Check into your hotel in Bologna's Historic Center. Late afternoon Insider's Walking Tour exploring this Historic heart of the city. Learn about Bolognese daily life and customs, shopping, museums and nightlife so you enjoy your stay in great Italian style.
During our al fresco dinner at Bologna's best traditional restaurant, our cooking course begins tonight. We’ll sit under the stars while enjoying classic Bolognese specialties and appreciating the art of the Italian meal. It’s a delightful evening welcome to our week.
We'll shop in Bologna's outdoor market for fresh seasonal ingredients for our
cooking class. Visit the best Italian specialty food and cookware shops. Onto our
beautiful private palazzo for our hands-on cooking classes with Italian chefs
and Mary Beth...Ready to become a fabulous cook?
This is a really fun day, learning important techniques for our delicious multi-course
luncheon. We always have a wonderful time in our Regional Artisan Food Tasting of
Balsamic Vinegars, tasting different ages and styles, then we'll cook with them, too! Standing next to the chefs, together we'll make antipasto,
creamy
risotto, a seasonal main dish with fresh vegetables and wine sauce. The ultimate finish is a luscious dessert we've made in class. Evening at
your leisure.
Half-day excursion driving through the lovely Emilian countryside, lush with orchards, vermillion poppies and tendrils of roses cascading down village houses. We have two incredible experiences meeting Culinary Artisans today. Both private estate visits are exclusive, behind-the-scenes, and are not available to tourists.
Watch Parmigiano-Reggiano made by a gold-medal winning cheese master, then savor this outstanding cheese with him during our tasting. Near Modena, we'll visit one of the few remaining traditional acetaia, learning the process for aging balsamic vinegar in heirloom wooden barrels. Taste this treasure with our friends, an award-winning family devoted to preserving the method for making Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. Afternoon and evening at your leisure.
"The daily experiences as we shared cutting, pounding, stirring, rolling and eating were very much about camraderie and sharing the pleasures of food and drink. Carol and I will have this amazing 'sister-week' forever."
~ Barbara L., Illinois
"Thank you for an incredible culinary experience. The best compliment to you and me is...Now I have waiting lists for my dinner parties!"
~ Jackie T., Oregon
"My knowledge of Italian cuisine was greatly increased and I'm excited to get back to Beijing so that I can try the techniques you taught us. Thank you so much for a wonderful and delicious week in Bologna and Emilia-Romagna."
~ Anne M., Beijing, China
Enjoy an experience of a lifetime - making fresh pasta with our sfoglina, our professional pasta chef. Learn her secrets for rolling-out the dough using the traditional wooden matterello. You'll make spinach pasta and Ragu Bolognese for our Lasagne al Forno alla Bolognese. Learn special techniques while making different cuts of fresh pasta which you can make easily at home.
We continue with our Regional Prosciutto Tasting learning easy
entertaining ideas. Practice more professional techniques with the chefs while preparing our luncheon of antipasti and primo piatto through our winning dessert! Evening free for Bologna's jazz clubs.
You'll learn easy professional techniques from a remarkable chef who specializes in Mediterranean cooking. With years of experience cooking along the Mediterranean Coast of Italy, he has prepared dinners for Presidents and other dignitaries. Together, we'll make light gnocchi and fabulous seafood dishes that are delicious and easy to make at home. All courses are paired with Italian wines for our memorable Mediterranean lunch.
It's Pizza Time! What a fun evening with our pizzaiolo, pizza chef, making thin-crust pizza in his wood-burning oven. Yummm.
What a treat driving through the luxuriant countryside of Romagna filled with vineyards and orchards. In Ravenna, we'll visit a UNESCO World Heritage site to see amazing Byzantine mosaics, world- renowned artwork dating back to the sixth-century.
We'll drive along "La Riviera del Adriatico" to a small seaside resort for
our final cooking class. Exclusively for our school ~ behind-the-scenes
full-menu demonstration with the Executive Chef and his staff in one
of Italy's foremost award-winning two Michelin-star restaurants followed by our extraordinary Grand Finale!
