Savoring Emilia-Romagna & Tuscany
Check into your hotel in Bologna’s Historic Center. Late afternoon Insider’s Walking Tour visiting the medieval towers, Santo Stefano and many beautiful palazzi. Al fresco dinner at the best restaurant serving traditional signature dishes prepared for us.
We’ll shop in our colorful market with Mary Beth for fresh produce and visit the best stores for Italian cookware and tabletop accessories. Ready to cook great La Cucina Italiana? Onto our palazzo for cooking in our professional kitchen with Italian chefs...
Exclusive pasta class with our professional sfoglina, Italian pasta chef. You’ll make delicate fresh pasta today for our luncheon followed by our Tasting of Aged Balsamic Vinegars. Alongside the chefs, you’ll cook scrumptious dishes for our full-menu of l'antipasti, pasta, ragu bolognese, seasonal main dish with fresh vegetables and dessert, paired with exceptional wines. Evening free for the jazz clubs.
Watch huge cauldrons of boiling milk transformed into golden wheels of Parmigiano-
Reggiano then indulge in an on-site tasting. Traveling through Tuscany reminds you
of a movie set. In the Chianti countryside is an excellent trattoria known to the
locals, often we’re the only non-Italians there - perfect! Watch the chef grill our lunch while sipping Chianti.
Imagine overlooking a Tuscan valley while making dinner? That’s exactly what you’ll do on the wine estate with the Tuscan chefs - make a delicious dinner together. Each dish is expertly paired with the estate’s wines. Later, stroll under the stars.
"It was a magnificent week that nourished body & mind...a week that surpassed my expectations and will linger long in my memory. Warm thanks." ~ Loys M., New York
"The class was everything…and more…than we hoped it would be! The amount of cooking and sight-seeing was perfect, and you did such a great job of making sure each participant was involved."
~ Tom & Linda W., California
Walk through the Vineyards and Olive Groves: Learn about the vines and olive trees, their cultivation and harvest. Special Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello tasting arranged for us. Tuscan varietal extra-virgin olive oil tasting, too, followed by a country luncheon. Hands-on cooking class with the chefs preparing our food-and-wine paired dinner.
Siena remains a medieval city filled with amazing architecture and host of
the famous Palio horse race. UNESCO selected Siena’s Historic Center as one of
Italy’s precious treasures. There is a very special borgo, dating back to the XIV-century which overlooks the Val di Chiana, with a truly outstanding restaurant for our Grand
Finale Dinner.
In tiny Greve in Chianti, a principal town in this wine region, we visit one of the oldest and most respected butcher shops in Italy. Taste wines and sample their famous homemade prosciutto, salame and cured specialty meats for our private lunch. Check into the beautiful deluxe hotel, in Florence’s Historic Center near the Uffizi Gallery. Explore this fascinating symbol of the Renaissance!
