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 Francesca Maria Boni, an engaging, enthusiastic Florentine cook, who brings to the kitchen the knowledge and creativity of three generations of Tuscan cooks. Fluent in five languages, Francesca began her studies in literature and languages, but soon decided to get out of the library and into the kitchen. She has traveled the world learning local cuisines and sharing her love of the simple, healthy dishes served at her grandmother’s table. She returned to Florence with a renewed desire to share her philosophy that fresh and local ingredients treated with respect are the keys to creating flavorful Tuscan dishes.

When cooking with Francesca, you will understand why she says “Among virtually every culture on Earth, anything worth doing is best done over dinner. Bring out a steaming plate of handcrafted pasta cooked al dente, dressed with a savory sauce made from vine-ripened tomatoes and basil, both just picked from the garden, garnished only with a ribbon of extra virgin olive oil, and rifts can be healed, pacts sealed, love revealed.” Francesca teaches that the less you manipulate ingredients, the greater the flavor: “Less is more.” Tuscan cooking depends on the seasons: for example, in the spring, garden-fresh baccelli (fava beans) are tossed with Marzolino (the fresh sheep’s-milk cheese made in the spring) and served with involtini (fresh artichokes wrapped in mortadella and tender veal, simmered in a fresh tomato sauce). In the summer, panzanella (a Tuscan bread salad with tomato, cucumber and onion) pairs with delicate slices of roast pork loin served with a porcini mushroom reduction. In the fall, handcrafted pappardelle noodles are tossed with a hearty wild boar sauce. Francesca enhances your cooking lesson with an in-depth discussion of wine pairing, with the fine Villa Mangiacane wines and grappas. 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 Francesca 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 Francesca this morning.
  • Lunch to follow based on your efforts.
  • In the late afternoon, around 4:30 p.m., depart for an excursion into the Chianti Classico area. Visit the charming village of Greve in Chianti with its covered archways, browse the quaint shops, and visit the famous Falorni butcher shop.
  • Dinner will be at “Le Antiche Scuderie” in Passignano, known for its famous abbey built in 1049 , which was founded on an isolated site reachable via a branch of the road known in medieval times as the “strada senese del Sambuco,” the route to Siena preferred by the Florentines until at least the year 1200.
  • Return to Villa Mangiacane and overnight.
  • Breakfast.
  • The morning and early afternoon is free for individual activities: enjoy one of the villa’s pools or relax in the indoor wellness area.
  • 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.