“The new Italian undiscovered region ”
7 Day Molise Cooking and Specialty Cuisine in Central Italy by the Adriatic Sea
Hotel Santoianni, San Martino in Pensilis, Italy
Molise Wine Tasting and Cooking Vacation in Italy
These cooking courses are a hands-on experience. A mix of food, culture, and practical lessons. An experience allowing you to fully immersive yourself in the cuisine and culture of Molise. Learn to make dishes that you can easily reproduce at home. You will amaze yourselves and your friends by creating fresh pasta, traditional Central Italian dishes, and of course pizza!!
Highlights
- Have 5 cooking classes
- Guided tour to the Roman Amphitheater
- Cheese-tasting and olive oil-tasting experiences
- Explore the historical town of Acquaviva Collecroce
- 6 nights accommodation
- Free airport pick-up (Rome or Naples)
- Daily meals will be served
5 days with instruction
Group size: Maximum of 8 participants
Airport transfer included:
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
Airport transfer included:
Naples International Airport
Accommodation
Hotel Santoianni
With its hilltop location in San Martino in Pensilis, Santoianni is a 15-minute drive from the beach. It offers air-conditioned rooms and a restaurant serving Molise specialties.
Your room at Santoianni is bright and colorful. All come with a TV, minibar, and a private bathroom with a hairdryer and bathrobe. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, which also provides free parking. The restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner. With a rural setting in the Molise region, the hotel is set at an altitude of 280 meters.
For those traveling alone or as a couple that wishes privacy, there is a beautiful apartment fully furnished including air-conditioning and Wi-Fi. First come first served basis.
Program
During this culinary holiday, you will learn how to recreate fantastic Italian dishes. The dishes are those of traditional Abruzzo / Molisane, such as Pallotte Cacio e Uova with Tomato Sauce, Cantucci Biscuits, Wine Biscotti, and a Chocolate Wine Cake since this is a wine region. Wine for everyone!!
Molise produces 60% of all the truffles in Italy, therefore, we have of course added several truffles recipes for you to tackle.
Molise Cuisine Traditional Cooking Classes and Wine Tours can also personalize your tour to your hobbies and interests!
Sample itinerary
Day 1: Airport transfer + welcome dinner
Free airport pick up in Rome or Naples.
Drive from the airport toward Molise and onwards to the small town of San Martino in Pensilis. You will be dropped at your accommodation, Hotel Santoianni, where you will be staying. After you are settled in your rooms there will be a short meeting for a briefing on the tour followed by a welcome dinner.
Day 2: Agnone Bell Foundry + cheese tasting + cooking class
At 08:00, you’ll leave for Agnone, the center for important archaeological vestiges of the old Oscan-Samnite civilization. Agnone is sometimes called “the Athens of the Sannio” due to a large number of ancient ruins of the Samnitic culture. According to tradition, the name Agnone derives from the old city of Aquilonia that was destroyed by the Romans.
Agnone also lays claim to the most important ancient Molise document: the so-called “Oscan Tablet” (“Tabula Osca”), a bronze inscription written in the Oscan alphabet that dates from the 3rd century BC and is now kept in the British Museum.
The first visit will be to the Marinelli Bell Foundry. The Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli is an ancient factory for bells that has been operating in Agnone for nearly a millennium. It ranks as one of the oldest companies in the world, where the Marinelli family has run the foundry for the last 1000 years.
After the foundry, you’ll visit the “Francesco Gerbasi” Museum of Copper, one of the last places where you can learn about the ancient art of copper making.
The final visit of the day will be the Di Nucci Cheese Makers renowned for their aged Caciocavallo di Agnone. The visit will include the chance to taste some of these beautiful cheeses for yourself.
Lunch will be at La Panonda where you be treated to some of the best cuisines the local area has to offer.
After a drive back, the day's cooking class will kick off at 17:30 followed by dinner.
Day 3: Campobasso
The day will start with a visit to Campobasso, the capital of Molise. Campobasso is replete with monuments, including Castello Monforte, built around 1450 atop the ruins of a Norman construction, on a hill that dominates the city. The Cathedral was first built in 1504 but reconstructed in the neoclassical style in 1805 following its destruction in an earthquake.
Campobasso also boasts some of the most beautiful Romanesque Churches in the region including:
- The Church of San Bartolomeo
- The Church of Sant’Antonio Abate (1572), displaying a late-Renaissance façade and Baroque interior, embellished with paintings and frescoes by 17th-century artists
- The Church of San Leonardo dating from the 13th century
- The Church of San Giorgio, a 12th-century Gothic construction.
