Cooking Under the Tuscan Sun
Cooking Under the Tuscan Sun
This trip is eligible for our Worry-Free Booking promotion.
Featured on NBC Extra’s Mansions & Millionaires, September 2014.
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 and an ideal destination for Italy food tours and Tuscany wine tours. 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!
Il Falconiere was for many generations the Baracchi family house before it was converted into a luxury hotel. The owners, Riccardo and Silvia Baracchi, manage the property and personally take care of the guests who participate on our Tuscany cooking vacations, giving the hotel a warm and inviting atmosphere, like staying at a friend’s gorgeous, sumptuous villa.
Cortona is the famed setting of Francis Mayes’ book Under the Tuscan Sun (and the film based on it starring Diane Lane), and the town is just as charming and picturesque as you would want for your Tuscany culinary vacation. Cortona was an Etruscan city in ancient times, but it now is part of the region of Tuscany. Its ancient roots and its location near the border of Tuscany and neighboring Umbria make it a fascinating town to explore during our Tuscany food tours and Tuscany wine tours.
Our Tuscany cooking vacations near Cortona of course include plenty of exploring of this beautiful town, but also hands-on Tuscan cooking classes. Chef Silvia has turned the estate’s restaurant into a world-class Michelin-star dining destination, and she or her chefs will lead the cooking classes during your cooking in Tuscany tour. Chef Silvia’s pride in her work is manifest in every bite as she teaches you the art of Tuscany cuisine.
Riccardo is in charge of the estate’s winery, which you explore on our Tuscany wine tours complete with a guided tasting of their wonderful wines accompanied by delicious dishes. What could be more special than drinking a glass of fine Tuscan wine while gazing out over the vineyards that produced it?
Rounding out the week are excursions to local sites of interest, including gastronomic visits during our Tuscany food tours to taste the local products. Come join us under the Tuscan sun for this once-in-a-lifetime Italy food tour!
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Trip Details
Four of your cooking classes will teach you traditional Tuscan recipes with Chef-Owner Silvia Baracchi, or one of the other restaurant chefs. Your fifth class will be a special cheese-makign class! This is a cooking school experience for students of all levels, and the kitchen is located in a charming house where you can relax while getting to know the cuisine of the region. The Tuscan 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, even once you return home. The cheese-making course will feature milk from a local dairy, and another will incorporate produce from a local farm you will visit.
A sample menu for one of your classes might include:
- Eggplant roll with prosciutto and mozzarella, pici pasta with tomatoes and herbs, beef loin with shallots and balsamic, and poached pear with cheese and sabayon.
Itinerary
Day One
Sample itinerary: order of activities subject to change.
- Welcome cocktail around 8:00 pm with Silvia & Riccardo Baracchi, your hosts 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.
Day Two
- 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. Your menu might include: eggplant roll with prosciutto and mozzarella, pici pasta with tomatoes and herbs, beef loin with shallots and balsamic, and poached pear with cheese and sabayon.
- 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 .
- In the evening, take a guided walk around Baracchi’s vineyards and winery on a Tuscany wine tour and learn about the process of wine making, from the vineyard to the bottle.
- A wine tasting will follow with dinner at the restaurant.
Day Three
- Breakfast.
- In the morning your Tuscany food tour will continue with a guided sightseeing tour of Cortona, setting of the book and movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
- Lunch at Bottega Baracchi, your hosts’ Tuscan Bistro in town.
- Return to Il Falconiere for the next cooking lesson of your Italy food tour.
- Dinner to follow based on your efforts, wine included.
Day Four
- After breakfast your Tuscany culinary vacation continues when you depart for a visit to a local farm, where you will see sheep, chickens, rabbits, geese, and other animals. You will also get the milk for your cheese-making class, and will enjoy a light lunch featuring local products.
- This afternoon enjoy a visit of Montalcino and Montepulciano. You will love the stunning landscape of the Val d’Orcia, and will visit outstanding wineries on our Tuscany wine tours to taste the famed Rosso di Montepulciano and Brunello wines.
- Dinner back at the restaurant.
Day Five
- Breakfast, then your Tuscany culinary vacation continues with a visit of amazing little Tuscan towns, including Asciano, which is home to the Tuscan white truffle. Depending on the season, you might visit truffle hunters, or might enjoy a walk through the woods.
- Lunch out during the excursion based on local food specialties.
- Back at the Relais, enjoy the next cooking lesson of your cooking in Tuscany tour, based on Etruscan cuisine. Your menu 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.
