Italy Cooking Vacation: Cook Under the Tuscan Sun

Cook Under the Tuscan Sun - BEST SELLER
Cortona, Tuscany

Next > < Previous

Located just three kilometers from the historical city of Cortona, famous for its hidden treasures and gorgeous landscapes, Il Falconiere is a small, luxury hotel in the heart of Tuscany. Within easy reach of Montepulciano, Pienza, Arezzo, Perugia, Assisi and Siena, and not far from Orvieto and Florence, Il Falconiere puts you in the heart of Italy.

The hotel’s 22 bedrooms and suites are decorated individually and boast amazing views over the vineyards and the olive groves. The simple combination of antique furnishings and magnificent fabrics creates a scene of timeless elegance and comfort. Each bedroom is individually designed and decorated by your hosts to give it a unique feel. The estate also boasts a famed 1* Michelin restaurant, a beautiful spa, and of course the Baracchi Winery, run by your host Riccardo.

Il Falconiere was for many generations the Baracchi family house before being made into a luxury hotel. The owners, Riccardo and Silvia Baracchi, manage the property and personally take care of the guests, giving the hotel a warm and inviting atmosphere, like staying at a friend’s gorgeous, sumptuous villa.

Your classes will be conducted under the supervision of owner and host Silvia Baracchi. Your teacher will be either Sivlia, or one of the other wonderful restaurant chefs, Richard or Salah. The classes are held in a teaching kitchen dedicated for the lessons. They all embrace the same easy approach to the secrets of Tuscan cuisine, and will introduce you to recipes that you will be able to replicate when you return home. Il Falconiere Cooking School will increase your natural love for food and provide you with the skills you need to translate this love into beautiful and imaginative cuisine.

Cook Under the Tuscan Sun - BEST SELLER Itinerary

Day 1

Sample itinerary: order of activities subject to change.

  • Welcome cocktail around 7:30 pm with Silvia & Riccardo Baracchi, your hosts.
  • The aperitif will be followed by a delicious dinner “a la Carte” in the hotel’s famed restaurant.

Day 2

  • Breakfast.
  • In the morning a guided sightseeing tour of Cortona for a visit of this charming city, setting of the book and movie “Under the Tuscan Sun.” If possible, we will stop also at the weekly market to buy ingredients for the lesson.
  • Lunch in Cortona included in 6-night itinerary. (Lunch on your own for the 3-night itinerary).
  • Return to Il Falconiere for your 4:00 pm cooking lesson featuring Etruscan cuisine. This menu based on the ancient Etruscan civilization and its influences might include: traditional wild herb pie with parmesan fondue, “gnudi” pasta with ricotta cheese, local lamb in a crust of Tuscan bread, sautéed greens, and berry cake with mascarpone cheese mousse.
  • Dinner to follow based on your efforts, wine included.

Day 3

  • Breakfast.
  • After breakfast, your next cooking lesson, “Pane, olio e fantasia” (bread, oil and imagination”). Your menu might include: stuffed eggplant with almond, tomato confit and basil; pici pasta with traditional ragout; veal medallion stuffed with black olives and orange flavors; flaky pastry with pears and peanuts served with melted chocolate.
  • Lunch to follow accompanied by great Tuscan wines.
  • Afternoon at leisure, you can relax in the Thesan Spa (which has a Sauna, Turkish bath, Hydro massage pool, and Chromo Emotional shower) and perhaps schedule a wine therapy relaxation massage .
  • Around 7.00 pm visit the Baracchi Winery with wine and local product tasting and receive your cooking certificate. (This is usually enough for dinner, but if you want a formal dinner, it can be had at an additional expense in the hotel restaurant.)
  • Dinner this evening on your own.

Day 4

  • After breakfast depart around 9.00 am for a guided sightseeing tour of either Assisi or Arezzo.
  • Lunch break in a typical Umbrian Restaurant with wine tasting of the finest Umbrian wines.
  • Around 4.00 pm, a cheese making lesson and special dinner in the kitchen with Silvia.

Day 5

  • Breakfast, then a visit to the local open air market. At the market you will help select vegetables and the other ingredients to use during your class.
  • Lunch with local specialties.
  • Wine tour of the Baracchi winery with wine tasting.
  • At 4:00 pm leave for the Locanda del Molino for your third cooking lesson, “The many flavors of Tuscany.” Your menu might include: pansanella, pici pasta with tomato and aromatic herb sauce, tagliatelle with duck sauce, ricotta and nettle ravioli served with sage and butter, scottiglia with polenta, lattaiolo.
  • Dinner to follow with a selection of Tuscan wines.

Day 6

  • Breakfast and departure from the hotel for a guided sightseeing tour of Pienza & Montepulciano.
  • Break for lunch at a local establishment during your excursion.
  • Return to the Relais in time for your last cooking lesson, “Fish and its Secrets.” The menu might include: basic fish broth, bacon-wrapped scallops with potato puree and bay leaves, ricotta gnocchi with sea food and saffron sauce, casserole of monkfish and scampi, napoleon of custard and pears with melted chocolate and pine nuts.
  • Farewell dinner to follow.

Day 7

  • Breakfast.
  • Departure.

Back to Top