcidosso in time for dinner at La Locanda.

Day 6: Suggested seaside tour. Today, you will enjoy a trip to the seacoast to the pretty seaside village of Castiglione della Pescaia. This old fishing village stands up high on a hill with its castle looking over the turquoise bay. You will enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant. In the evening, you will enjoy your farewell dinner in Arcidosso at La Locanda.

Day 7: Departure. After breakfast, transfer back to Grosseto.

Faculty Information:
The owner of La Locanda del Prete and its master chef, will instruct you during the cooking class. He is quite a celebrity in Arcidosso and the surrounding area for his entrepreneurial endeavors and creativity. The guests can learn genuine Southern Tuscan dishes. All classes, taught in a large, rustic, authentic Tuscan kitchen, are hands-on and include local wine.

Other Activities:
There are two guided excursions to the nearby villages of Mount Amiata, Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano. You will be immersed into the local culture as if you were a member of the family. The villages of Monte Amiata are as yet unexploited by tourism and many villagers earn a living by farming and producing beautiful, hand-made artisan craft work, such as glass-blowing and ceramics. In Montalcino you will participate in a wine tasting, in Pienza you can sample some of the world's finest "Pecorino" (sheep) cheese and in Montepulciano you can indulge in the acclaimed Tuscan red wine known as "Il Vino Nobile di Montepulciano". On the non-guided days, you will be instructed on how to conveniently catch the bus or train to suggested destinations such as: Florence, Siena and the beautiful seaside village of Castiglione della Pescaia, or you can arrange for a local English-speaking guide and private transportation.

Facility Information:
Arcidosso (Province of Grosseto) – On the outskirts of a small Medieval village on the slopes of Monte Amiata, the highest mountain in southern Tuscany that once was worshiped by the Etruscans. Located one hour away from the coast, 45 minutes from Siena, one and half hours from Florence, and two and a half hours north of Rome. Arcidosso was selected as one of "The Most Beautiful Villages in Tuscany ”, in the famous book of the same name by James Bentley.

“La Locanda del Prete” has a magnificent view of the village of Arcidosso and its striking medieval Castle. Traditional Tuscan furnishings make this bed and breakfast quaint, cozy and quintessentially Tuscan. There are five bedrooms available at La Locanda del Prete, each with it's own private bathroom. There is also satellite TV in every room and a shared internet point in a private room on the first floor. The first floor of La Locanda del Prete is where the trattoria restaurant is located. The bedrooms are located on the second floor.

Notes:
The prices shown are per person double occupancy rates. There is a $350 - $450 Single Occupancy Surcharge.

Price Includes:

- 6 nights accommodations at Locanda del Prete Bed and Breakfast, located on the outskirts of Arcidosso, province of Grosseto
- All breakfasts and dinners as indicated in the itinerary
- Small groups: 4 to 10 people
- Wine tasting in Montalcino as indicated in the itinerary
- Two days of guided excursions to the enchanting towns of Monte Amiata (Santa Fiora), Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino and home of the Vino Nobile and Brunello wines
- One cooking course featuring "La Cucina Povera Toscana" (Tuscan Country Cooking)
- All transportation (including transfers to and from Grosseto).

Also see Vacation Schools in:
Cooking schools   Europe   Italy  

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