Day Six
- Breakfast and continue your Italy food tour with a visit to a local vegetable producer close to the relais, where you will get some vegetables for your last class.
- This afternoon, transfer to the nearby Locanda del Molino in Cortona for the last cooking class of your Tuscany cooking vacation.
- Farewell dinner to follow.
Day Seven
- Breakfast.
- Departure. We hope you have enjoyed your Tuscan culinary vacation and Tuscany wine tours and we await your return!
Day One
Sample itinerary: order of activities subject to change.
- Welcome cocktail around 8:00 pm with Silvia & Riccardo Baracchi, your hosts.
- The aperitif will be followed by a delicious dinner in the hotel’s famed Michelin-star restaurant.
Day Two
- Breakfast.
- In the morning your Tuscany food tour will continue with a guided sightseeing tour of Cortona, setting of the book and movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
- Lunch at Bottega Baracchi, your hosts’ Tuscan Bistro in town.
- Return to Il Falconiere for 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. Your menu might include: eggplant roll with prosciutto and mozzarella, pici pasta with tomatoes and herbs, beef loin with shallots and balsamic, and poached pear with cheese and sabayon.
- Dinner to follow based on your efforts.
Day Three
- Breakfast.
- In the morning, your next cooking class, lunch to follow based on your efforts.
- 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 .
- In the evening, take a guided walk around Baracchi’s vineyards and winery on a Tuscany wine tour and learn about the process of wine making, from the vineyard to the bottle.
- A wine tasting will follow with dinner at the restaurant.
Day Four
- Breakfast.
- Departure. We hope you have enjoyed your Tuscan culinary vacation and Tuscany wine tours and we await your return!
Trip Details
Included in the 6-Night Trip
Accommodations
6 nights accommodations in a classic double or double twin room
Food & Beverages
- Daily breakfast
- 5 lunches
- 6 dinners
Classes & Instructors
Four of your cooking classes will teach you traditional Tuscan recipes with Chef-Owner Silvia Baracchi, or one of the other restaurant chefs. Your fifth class will be a special cheese-makign class! This is a cooking school experience for students of all levels, and the kitchen is located in a charming house where you can relax while getting to know the cuisine of the region. The Tuscan 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, even once you return home. The cheese-making course will feature milk from a local dairy, and another will incorporate produce from a local farm you will visit.
A sample menu for one of your classes might include:
- Eggplant roll with prosciutto and mozzarella, pici pasta with tomatoes and herbs, beef loin with shallots and balsamic, and poached pear with cheese and sabayon.
Excursions
- Guided visit of Cortona
- Visit to local farm with cheese making
- Visit to Montalcino and Montepulciano with winery visit/tasting
- Seasonal discovery of Tuscan towns such as Asicano
- Visit to a vegetable producer
Transfer Details
Transfers are not included but are available upon request.
Transfers must be arranged in advance, but are to be paid in cash locally:
- From Camucia-Cortona train station: 22 Euro each way
- From Florence: 275 Euro each way
- From Rome: 385 Euro each way
Included in the 3-Night Trip
Accommodations
3 nights accommodations in a classic double or double twin room
Food & Beverages
- Daily breakfast
- 2 lunches
- 3 dinners
Classes & Instructors
Your two cooking classes will teach you traditional Tuscan recipes with Chef-Owner Silvia Baracchi, or one of the other restaurant chefs. This is a Tuscan cooking school experience for students of all levels, and the kitchen is located in a charming house, where you can relax while getting to know the cuisine of the region. The Tuscan 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, even once you return home.
A sample menu for one of your classes might include:
- Zucchini flowers with ricotta cheese and basil, ‘Gnudi’ of Ricotta with baby vegetables and saffron sauce, chicken with Tuscan flavors, ‘Cantucci’ cookies.
Excursions
- Guided visit of Cortona
Transfer Details
Transfers are not included but are available upon request.
Transfers must be arranged in advance, but are to be paid in cash locally:
- From Camucia-Cortona train station: 22 Euro each way
- From Florence: 275 Euro each way
- From Rome: 385 Euro each way
Accommodation Information
Once a Tuscan villa, Il Falconiere was restored and turned into a luxurious countryside Relais, which is part of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux chain. The 22 rooms offer both elegance and comfort with their antique furnishings and wonderful fabrics as well as views of the olive groves and vineyards. The owners Riccardo and Silvia Baracchi are on-site, welcoming you to this wonderful getaway in the heart of Italy. The of the bedrooms and suites are decorated individually. The estate also boasts a famed 1* Michelin restaurant, a beautiful spa, and of course the Baracchi Winery, run by your host Riccardo.