The city also houses the delightful Museo del Presepe, a museum displaying a fine collection of antique recreations of the Nativity scene, some dating from the 18th Century. Also included is the not to miss Museo Sannitico.
Lunch will be at Monticelli Trattoria, a suggestive little place with homemade Campobassane specialties!!
That evening there will be a cooking class at 17:30 Dinner will be at 19:30.
Day 4: Visit Acquaviva Collecroce + Cianfagna wine cellar, wine tasting
The day will start with a visit to the town of Acquaviva Collecroce. A municipality located in the woods, the village boasts a long history, acting as a base for the Knights of Malta giving it an atmosphere of medieval chivalry. In addition, there are several delightful fountains as well as Latin palindromes written into the very stones of the village itself.
Besides the lush nature, you will walk in the old town to observe the historic architecture, such as the Parish Church, built in perfect baroque style.
Near Aquaviva Collecroce is your first vineyard visit. A tour and tasting in the Cianfagna wine cellar. Cianfagna specializes in producing award-winning wines using the regional Tintilia grape variety.
That evening we will return for the evening cooking class at 17:30.
Day 5: Olive oil tasting + cooking class + visit Sepino
In the early morning, you will take a short drive to a small family-run olive mill Parco dei Buoi in the village of Larino. Here the owner Francesco Travaglini will give you a private tour of their olive groves, followed by a tasting of his olive oil. As you are tasting, you will have wonderful finger foods to go with it. When tasting the oil you will be in good company, Francesco Travaglini’s oil was used for the last Gala President Obama had for his guests!! A real show of quality for Molise.
You will then drive back for a cooking class and lunch. After lunch and a short break, you will drive to Sepino, Altilia.
Sepino was captured by the Romans in 293 BC. , the city wall was erected by Tiberius before he became emperor. Within the city walls are the remains of a theatre and other buildings including the temples of Jupiter and Apollo. The presence of tombs from the 4th century, suggests that the city had been abandoned by that time.
Supper will be in Sepino, Altilia surrounded by all this history.
Day 6: Larino Roman Amphitheater + cooking class
Drive to Larino, a city of approximately 8,100 inhabitants. The city of Larino has been continuously inhabited for millennia. Originally settled by the Samnite and Frentani tribes of Southern Italy, the city came under the control of the Oscan civilization. In 217 BC, the Romans defeated Hannibal here, and it was later incorporated into the Roman Empire.
You will visit the Roman Amphitheater with a dedicated guide. The elliptical amphitheater was built in the 1st century AD by a prominent citizen of Larino who had made his fortune in faraway Rome. The arena could comfortably seat 12,000 spectators.
Afterward, you’ll head over to Palazzo Zappone which was probably originally built as a Norman castle. The palace is now repainted as it would have looked decades ago. The structure has three distinct facades. One distinctly shows the physical structure of the original castle. The second has a Renaissance feel and housed the rulers of the town. The third is a large brick neoclassical structure that was adjoined to the castle in the 19th century.
The day will also include a visit to the Civic Museum and Larino’s Cathedral, which is considered to be one of the finest in Italy, followed by a stroll through Borgo Vecchio, the old town.
Then there is free time for shopping, sightseeing, and the obligatory Italian Gelato.
That evening will be your final cooking class followed by the presentation of your recipe books.
Day 7: Final goodbyes + airport transfer
On the final day, your hosts will provide a transfer back to the airport.
Location
San Martino in Pensilis, Italy
San Martino in Pensilis is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about 45 kilometers (28 mi) northeast of Campobasso. Located along the Adriatic coast, between the Abruzzo and Apulia regions, Molise stands right in the middle of the Italian peninsula. Molise's territory has been producing grapes since time immemorial. Plinio the Ancient even mentioned Cliternia (now called Nuova Cliternia) near Campomarino as one of the best areas for viniculture in his writings of Naturalis Historia.
Food
All meals and drinks are 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:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
What's included
- 6 nights accommodation
- Airport pick up and drop off
- Food and drink
- All ingredients
- Apron
- Recipe book
- Personal tour guide
What's not included
- Tips and personal shopping
- Airfare
How to get there
Recommended Airports
FCO
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
230 km
Transfer included
NAP
Naples International Airport
125 km
Transfer included
Arrival by plane
Book your flight to Naples International Airport (NAP) or Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO). Pickup from both airports is included in the price.
Airport: Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
Airport transfer included: Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.
Airport: Naples International Airport
Airport transfer included: Naples International Airport
No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.
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