Tuscany Cooking Course: Luxury Lifestyle

A Luxury Lifestyle at Villa Mangiacane
San Casciano, Tuscany

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About the location: Enjoy your stay in Tuscany at the very special and exclusive Villa Mangiacane. Part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Villa Mangiacane is more than a hotel – it is a luxury private home that welcomes a few select guests in 26 opulent and eclectic rooms and suites. The Villa is located 12 kilometers from the magnificent artistic city of Florence, in the legendary winemaking region of Chianti Classico. The estate includes over 500 acres of vineyards and olive groves, producing from their 6000 trees a truly superb extra virgin olive oil, and from their vines a full-bodied Chianti Classico from Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino grape varieties and a marvelous Merlot. Fine modern wines are produced in a setting that offers old-world hospitality to guests.

Villa Mangiacane is a magnificent 16th-century villa bearing the unmistakable hand of Renaissance master Michelangelo and later Vasari. Once the home of the Machiavelli family and centuries later the Mazzei family, it was bought by a South African entrepreneur in 2000 and since brought back to its former splendor. Within the villa you will find restored original Renaissance frescoes together with paintings and sculptures from the 15th century up to and including 20th-century contemporary.

About the cooking lessons: Your classes will be held with Chef Massimo Bocus, a young, engaging and passionate culinary professional using Italian cuisine with an international twist. He started off studying law, but soon realized it severely limited his creativity. He immediately began working in restaurants to follow his previous and unconditional passion for the culinary arts. During his training, he was taught one golden rule: to respect food. As a chef, his goal is to learn, know and use as many products as possible. In order to give a complete view on cuisine he likes to use international products and create a unique way to mesh them together. He believes that food is more than “a way to feed your body.”

When cooking with Massimo, you will understand his theories: “Food is the frame of a society, it can easily change one’s mood, it can seal a memorable moment and a taste can bring back a distant memory.” You will also learn specialty dishes that vary with the seasons and include: handcrafted caserecce (pasta with broccoli), toasted pine nuts and black truffle, red tuna and porcini mushrooms sautèe on Tuscan bread soup or Irish beef loin filled with foie grass served with a Tuscan vin santo reduction. The historic uniqueness and beauty of Villa Mangiacane, combined with attentive service, guarantees that your stay will be a truly memorable and unforgettable experience.

A Luxury Lifestyle at Villa Mangiacane Itinerary

  • Transfer to Villa Mangiacane in the afternoon.
  • Check in and enjoy a welcome drink with fresh fruit in your room upon arrival.
  • Dinner tonight is in the villa’s restaurant, local wine included.
  • Overnight.
  • Buffet Breakfast.
  • In the morning meet in the villa’s kitchen for your first hands-on cooking class with Chef Massimo with lunch to follow based on your efforts.
  • In the late afternoon enjoy an accompanied visit to Villa Mangiacane’s wine cellars for a wine and olive oil tasting.
  • Dinner to follow at the villa, local wine included and overnight.
  • Buffet breakfast.
  • At 9:30 a.m., enjoy a full-day excursion to Siena and San Gimignano. Your driver will accompany you to these world-famous towns, where you will be free to explore on your own. Siena’s historical center has been declared by UNESCO, a world heritage site and San Gimignano is a small, walled medieval hill town in Tuscany, famous for its architecture and white wine, vernaccia.
  • Lunch on your own with suggestions from your driver.
  • At 5:00 p.m. meet your driver and return to Villa Mangiacane.
  • Dinner tonight at the villa, local wine included.
  • Overnight.
  • After breakfast, enjoy your second hands-on cooking class with Chef Massimo this morning.
  • Lunch to follow based on your efforts.
  • In the late afternoon, around 4:30 p.m. depart for an excursion into another part of the Chianti Classico area. Visit other important wine-making towns of Radda in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti with their quaint alleys.
  • Along the way, stop at a winery for a visit and tasting.
  • Dinner tonight will be in a nearby village of just a few houses at a characteristic trattoria, local wine included.
  • Return to Villa Mangiacane and overnight.
  • Breakfast.
  • The morning and early afternoon is free for individual activities: enjoy one of the villa’s pools, relax in the indoor wellness area, or use the Naduschka Spa.
  • You may also want to explore the nearby town of San Casciano or venture to the Prada and Gucci outlets (please inquire).
  • Today’s lunch on your own.
  • In the late afternoon meet in the kitchen for your last hands-on cooking class.
  • A reluctant farewell dinner to follow based on your efforts, local wine included.
  • Overnight.
  • Breakfast followed by check-out.