Cookery holiday in Chianti
The Cuisine of Chianti – Cookery in Tuscany
This is a 6 night holiday focused on cookery in Italy and especially Tuscany. There are hands-on cookery classes at the Relais Villa Belpoggio in Chianti plus wine-tasting, visits to a local cheese factory, a local bakery and the historic city of Florence. During your stay most lunches and dinners with wine are included and you can explore the Villa’s extensive and carefully tended grounds at any time, along with its unique swimming pool – formed from a former storage facility for the estate’s water. Cookery in Italy doesn't get much more exciting.
About the cookery
Cookery in Italy is a a fast-growing authentic experience holiday, and Tuscany contains some of the finest and best-known cuisine in Italy. This holiday is cookery in Tuscany at its best. The cookery classes are held at Relais Villa Belpoggio and a cookery school in Florence. The Villa’s lessons are taken by English-speaking chef, Andrea Campani, who cooks using local, mainly organic, produce. All classes are hands-on and each participant will be invited to input ideas on menus and techniques. The emphasis is on explaining and instructing you in traditional cooking methods and regional dishes. Each of the four lessons lasts between two and three hours and is followed by a meal together. You are provided with a recipe booklet.
Where you stay
The Relais Villa Belpoggio is a boutique hotel of only 10 rooms and two apartments, in the countryside near the village of Loro Ciuffenna just 35 kms from Florence in the direction of Arezzo. It is set in a secluded part of the valley of the River Arno, upstream from Florence, and its belvedere looks out over the valley and its wooded hills. Hills, woods, fields, olive groves and vineyards are all to be found nearby. The Villa dates back to the 17th Century, having been built for the aristocratic Fiorilli family. Today it is a boutique hotel, run by a husband and wife team and combines charm and cosiness with high standards of service and comfort, thanks to a painstaking restoration first begun in 2003. Facilities at the hotel include its swimming pool for summer use, a nearby tennis court, and the opportunity to exercise your horse riding skills. The hotel is about 2 hours’ drive from Pisa airport.
All rooms have bath or shower and WC, air-conditioning, heating, telephone, wi-fi internet access, in-room entertainment system with satellite TV, mini-bar and safe.
We include a classic double in our basic price but the apartments are also available at a supplement.
Day by day itinerary
Day One: Depart from London Gatwick on a British Airways flight to Pisa or Bologna (choice of flight times, subject to availability), where you will pick up your hire car from the airport. The journey time is about two hours. If you want to travel by another airline, or to another airport or have a transfer to the hotel, we can adjust the details and the price for you. Once you have checked in to the Villa, there is time to explore it and its grounds, perhaps enjoying a sandwich or tea and cakes before your invitation to join a guided tour at 6.30 taking you through the history of the villa and its gardens. This is followed by an appetiser with the owners or their representatives and then at 7.30 you enjoy a seasonal gourmet dinner, with selected wines to accompany each course.
Day Two: In the morning after breakfast there is an orientation visit to a nearby bakery in the village of Chiassaia, where you will be invited to make your very own “schiacciata”(a Tuscan speciality light lunch) by the baker. Lunch consists of the fruits of your labour after a pleasant walk in the surroundings. The first cookery lesson proper will be in the Villa that afternoon. This two hour session is hands-on and provides an insight into the preparation of regional dishes as well as traditional cooking methods. At the end of the session, you share the evening meal together.
Day Three: After breakfast your day begins with a visit to Florence and in particular its historic central market. Your chef will initiate you into the delights of selecting the best produce and other ingredients. A brief tour of central Florence will take place before proceeding to the “In Tavola” school of cooking, near the Pitti Palace, for the second cooking lesson followed by lunch. A further short tour of the gardens of the Palace will be followed by your return to the villa and a light dinner.
Day Four: This is a rest day and after breakfast you can head out to enjoy destinations of your choice. The choice is huge as the villa stands within the triangle formed by Florence, Arezzo and Siena. If you don’t have a hire car, then we can arrange chauffeured excursions at supplementary cost. The Villa will provide many and varied suggestions for places to explore. Lunch and dinner are not included today, giving you the chance to discover other gastronomic delights upon which the Villa will be more than happy to advise you.
Day Five: The day begins after breakfast with a visit to a cheese maker. He will show you how he makes at least two varieties of cheese, and lunch will consist of the opportunity to sample his wares and other local produce. A return to the Villa in the afternoon heralds another cookery lesson. Once again it is hands-on and will focus on yet more aspects of regional dishes and traditional Italian methods of cooking. A meal together follows the course in the evening.
Day Six: The morning is again free for visits or just a walk to discover the local countryside. You can relax beside the pool or go out for a spot of sightseeing. Lunch is not included today, but of course can be taken at a local, recommended, restaurant. The cookery course starts again in the afternoon. This will be three hours of hands-on instruction in the preparation of local dishes. At the end you celebrate with the chef, have dinner together and you are presented with a recipe booklet and enjoy a final ‘arrivederci’ toast.
Day Seven: A leisurely breakfast and then some free time before a departure for the journey of about two hours back to Pisa or Bologna airport for your return flight.
Dates and prices
The holiday operates in 2012 on the following dates:
6 to 12 May
24 to 30 June
2 to 8 September
14 to 20 October
Price per person:
From £1840
Supplement per person:
£80 for single occupancy of a double room
Reduction per person per stay:
£175 for not participating in the cookery course but still joining in with the group meals
Deposit payment required:
£250 per person
What’s included:
• Flights in Euro Traveller with British Airways London to Pisa or Bologna return
• Basic car hire (Group B) from Pisa or Bologna airport
• Six nights in a double room with buffet breakfast
• Five dinners at the villa with wine tasting, consisting of a glass of each of two selected wines, three lunches taken on excursions
• Four cookery classes each of 2 to 3 hours’ duration
Prices are based on two people sharing a double or twin room and are based on 8 people taking part. If there are fewer than 8 participating, the price may be increased. Afternoon tea and pre-dinner drinks are available at additional cost.
Alternative travel arrangements
If you want us to arrange flights on other dates allowing you more time in Italy before and/or after the course, if you want to fly into and out of a different airport or fly at different times to the ones suggested, if you want the use transfers from and to the airport or if you want to travel out and back by train instead of flying, all this is possible. Just discuss your travel plans with us and we will adjust the details and the price accordingly.
Important information
This holiday is for a maximum of 8 people. Flight times are subject to alteration and are confirmed at the time of booking. We reserve the right to consolidate departure dates if there are insufficient numbers for any of the departure dates. Our booking conditions apply to this holiday.