Something different in Tuscany

Giro turistico bellissimo; la guida (DEMETRA) è stata molto professionale, preparata e disponibile. Grazie

My husband and I took a train from Rome to Florence just for this cooking class. Little known fact: I'm a chef from the US and waited to let the instructor know until the end of class- I'm pretty critical when it comes to cooking classes, and this class blew my mind! We ended up taking the VIP cooking Class in a noble villa with our super friendly and knowledgeable chef that grew up on an olive press. We had a very intimate experience in a gorgeous villa, breath taking views of the Chianti hills, and made the most incredible authentic food that we dreamed of making when we signed up for this class. The tour started with a local tour of the farmers market, where we bought truffles, spices, and dried porcini mushrooms then took a van up the Chianti hills to the most breathtaking villa. There we ended up first having a combination of an olive oil tasting, fresh cheeses, dried meats, and incredible wine. Then we learned how to make ragu, pasta, enudi, sabayon, and properly dressed caprese salad. Overall we had a delicious and life changing experience in the chianti hills in Florence and it was all due to our amazing chef with florencetown tours. Thank you so much for teaching us how to make a proper red sauce- we haven't stopped cooking traditional tuscan/ florence cuisine since we've been back in town!

Just got back from an incredible 18 days in Italy. We hand picked each tour and everyone was wonderful from a variety of tour companies......but this was the absolute highlight of our trip. We actually signed up for the basic market tour/cooking class, but due to an glitch we were bumped up to the VIP class. It was amazing from start to finish. Started with the market tour tasting 55 year old vinegars, truffle cheese and wine. We were transported to a castle built in the 1500's which also has a producing vineyard. The kitchen had a giant stone sink carved from stone and the rest followed suit from 500 years ago. Located in Tuscany Chianti region, the views were stunning. Our master chef, Giuseppe was a ball of energy directing us to help prepare the 5 courses. We learned to cook zucchini flowers stuffed with asiago cheese and basil and fried with a very light tempura batter, spinach and ricotta gundi which tasted like a soufflé after being boiled. Too much to describe, but we ended with tiramisu from scratch! The gracious Baroness, came and poured wine for their vintners. The whole experience was almost surreal as if we stepped back in time 500 years. Giuseppe was a master at timing all the preparations, teaching, and providing us with a five star meal. If you want one splurge in Italy, make it this one!

The VIP Cooking Class was really fantastic !! Giuseppe was our chef and teacher and first took us to the Market where we learned a great deal about the local ingredients, and then took a trip of about an hour out to a Villa in the countryside. During the class we learned to make Tiramisu and Pappardelle Pasta - and a meat sauce to go with it. Each person got to contribute to the making of each of the dishes in some way or another. At the end we all sat down and ate our handy-works - which were simply delicious. Giuseppe was a wonderful host - very witty and he definitely knows what he is doing, so he is also a superb teacher. I can highly recommend the VIP cooking tour.

My husband and I took the cooking class and the result was one of the best meals we had while in Italy! We made pasta, ravioli, and tiramisu. The walk through the market was very educational and I wish we had gone through the market again on our own but left Florence the next day. I highly recommend doing this tour if you are interested in doing something a bit off the beaten path and want to learn a little about traditional italian cooking. Even if you are not passionate about cooking, which I am not, I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking class and would do it again. My husband who loves to cook was completely wowed by the experience.

When our group met Giuseppe we knew we were going to have a fun, interactive and memorable day! We walked to the beautiful and fragrant food market where Giuseppe shopped for our fresh lunch ingredients and introduced us to Emilio the fantastic butcher. Then off to the farmhouse via a comfortable van. As the cooking class started so did the laughter, learning and fun. Our meal was delicious and the view outstanding. This class has been a highlight of our trip to Italy.