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Pricing & Tour Dates
Looking for tour date information?
Pricing:
6-night Program
US$4350 per person based on double occupancy
- Add US$1090 for single occupancy (use of a double room by 1 person)
- Add US$425 per person to upgrade to Deluxe room
- Add US$900 per person to upgrade to Junior suite
- Add US$1375 per person to upgrade to Suite
- Add US$1945 per person to upgrade to Executive suite
- Add US$3100 per person to upgrade to Winery master suite
30% deposit due to confirm booking.
This trip is eligible for our “Worry-Free Booking” promotion*, which means your deposit is fully refundable up to 31 days prior to the trip start date. Questions? Please contact us!
*See our terms & conditions for details and exclusions.
Transfers also available on request:
From Rome: 385 Euro each way
From Florence: 275 Euro each way
From Camucia train station: 22 Euro each way
Transfers must be arranged in advance, but are to be paid locally.
Tour Dates
(Closed November 23 – April EXCEPT for New Year’s dates.)
Generally available the following weeks for a minimum of 2 people. Other start dates also available, please inquire.
2021
Sample dates:
April 18-24
April 25-May 1
May 2-8
May 9-15
May 16-22
May 30-June 5
June 6-12
June 13-19
June 20-26
June 27-July 3
July 4-10
July 11-17
July 18-24
July 25-31
August 1-7
August 8-14
August 15-21
August 22-28
August 29-September 4
September 5-11
September 12-18
September 19-25
September 26-October 2
October 3-9
October 10-16
October 17-23
October 24-30
October 31-November 6
November 7-13
November 14-20
2022
Sample dates:
April 3-9
April 10-16
April 17-23
April 24-30
May 1-7
May 8-14
May 15-21
May 22-28
May 29-June 4
June 5-11
June 12-18
June 19-25
June 26-July 2
July 3-9
July 10-16
July 17-23
July 24-30
July 31-August 6
August 7-13
August 14-20
August 21-27
August 28-September 3
September 4-10
September 11-17
September 18-24
September 25-October 1
October 2-8
October 19-15
October 16-22
October 23-29
October 30-November 5
November 6-12
November 13-19
November 20-26
Looking for tour date information?
Pricing:
3-night Program
US$1650 per person based on double occupancy
- Add US$540 for single occupancy (use of a double room by 1 person)
- Add US$225 per person to upgrade to Deluxe Room
- Add US$450 per person to upgrade to Junior Suite
- Add US$690 per person to upgrade to Suite
- Add US$990 per person to upgrade to Executive Suite
- Add US$1550 per person to upgrade to Winery Master Suite
30% deposit due to confirm booking.
This trip is eligible for our “Worry-Free Booking” promotion*, which means your deposit is fully refundable up to 31 days prior to the trip start date. Questions? Please contact us!
*See our terms & conditions for details and exclusions.
Transfers also available on request:
From Rome: 385 Euro each way
From Florence: 275 Euro each way
From Camucia train station: 22 Euro each way
Transfers must be arranged in advance, but are to be paid locally.
Tour Dates
(Closed November 23 – April EXCEPT for New Year’s dates.)
Generally available the following weeks for a minimum of 2 people. Other start dates also available, please inquire.
2021
Sample dates:
April 18-21
April 25-28
May 2-5
May 9-12
May 16-19
May 23-26
May 30-June 2
June 2-5
June 6-9
June 9-12
June 13-16
June 16-19
June 20-23
June 23-26
June 27-30
July 4-7
July 7-10
July 11-14
July 14-17
July 18-21
July 21-24
July 25-28
August 1-4
August 8-11
August 15-18
August 22-25
August 29-September 1
September 5-8
September 12-15
September 19-22
September 26-29
October 3-6
October 10-13
October 17-20
October 24-27
October 31-November 3
November 7-10
November 14-17
November 21-24
2022
Sample dates:
April 3-6
April 10-13
April 17-20
April 24-27
May 1-4
May 8-11
May 15-18
May 22-25
May 29-June 1
June 5-8
June 12-15
June 19-22
June 26-29
July 3-6
July 10-13
July 17-20
July 24-27
July 31-August 3
August 7-10
August 14-17
August 21-24
August 28-31
September 4-7
September 11-14
September 18-21
September 25-28
October 2-5
October 9-12
October 16-19
October 23-26
October 30-November 2
November 6-9
November 13-16
November 20-23
Reviews
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Country:
Italy
Region:
Tuscany
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