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Our Tuscany Gourmet Cooking Tour takes place in an enchanting country villa situated in the Tuscan hills, only minutes from the beautiful Etruscan walled town of Cortona. The region is famous for its rustic and hearty food, rich culture, and stunning landscape and is an ideal setting for a tasty week of culinary adventure, gourmet food & fine wines. Cookery demonstrations and lessons are given by local cooks and professional chefs and take place in an informal and comfortable atmosphere in a Tuscan country kitchen! We have a delightful selection of excursions to complement the program accompanied by experienced guides. At the end of each day, you return to enjoy relaxation time and dining al fresco.
DURATION: 7 days
PICK UP & DROP OFF: Terontola-Cortona train station (direct train from Rome and Florence)
In a Tuscan country kitchen is an unforgettable cooking experience that delves into traditional family and refined cuisine. Fresh, seasonal and quality ingredients are paramount and we buy them at the markets from local producers. We also have and our own organic vegetable garden and this influences the vegetables we use from season to season. Skilled chefs provide you with the knowledge to recreate with confidence when you return home.
We have a delightful selection of excursions to complement the program – trips to medieval hill towns, ancient abbeys & Etruscan sites, Renaissance frescoes, classical concerts, vineyards & wineries, olive oils, pecorino cheese & wine tastings.
Enjoy excellent tuition by cooks and chefs, informative visits to wineries and local food producers. Meet and travel with like-minded people, and take home all the delicious recipes to try at home and astound your next dinner guests.
On this cooking holiday to Tuscany, the family atmosphere, fresh ingredients and respect for culinary traditions, come together to create a unique unhurried and highly educational experience. Develop a better understanding of and balanced relationship with food. Feel empowered with the knowledge you have gained to make responsible, healthy and sustainable choices for life. After this experience, you will have learned a range of skills and knowledge about food, biodiversity and slow-living, which will make a huge difference in your day to day life.
Why not extend your trip and take the opportunity to explore another destination? Have a look at our Tour Calendar. We can offer you a discount on your second tour in the same year! Do not hesitate to drop us an email. We would be happy to hear from you and help you plan your next adventure!
Your wallet? You won’t need it! Except for postcards and souvenirs we’ll take care of everything
Meet at Terontola station, Cortona (14.00-16.00), easily reached from Rome or Florence.
Relax and settle into your accommodation in Cortona which will become your home for the week. Join us for a welcome cocktail party while the chef prepares a feast in the Tuscan country kitchen as we introduce you to all the fun that is in store and the week’s activities.
Visit Cortona’s 12th century Franciscan hermitage, a spiritual and tranquil place just outside the Etruscan city walls. We enter Cortona through one of the ancient city gates to explore its medieval streets, monuments and bustling piazzas.
A guided tour of the Etruscan museum and some free time to indulge in a gelato follows, but don’t spoil your appetite before a tasty picnic lunch in the shady tree lined park. In the afternoon we return to our tuscan country kitchen for Cooking Lesson 1.
Enter the historic 16th-century gates of Montepulciano and stroll along the medieval main street which is lined with magnificent buildings and ancient wine cellars.
After lunch you can visit a cantina and taste Vino Nobile in a unique and ancient setting – almost as old as the hills, so to speak! Return to the villa in the afternoon and follow Cookery Lesson 2.
We travel to the walled hill-town of Montalcino, famous for Brunello wine, one of Italy’s finest wines. From the battlements of the Rocca castle look down upon magnificent views of the UNESCO world heritage Val D’Orcia and Monte Amiata.
Cheese and wine tasting in the Enoteca of the castle which offers a wide selection of Brunello’s. Visit the cellars of a well-known winery and then the picturesque Abbey of Sant’Antimo, built by Charlemagne where the monks still celebrate mass in Gregorian chant.
Our return journey is a spectacular drive through the countryside of the Val d’Orcia. In the evening enjoy Cooking Lesson 3.
Travel through the idyllic countryside of Chianti Classico and taste wine at Castello di Brolio whose family created the blend for this world famous wine.
In the afternoon stroll in Siena and visit one of the most richly decorated cathedrals in the world with masterpieces by Duccio, Pisano, Lorenzetti, Donatello, Pinturicchio and Michelangelo. In the campo square learn about the world famous Palio horse race and the traditions of its people.
Enjoy a leisurely morning to explore the historic center of Cortona and stroll around the bustling market with its colorful array of clothing, kitchenware, fruit and vegetables on display — a great place to pick up something tasty for lunch and you might want to try a porchetta sandwich! Perhaps you prefer to just relax and peolpe with a cappuccino in a street café’. The day continues with one more fun and exciting Cooking Lesson 4
Drop off (9.00-10.00) at Terontola station for onward travel.
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Learn the secret of the Italian cuisine with local Tuscan chefs
Enjoy the authentic Italian lifestyle
A nice hotel and a good night’s sleep are an important part of your overall travel experience!
