Name: 7 Day Italian Gastronomy and Cooking Holiday in Tuscany, Grosseto
Brand: Cook Eat Discover
Price: 1550 GBP
Availability: InStock
Rating: 10.0 (27 reviews)

Accommodation

Check-in Time:

14:00

Check-out Time:

12:00

You will have the option of either staying in a private or shared apartment of Residence Il Ciliegio. Your accommodation are poolside apartments located at the doorstep of the beautiful medieval village of Roccatederighi, your base for this food adventure, in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma region.

Each apartment is furnished and presented in a traditional yet elegant Tuscan style, with terracotta floors, and wooden beamed ceilings. They are equipped with kitchenette, bathroom with shower, bed linen and towels, independent heating, TV, and Wi-Fi. The apartments have views over the hills, the Maremma valleys and the charming village of Roccatederighi.

Your accommodation also has a swimming pool (open from June to September), with sunbeds and umbrellas, and an outdoor patio with chairs and tables to enjoy the view from. There is a washer and dryer, and if you choose to drive to the location, there is private off-road parking. From your apartment you will be just a few paces away from the magical old town of Roccatederighi, and a range of bars, restaurants and shops. Your kitchenette will be stocked with great local products for your breakfasts.

Please note that if in case of shared apartment accommodation, you will have a double bed and an extra bed for use. Guests choosing shared apartments are asked to do so with friends, family or partners to ensure the comfort of the customers - if you are joining on your own, Cook Eat Discover don't currently have a sharing option.

Program

Guided by your experienced chef, pasta maker, and host, Oli, you'll try your hand at making beautiful handmade fresh pasta, gnocchi, risotto, pizza, and Italian desserts, and meet some of the leading sustainable food and drink producers in Tuscany.

Located in the untouched Maremma region of southern Tuscany in the charming village of Roccatederighi, your retreat is in the perfect location to visit artisan winemakers, fishermen, farmers, cheese producers, and honey makers. You'll stay in traditional apartments with wooden beams and exposed Medieval stonework in a converted Tuscan 'palazzo', with its own pool where you can sip wine and watch the sun dip over the valley.

Please be advised that we are based in an area of authentic and medieval hill villages in southern Tuscany. The accommodation and some of the activities and classes are in these villages where some of the streets can be slightly steep and uneven. A certain level of mobility is needed. Please let us know if you have any concerns about this due to health issues etc. On a similar note, these are traditional communities and some of the infrastructure won’t be as modern as what you may be used to. There is no air conditioning in the accommodation, and while wifi is available in the apartments, it is not high-speed.

Itinerary

Day 1:

Check in to your apartment, relax, get acquainted with your surroundings, and take in the backdrop of the medieval village. You'll meet the team and your course-mates before heading to a local organic vineyard for a tasting with an incredible view! Then dive into an al fresco welcome feast cooked by chef Oli with plenty of great local wine to celebrate your arrival!

Day 2:

09:00: Visit a local buffalo mozzarella farm, starting the day off with a delicious buffalo milk cappuccino before taking a guided tour, meeting the buffalos, and tasting their amazing range of cheeses.
11:00: Head to a farm near the coast for an insightful tour of an organic Tuscan rice farm. We'll pick some rice up for the risotto class later!
17:00: Aperitivo with a view, followed by a risotto masterclass using our local rice, plus a lesson in perfect biscotti making. Enjoy the fruits of your labor for dinner, eating the risotto and biscotti you have made out in the square of our medieval village with plenty of good wine! Your private chef has also thrown in a couple of extra gastronomic treats.

Day 3:

07:00: Set sail on a unique fishing boat trip bright and early to pull in nets with the charismatic local fisherman who's making waves in marine life preservation on the Tuscan coast. Enjoy the chance to dip into the sea for a swim and have lunch on the deck, under the sun's rays.
14:00: Have a break by the pool or take advantage of your free time to explore the local village and rub shoulders with the Tuscan locals.
18:00: Roll up your sleeves and get to cooking with your resident expert chef Oli who is on hand to show you the ropes—you'll be making handmade gnocchi! We'll enjoy this as well as some fresh fish which we caught on the boat just this morning.

Day 4:

11:00: An unforgettable experience at an award-winning vineyard, you will get a real understanding of the art form that is winemaking. Enjoy a tour, and Tuscan lunch, and taste their Sangiovese, Viognier, and Syrah.
18:00: Professional fresh pasta maker Oli will take you through all the basics of creating great fresh pasta, including making the dough, using a pasta machine, and learning 3 shapes—farfalle, tagliatelle, and garganelli. You'll also drum up the perfect Tiramisu together and enjoy your creations with a view of the Tuscan hills.

