Cooking Under the Tuscan Sun: Best Food & Wine Tours in Cortona 2026

Please see the 2026 sample itinerary below, keeping in mind that the order of activities is always subject to change, and there can be seasonal variations to the excursions, depending on the week. The excursions can also be customized on request! 

• Welcome cocktail this evening with Silvia Baracchi, your host for your Tuscany cooking vacation and Tuscany wine tour.
• The aperitif will be followed by a delicious dinner in the hotel’s famed Michelin-star restaurant.
• Overnight.

• After breakfast, your first cooking lesson of your Tuscany cooking vacation, perhaps based on Frances Mayes’s famous stay in Tuscany immortalized in the book and movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
• Lunch to follow accompanied by great Tuscan wines.
• In the afternoon, get ready for a fantastic guided sightseeing tour of Cortona, a charming hilltop town that inspired the book and later became the setting for the beloved movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
• The day will conclude with a delightful dinner at a local restaurant, where you can enjoy authentic Tuscan flavors in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
• Overnight.

• Breakfast.
• After breakfast, prepare to be captivated by the beautiful landscapes of the Val d’Orcia, where the colors and atmosphere shift beautifully with the changing seasons, offering a unique and unforgettable Tuscan experience.
  In the Val d’Orcia you will find outstanding wineries, passionate local producers, and charming hilltop towns nestled among the rolling countryside.
• One possible visit this morning is of the ancient mill Castello di Spedaletto, which in the Middle Ages stored the grain produced in the Val d’Orcia and provided hospitality to pilgrims traveling along the Via Francigena.
  During the guided tour of the mill, you will learn about the history, architecture, and the traditional role of the mill within the local rural community.
• After the visit, you can enjoy a farm-to-table lunch at the local trattoria , located right next to the castle’s mill.
• Alternately, you might visit a local farm that dates back to 1208, Tenuta La Fratta, where the famous Chianina beef finds its origin. La Fratta is a living place, not a museum: family-run and deeply tied to its history, it is a true gem of the Tuscan countryside. It has preserved its authentic soul for centuries. It tells a story of passion: more than 400 cattle are raised here, fed with organic fodder from their own fields. Every detail of the animals’ care is guided by passion and respect, ensuring quality from the land to the table. In fact the visit will be followed by a lunch at La Toraia restaurant that is a true tasting center for Chianina beef in its land of origin. The restaurant serves exclusively meat from their own herds.
• While Chianina is world-famous for the iconic Bistecca alla Fiorentina, their philosophy honors tradition by valuing every part of the animal and all the ingredients the land provides.
• You’ll dine at tables crafted from old mangers, surrounded by the authentic history of the farm, with the nameplates of the farm’s legendary bulls still displayed on the walls.
• Return to Il Falconiere in the afternoon for the next cooking lesson of your Italy food tour.
• Dinner to follow based on your efforts, wine included.

• Enjoy a leisurely breakfast.
• Today head out for a local experience in the nearby, lush region of Umbria. Here, in the small village of Torgiano, discover one of the most essential ingredients in Italian – and global – cuisine: flour. Where the Chiascio stream flows into the Tiber, near a small waterfall, the ancient stone mills of Mulino Silvestri still turn, just as they did a thousand years ago. The mill’s history is deeply connected to the Benedictine monks who once settled in this area.
• All the grains processed here, such as wheat and spelt, are grown organically by trusted local farmers. The mill operates using renewable energy, and in the small on-site shop, visitors can purchase not only the flours but also pasta and other products made with the mill’s grains by selected local artisans.
• Lunch in town.
• Head back to the estate for your next hands-on cooking class.
• Dinner to follow based on your efforts.
• Overnight.

• Breakfast, then morning at leisure.
• Around noon enjoy a tour of the vineyards and winery of the Baracchi estate,  including a guided walking tour through the vineyards and an in-depth explanation of winemaking, followed by the sabrage of the estate’s Metodo Classico. Three course lunch with wine pairing to follow.
• Back at the Relais, enjoy the next cooking lesson of your cooking in Tuscany tour, perhaps based on Etruscan cuisine.
• Dinner to follow.
• Overnight.

• Breakfast.
• For the final day of your cooking journey, the Chef invites you to explore another of our culinary treasures deeply rooted in the local land: cheese.
  You’ll start with something as simple and pure as fresh milk, and step by step, you’ll transform it with your own hands into pecorino, ricotta, and raveggiolo — the beloved cheeses of our tradition. The cheeses you create, fresh and full of life, will be the heart of the dishes you’ll prepare today — a perfect celebration of everything you’ve discovered and experienced on this unforgettable journey.
• The lesson is followed by lunch with wine.
• Afternoon at leisure. You might head to the spa, taxi into Cortona, or just enjoy sitting on the terrace.
• This evening brings a special new experience: dinner at Locanda del Molino, the beloved sister restaurant of Il Falconiere. Here, in a warm and welcoming atmosphere that feels like home, you’ll enjoy a delicious, authentic local meal.
• Overnight.

• Breakfast.
• Departure. (Transfers can be organize to the local train station, Florence, or Rome on request.) We hope you have enjoyed your Tuscan culinary vacation and Tuscany wine tours and we await your return!