When considering a hotel, we look at more than just the rooms. We look for hotels or bed and breakfasts which are committed to ensuring their guests are well looked after and pay attention to detail, for example offering locally sourced breakfast produce, or a special selection of toiletries, or tea and coffee making facilities in the room. Wherever possible your hotel* will be perfectly positioned for exploring and will have a historical charm or maybe a new and innovative design. We choose the best possible places to stay ensuring that each night you are comfortably settled in a place that is welcoming and full of authentic local charm. We are on a mission to find the ingredients you need to wake up feeling rested and looking forward to each day of your Caspin Journeys tour!
Take a closer look at some of the places we have chosen for you…
*Hotels may vary.
Just follow this link and fill the form with your enquires.
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Yes, it’s possible.
Once you have chosen your tour, click on the Book Now button. It will redirect you to our online booking form. Once you have payed a 25% deposit out of the total tour price, you can consider your booking confirmed.
Feel free to decide the best payment method for your needs! We accept credit/debit cards and bank transfer.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any other requirement.
When it will be time to pay the balance, we will send you an email with the payment request. We will assist you through all the steps and we will be available to answer to all your questions.
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We suggest that you fly to either Rome, Florence or Pisa Airports.
Pick up for this tour is from Terontola – Cortona train station, which is easily accessible by train from all the Airports listed above. There are many fast bus and rail shuttle services to choose from. Check the airport website.
We love our jobs and personally lead all our small group tours. Italy, Spain and England are our homes and our passion. We bring that excitement with us on all our tours so that you too share our favourite places.
We are very experienced and handle all the logistics while you relax and become immersed in the local culture, history and traditions.
We know the locals on all our trips and they love meeting our groups. We are small enough to get into private homes, chat to villagers, fit in small restaurants and enjoy all kinds of unexpected events that aren’t accessible to large groups of tourists following a red umbrella.
Our customer reviews say that Caspin Journeys takes the best care of you. We are a sustainable travel company and the only thing we leave behind is our footprints!
Read more about Caspin >
We believe that where you sleep is an important part of your overall travel experience. So we put a lot of effort into carefully choosing the hotels for each tour.
We always look for attractive, clean and quiet rooms with private bathrooms. But, our priority is also to find the best possible accommodations to make sure that each night you are comfortably settled in a place that is welcoming and full of authentic local charm.
The result is a fabulous selection of delightful hotels, medieval palaces, family-run hotels, country residences, manor houses, historic inns, luxurious alpine hotels – sometimes with a spa, sauna or swimming pool facilities – and all with character, good food and a friendly atmosphere.
You will have to keep coming back to experience them all! Sweet Dreams!
Getting out and about on foot is a wonderful way to slow down the pace, relax and get some healthy exercise.
When we walk we see so much more – grapevines, wildflowers, ancient oaks, wheat fields, avenues of cypresses and pine, time resistant hills and valleys.
As we stroll through historic towns we learn about the culture of the people; as we stand in the splendour of the countryside, beneath the soaring columns of ancient temples, abbey walls and turrets of medieval castles we marvel at man’s ability to conceive of and construct such monuments.
Food is an all important part of each and every one of our journeys. We are foodies, we love to savour the authentic flavours of each destination we visit. And let’s not forget the wine “the drink of the gods” which will accompany every meal, even picnics!
Picture yourself eating Buffalo mozzarella from a farm in Amalfi, tasting a Sicilian cannolo with fresh ricotta cheese, home-made pasta, organic vegetables, fresh fish and so on.
Or why not consider a Gourmet Cooking Holiday in Tuscany, where you will learn directly from the locals?
If all this sounds mouthwatering then look no further, you are in the right place 😉
On our small group tours we use a combination of gourmet restaurants, local trattorias, traditional pubs, tapas bars and farmhouse meals, to give you the best overall experience!
Each adventure combines fantastic hikes and authentic cultural experiences which make for a phenomenal and enriching travel experience. – admire Giotto’s frescoes in Assisi – walk in the Castle gardens of Henry VIII – stand at the tomb of St James in Compostela – gaze at and touch the columns of a Greek temple – visit the birthplace of Napoleon Buonaparte – see how a Duke lives at Blenheim Palace – tread the streets of Pompeii – admire mosaics in a Norman cathedral – understand more about the Roman Empire Travel in the richest artistic heritage in the world, many of which are part of UNESCO. What are you waiting for? Don’t miss out on an unforgettable trip.
Our travel style attracts a similar type of people, outgoing, interesting, adventurous, cultured and curious.
You’ll enjoy the company of your fellow travelers on our small group tours. Italy’s food and wine, England’s local pubs, and Spain’s meditative and spiritual pilgrim route are best experienced amidst the camaraderie of the group.
Guests who join our small group tours become our friends. They return again and again to share new adventures as we explore these unforgettable destinations with like-minded travellers and build ever-lasting memories together.
