Cook Like a Tuscan

If you fancy yourself a foodie, there are few other destinations in the world that will satisfy your hunger for delicious cuisine and wine than Tuscany in Italy. That’s why for the past six years, we have partnered with Chicago’s premiere recreational cooking school, The Chopping Block, to bring you the popular Cook Like a Tuscan tour.  

Spend seven days in Tuscany in autumn, when the olives and grapes are being picked and pressed to perfection. The weather is typically beautiful, and the scenery is full of medieval hilltop towns overlooking rolling countryside of vines and olive trees. From our stone villa in the heart of Chianti wine country, we’ll travel throughout the region for a once-in-a-lifetime culinary immersion. 

Roll Up your Sleeves and Pasta Machines

This tour is unlike others because it includes four hands-on cooking classes, so it is a true culinary vacation! You will master the techniques of pasta, pizza, focaccia, and gnocchi as you learn how to utilize local ingredients featured in Italian cuisine. Your teachers are local chefs with a true passion for their homeland and enthusiasm for its food. From rustic handmade pasta to fine-dining dishes, you will tie on an apron and learn it all! 

You will also have the pleasure of visiting Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti. This butcher shop brings people on a pilgrimage to Panzano from all over the world. Most of them are hoping to meet Dario Cecchini, who is known as the most famous butcher in the world. This 68-year-old eighth generation butcher has been featured in television shows Top Chef and Chef’s Table. Dario does few butchery classes these days, but our small group of travelers is one of the few that continues to get to experience this very personalized class.

Another special cooking class happens at Badia a Coltibuono, a former abbey and home of the late Lorenza De’Medici, an internationally known cook, author, and authority on Italian cuisine. The estate is now owned by Lorenza’s three adult children and their farm and its land have been producing excellent wines and oils for over a thousand years! Today, it’s an agritourism destination with a restaurant, cooking school, boutique hotel and event venue. The cooking classes feature local Tuscan ingredients, many straight from the vegetable garden. 

In this hands-on class, you will learn how to make pasta just like an Italian nonna, ragu, focaccia and biscotti as you dine on the fruits of your labor paired with wines from the estate including their lovely Chianti Riserva.

Cheers to Chianti

In addition to all of the cooking you will do on this trip, there’s plenty of wine education paired during the week. From impromptu lessons with tour guide and Sommelier Viktorija Todorovska on the villa’s loggia (open air porch) to guided tours and tastings at local vineyards and wineries, you will gain a solid understanding of the beautiful wine made in this region, and just how hard it is to make! Italy’s wine laws are quite strict, and you’ll hear firsthand what farmers are up against, including drought and wild boars.

From Chianti Classico to Brunello di Montalcino to Super Tuscans and Vin Santo, (Italy’s famous dessert wine), you will taste it all and learn about these spectacular wines that will soon become part of your regular wine repertoire when you return home. You’ll also likely continue to use the casual Italian toast of “Cin cin” when clinking glasses with friends just as they do in Italy! 

Cultural Immersion

Not only is this trip a food and wine lover’s dream, but you are given a true immersion into the local culture of Tuscany. You’ll see how terracotta is made in a tiny Tuscan town famous for its production, experience a taste of local olive oils, and visit outdoor markets and shops. We travel from the villa just enough to see the sights, but not too much where you feel like you are always in transport.

You’ll visit Montefioralle, a tiny, hilltop stone village with 360 degree views of the Tuscan countryside as well as Montalcino, a medieval walled hilltop city with a fortress and a 16th century vibe. You will soak in the warm therapeutic waters of Bagno Vignoni which have been bubbling since ancient times. 

A visit to Siena’s iconic Piazza del Campo where the famous Palio di Siena horse race takes place will conjure images of the crowds as you walk through this town’s neighborhoods, each rooting for its own horse. Siena’s Gothic cathedral, Duomo of Santa Maria Asunta, features mosaic floors that will blow you away! 

Explore on Your Own

Although this itinerary may sound jam-packed, there is also plenty of downtime to relax and explore on your own. Lay by the beautiful pool at the villa, explore the vineyards surrounding the villa or walk through the lovely village of Panzano whenever you like. This trip is the perfect combination of fun, education, eating, and experiencing! Whether you are an experienced cook or have never boiled dried pasta in your life, you will fall in love with Italy as you learn how to Cook Like a Tuscan. 

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