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Cooking in the Heart of Chianti - NEW
Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Tuscany
About the location: Tavarnelle is Italian for tavern, and in this quaint town of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa among the Tuscan hills, you’ll be greeted with open arms. Tucked away in the Pesa Valley in the heart of the Chianti countryside, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa offers a relaxing and peaceful getaway that is perfectly situated between the major cities of Florence and Siena, which once placed it on the royal road that connected Florence to Rome. Today, the town continues to be known for its monasteries and churches — particularly the Badia di Passignano from the Middle Ages — but it offers something more than that too. The medieval town’s economy continues to thrive based on shoe making and paper making as well as the production of wheat, grapes, and olives that supply many in Tuscany and beyond.
About the accommodations: Just a short walk from Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Borgo di Cortefreda offers a relaxing getaway, where you will be greeted and treated like family. The classic double rooms are spacious, which is not often the case in Italy, and are decorated in a rustic but modern style; the rooms include a bath, telephone, hair dryer, satellite TV, fridge, air conditioning, and a balcony or terrace. The hotel also features a beautiful pool on the terrace, with its stunning views of the valley and surrounding countryside.
About the cooking lessons: Chef Paolo Del Monte may be young, but he’s already worked in a variety of restaurants, including Da Caino, a two star Michelin-rated restaurant. In your hands-on classes, Chef Paolo will teach you to prepare every part of a seasonal, traditional Tuscan meal — from the appetizer to the full entree — using local and organic ingredients. A hands-on cooking class in the Chianti region would not be complete without some local wines, so Chef Paolo will also teach you how to pair wines with foods. When not in the hotel kitchen, you will also discover where the food you’re cooking comes from by visiting the local butcher as well as enjoying a private trip to the outdoor market, among other excursions.
- Arrive at Florence airport and transfer by private car to Borgo di Cortefreda Resort in the heart of Chianti Classico. Check into your room.
- Enjoy a welcome cocktail with the restaurant manager, Massimiliano, who will introduce you to your culinary week in Tuscany.
- Welcome dinner and overnight.
- Buffet breakfast.
- In the morning, begin your first hands-on cooking lesson with the chef and learn how to prepare tuscan appetizers and a first seasonal course.
- Lunch to follow based on your efforts; Chianti classico wine included.
- In the afternoon, your host Massimiliano will drive you to a small and authentic wine cellar near Tavarnelle. While visiting the cellar, taste some wines along with tuscan bruschette.
- Dinner at the hotel and overnight.
- Buffet breakfast.
- Meet the chef for your second cooking lesson, which will focus on fresh pasta and different kinds of sauces.
- Lunch to follow based on your efforts; A glass of chianti wine is included.
- In the afternoon, depart for a half-day excursion to the village of Greve in Chianti. You will visit the butcher, “Il Falorni,” as well as the medieval village of Montefioralle, which is famous for its amazing views of Greve Valley. The afternoon will wrap up on a wine estate for various wine tastings.
- Dinner tonight at the beautiful restaurant “Le Scuderie” in Badia a Passignano.
- Return back to Corte Freda for overnight.
- Buffet breakfast.
- In the morning, take a private excursion to the outdoor market in Certaldo to buy fresh ingredients for your afternoon cooking lesson. Certaldo is famous for its red and sweet onions and because it was the poet Boccaccio’s native village. You will also visit “Certaldo Alto,” a medieval village with a wonderful view of the Elsa Valley.
- Light lunch in a local trattoria and then return back to Corte Freda.
- In the afternoon, begin your third cooking class with the chef and prepare a tuscan main course with seasonal sidedishes.
- Dinner based on your efforts will follow with Chianti wine.
- Overnight.
- For those on the 4-night program, buffet breakfast and checkout. Private transfer to Florence airport or the city center.
- For those on the 6-night program, depart after a buffet breakfast for an unforgettable full-day excursion to the medieval village of San Gimignano with its original “skyline” and to Volterra, which is famous for the alabaster craftworks.
- Lunch on own in San Gimignano with some time to explore the city. Return back to Tavarnelle late in the afternoon.
- Dinner in a local trattoria in Tavarnelle.
- Overnight.
- Buffet breakfast.
- Meet the chef for your final cooking lesson, which will focus on the preparation of a full Tuscan meal.
- Lunch to follow based on your efforts; wine included.
- In the afternoon, depart for an excursion in Siena, which is famous all over the world for the horse race “Il Palio.”
- Return back to Cortefreda for your farewell dinner. Overnight.
- Buffet breakfast and checkout.
- Private transfer to Florence airport or the city center.
