The view was beautiful. Simona and her mother were great hosts and cooked a fabulous meal. Would definitely recommend the whole experience.
There was a train strike on the day my clients were transferring to Florence for this experience. Cinzia was so communicative with me trying to make things work. She was accommodating of my clients' late arrival, did the shopping, made the dough and had it resting, ready to make pasta and enjoy the evening. Her warm welcome at the end of a long travel day was just what they needed and they said it was the highlight of their vacation. I was grateful and have not hesitated to book it again.
What a fun class! We were able to book Ubers out to her house and she helped get taxis afterwards to get us back to Florence. We made eggplant parm, fresh tagliatelle and gnocchi, sauces, and tiramisu. All amazing and paired with local or homemade wine and limoncello. Would recommend!
Maria, her home, her cooking, her personality and warmth are all fantastic! We had a wonderful afternoon! We will plan another trip to Florence just to visit Maria again!
I had a divine experience with Fabio and his warm and welcoming wife! Fabio and I had discussed prior to my arrival what I wanted to prepare. He was a wonderful teacher and taught me and my partner so much about the Italian cuisine and the small but quite important elements to the Italian cuisine. The kitchen atmosphere and panoramic views were a delight and then dining on our completed dishes was truly a dream come true! Very Dolce Vita!!! Grazie for a true highlight culinary experience. I naturally can only highly recommend this experience. You will not be disappointed but inspired.
Join Maria and her husband in their beautiful Tuscan countryside farmhouse to share stories and enjoy a home-cooked gluten-free Italian meal made from her grandmother’s family recipes. You may savor traditional dishes including gluten-free pasta such as black cabbage and ricotta ravioli, tagliatelle with ragu, or pasta with broccoli pesto or arrabbiata. End your meal with a classic dessert like panna cotta or gelato, paired with two glasses of local Tuscan wine.
Martina is absolutely delightful, extremely knowledgeable, and we had the best time with her. We loved that the tour was in the Marcato Sant’Ambrogio, which was an authentic Florentine experience and less touristy than Marcato Centrale. Martina had great rapport with the market vendors, and the forno and trattoria owners, which made us feel extremely welcomed. Upon my request, we started with a stop at Sergio Pollini Lampredotto stand. While not for everyone, if you’re an adventurous eater, this is a must do! This is true Florence history in a sandwich and super delicious. From there we toured the market, bought some fresh produce, meats, cheeses, wine and figs and we ate at the market while having wonderful conversation with Martina. The next stop was a wonderful little trattoria where we tried two different types of freshly made pasta and tasted some excellent wine. We finished at a tasty gelato shop and then parted ways with a hug and an offer for Martina to call us when she comes to the US and we’ll give her a tour of one of the cities on her list!
By far the best thing we did in Italy! Learning about history and culture through food with Linda was an incredible experience. She is knowledgeable, fun, generous, and brilliant. Linda took me, my husband and my two adult children through the Florence market. We ate, we learned, we drank, and we laughed. We didn’t want it to end. Will not travel to Italy again without another experience with Linda. Cannot recommend highly enough!
Patrizia is AMAZING!! Great food, conversation, authentic experience! Patrizia is amazing. We are in love! She was so charming, smart, well spoken, opinionated (in a good way!), well educated on food / Italian culture / everything, and an absolute joy to be with. The meal was amazing and we really had a wonderful time. Also, her apartment is perfectly located in Florence.
I'm a Signature travel advisor and booked a cooking class for my clients who said that "This was the highlight of their trip!"
AMAZING!!!! Would give this 10 stars if we could!! My wife & I thoroughly enjoyed our experience with Mirella and Stefano. It started with the both of them taking us on a tour of the Sant’Ambrogio food market, where they told us fascinating details about the market and vendors. This is where they picked up the ingredients for the menu we were to cook a bit later in the day. This market tour was a fascinating & entertaining way to start the experience! We then got to cooking, during which my wife and I could not stop smiling. It started with two different forms of bruschetta, both of which turned out DELICIOUS. Then, we made handmade tagliatelle pasta with Tuscan ragu. WOW, just wow. The next thing we prepared for the menu was chicken cacciatore. Sooooo wonderful, tender, and flavorful. Finally, we prepared homemade tiramisu. It was every bit as tasty & amazing as it sounds! Throughout the food prepping and cooking, Mirella & Stefano gave us the perfect combination of talking us through it, assisting hands-on if needed, and informing us about the fascinating history behind each dish. The time passed so quickly, as we were having the time of our lives! When it came time to eat, Stefano served us each course. The food all came out INCREDIBLE and it was amongst the best meals we had throughout our entire week in Florence! Stefano & Mirella’s kindness and courtesy made us feel like we were family. This was our first full day in Italy (our first experience in all of Europe, in fact!) and we can’t stop talking about this experience. We get so welcomed & appreciated by Stefano and Mirella. We would highly recommend this experience to just about anybody, regardless of culinary interest. For all of the fascinating things you’ll learn about Tuscan food & history, you’ll also feel like you just had an amazing get-together with new friends! Thank you, Stefano & Mirella. The next time we make it out to Florence, we will absolutely sign up for another class. Oh, and one more thing: Mirella handed us a printout of our entire menu, with detailed instructions of how to prepare each item! We’ve already recreated the bruschetta with Tuscan bread, sausage & stracchino cheese - DELICIOUS!!! Grazie mille, James & Christa
Your guided Florence food tour is the perfect introduction to Florence. Learn about the food and culture while exploring the city's charming districts and small alleyways. Your first stop on this food tour, is a local bakery. Here you will taste a few sweet delights and focaccia, while you learn about bread making using ancient grains. Then take a stroll along Via Tornabuoni, to meet Alessandro, the owner of a farm to table delicatessen, just by the Ponte Vecchio. Here you will taste a charcuterie with Tuscan prosciutto, finocchiona, pecorino cheese, paired perfectly with a glass of Chianti. Also learn all about extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Next stop is Ciro’s gelateria, one of the best in town, as they make them fresh every day. Then continue your tour to a chocolate store to taste some delicious chocolates. Tasting will include the blood red Sicilian orange rind dipped in dark chocolate. And your fun tour ends with a glass of prosecco and truffle panino at a historical wine bar.
Meet your hosts Michele and Ilaria at their kitchen in the Chianti hills located in a vast garden surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. Your Florence cooking experience begins with a garden tour! Explore the aromatic herb garden and organic vegetable gardens before joining your host in the kitchen. Here, you will learn to cook traditional and seasonal Tuscan cuisine using organic produce and fruit from the gardens. Your hands-on cooking class in Chianti Hills lasts about 2.5 hours during which you will learn to make 2 dishes using organic extra virgin olive oil produced at the farm. Learn to cook a primi (first course) or secondi (second course), and dessert. After cooking, enjoy your Tuscan meal served with Chianti and Sangiovese wines also produced on their grounds as well as an olive oil tasting. Your seasonal Mediterranean Italian menu includes dishes such as zucchini blossoms, handmade pasta and a dessert like tiramisu.
Your cooking class takes place in the kitchen of Ilaria's B&B so while there may be other B&B guests in the dining room, your cooking experience will remain private.
Fantastic experience our host shared a unique day, amazing cooking class, and delicious recipes. We were taken aback at their work to make the meal feel first class; the preparations and dining area beat the fanciest restaurants we dined out at on our trip.