Day 5:

10:00: Using yesterday's newly acquired basic pasta skills, you'll take things a step further and learn to make different filled pasta shapes. With a delicious seasonal filling (e.g., spinach and ricotta or pumpkin), you'll learn to make ravioli, tortelloni, and much more! You'll then enjoy your pasta as part of a delicious 3-course lunch.
15:00: After lunch, you'll knead out some pizza dough ready to be used for the following day's dinner. Pizza dough has a much better texture and flavor when made the day before and allowed to develop!
17:00: Relax at your apartment or enjoy one of the great local restaurants and a bit of time to yourselves in your free evening.

Day 6:

10:00: About an hour away is the fairytale medieval town of Montalcino—gastronomically famous for Brunello wine and honey. Here, you'll learn all about organic honeymaking, study the hives, and get an insight into what makes Brunello wine so sought after. To the soundtrack of the bees busying away, you will lunch with traditional Tuscan dishes and honey tastings, along with some delicious Brunello.
14:00: Spend an hour or two wandering the beautiful streets of Montalcino. Grab a gelato, and enjoy the impressive churches, great views, and numerous wine bars!
19:00: Back in Roccatederighi, you'll use the dough you made the day before to create real handmade Italian pizza and cook it together in our wood-fired oven. Sit down with the view for one last time and enjoy your authentic handmade pizza.

Day 7:

11:00: Time to say goodbye. Check-out and ground transfers to the train station.

Instructors

Oliver Haenlein

Oli is an experienced chef and pasta maker and Flo is an events organiser from London. They have combined their skills to try to create immersive, behind the scenes cooking and food adventures for those fascinated by Italian gastronomy. Growing up, Oli spent his summers the Italian Maremma region, and after a range of chef work in the UK, he went on to move to Tuscany to further develop his skills and passion for the region's culinary traditions. He has also trained as a 'sfoglino' or artisan pasta maker, and is excited to share his love for and knowledge of Italian food with you.

Location

This culinary holiday will take place in Tuscany, Italy. The Maremma is the southern most coastal region of Tuscany. While the likes of Siena and Florence are easily accessible from the Maremma, it's a hidden gem that's relatively undiscovered compared to the well beaten tourist trails of central Tuscany.

Its incredible natural beauty and medieval hill villages provide an untouched and authentic land perfect for food exploration. Things are done the old ways here, and you will find some of the finest food in the country. Cook Eat Discover is based in the beautiful village of Roccatederighi, which is carved into the rocks over 500 meters above the plains. It teeters impossibly above the flatlands and from up here you can see the islands of Giglio, Elba, or even Corsica on a clear day.

The undisturbed wilds of Maremma produce extremely fine ingredients and dishes. Stuffed pasta, cured meats, honey, wild boar, hearty soups, and chestnuts are some local specialties. The Maremmana cow is famed around the country for its steaks, the freshest fish, and seafood comes out of the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea, while the region is also blessed with excellent wine, olive oil, and cheese producers. Tuscany's other famous gastronomic centers are not far away either - the pecorino of Pienza, the Brunello wine of Montalcino, and the Panforte of Siena.

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Features

Activities

Cooking classes
Swimming
Swimming pool (outdoor)
Wine tasting

General

Kitchen
Patio

Services

Free parking
Free Wi-Fi
Laundry
Parking lot

Food

This culinary holiday includes all meals apart from one dinner (as part of an allotted free evening). Breakfast supplies for your private kitchen including locally produced fruit, yogurt, bread, eggs, jams and preserves, cereals etc will be provided. Meal include private meals cooked by your private chef Oli, meals produced from cooking classes, meals as part of trips and activities etc. Wine and selected aperitifs are also included.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Alcoholic beverages

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Organic
Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Whole food
Other dietary requirements on request

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

What's included

All meals (apart from 1 evening off)
Ground transfers
Equipment
Wine and selected aperitivos
Private transport for tours
Accommodation (breakfast included) for 6 nights
Activities mentioned in the itinerary

What's not included

Airfare
Airport transfers
1 dinner

How to get there

Recommended Airports

FCO

Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport

166 km

Transfer not provided

PSA

Pisa International Airport (Galileo Galilei Airport)

91 km

Transfer not provided

Arrival by train

Fast trains get you from Pisa Central to Grosseto in 75 minutes, and around 100 minutes from Rome's main city station. On check-in and check-out days, Cook Eat Discover provides transport between the nearest major train station, Grosseto, and the apartments. Cook Eat Discover will pick you up from/drop you off at Grosseto on check-in/check-out days. At times Cook Eat Discover have to group guests together into collective pick-up times - Cook Eat Discover generally does two separate pick-ups on check-in day.

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.

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