Add a dash of cooking or a drop of wine lore to your vacation with half-day cooking class options, which always include the meal with wine after the lesson. Classes are in English and on request for any day year round, based upon availability, for a minimum of two people. When a booking is confirmed for one or two people, it does not guarantee a private class, only that you will have a guaranteed space in that class. Bookings are confirmed upon receipt of your full prepayment. We regret we cannot confirm any bookings received less than 5 days before your departure date from home.

Market Visit & Cooking Lesson & Lunch - 5 hours

Learn to cook a typical everyday Tuscan meal, starting by choosing the best seasonal ingredients. Under the expert guidance of a multilingual chef, you will visit the historic San Lorenzo central market, where you will select the ingredients that you will then use to prepare a four-course meal (appetizer, first course, second course and dessert) in a top-class cooking school. The lesson will be followed by lunch with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Ticket Price
April 1–November 11, 2010	10:00 a.m.	Thursday	69 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Assistant, course, recipes, lunch with drinks.
Language: English and, on request, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.

Handmade Pasta Cooking Lesson & Lunch - 3 hours

Learn to make your own fresh pasta following ancient Italian traditions using flour, eggs and other ingredients. Under the expert guidance of a multilingual chef, you will learn how to make pasta, both using a rolling pin and a pasta machine. You will make three different types of pasta with three different sauces and a typical Italian dessert. The lesson will be followed by lunch with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Ticket Price
April 1–November 13, 2010	11:45 a.m.	Saturday	50 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Assistant, course, recipes, lunch with drinks.
Language: English and, on request, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.

Cooking Lesson & Dinner - 4-1/2 hours

Learn to cook a classic Tuscan meal. In a top-class cooking school you will be able to make a four-course meal (starter, first course, second course and dessert) under the expert guidance of a multilingual chef. The lesson will be followed by dinner with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Ticket Price
April 1-December 11, 2010 and January 12-March 31, 2011	5:15 p.m.	Monday, Wednesday, Friday	63 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Assistant, course, recipes, dinner with drinks.
Language: English and, on request, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.

Pizza, Ice Cream & Cake Cooking Lesson & Dinner - 3 hours

This entertaining lesson will teach you how to prepare real Neapolitan pizza with traditionally leavened dough, as well as homemade Italian ice cream prepared using natural ingredients, AND a delicious dessert made with chocolate produced by the best Tuscan artisans. The lesson will be followed by dinner with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Ticket Price
April 1-December 11, 2010 and January 12-March 31, 2011	6:15 p.m.	Tuesday, Saturday	45 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Assistant, course, recipes, dinner with drinks.

Language: English and, on request, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.

White Wine Tasting - 2 hours

In a 15th-century building in the ancient centre of Florence, you will learn about and taste a selection of fine Tuscan wines, accompanied by homemade salamis, bruschettas with a variety of extra virgin olive oils, delicious homemade canapés and a range of the best Tuscan pecorino cheeses, served with flavoured jellies. Experts Francesco and Sara will introduce you to typical products and prestigious Tuscan wines which can be rarely found elsewhere:

• Vernaccia di San Gimignano serrved with toasted home-made Tuscan bread (bruschette) and a selection of organic extra virgin olive oils, flavoured with hot pepper, porcini mushrooms and truffle.
• Vermentino served with three Tuscan pecorino cheeses, each one of a different ripening, paired with jellies (flavoured with vin santo, Vernaccia and Chianti Classic) and truffle-infused honey.
• 2006 Vintage Chianti Classico red served with Casentino salamis (ripe Tuscan raw ham, classic Tuscan salami, typical finocchiona or Tuscan sbriciolona) and with assorted canapés (tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, Tuscan chicken liver sauce, truffle and cheese, fresh tomatoes).
  
  

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Ticket Price
April 1, 2010–March 31, 2011	7:30 p.m.	Daily except Sundays and holidays	29 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Tasting of three wines (as above described) and of typical products (as above described), served with water, salad and fresh fruits. Your skilled hosts will guide you through the tasting.
Language: Italian, English and, on request, Spanish.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of one person.
• Children under the age of 18 are not admitted.

Red Wine Tasting - 2 hours

In a 15th-century building in the ancient centre of Florence, you will learn about and taste a selection of fine Tuscan wines, accompanied by homemade salamis, bruschettas with a variety of extra virgin olive oils, delicious homemade canapés and a range of the best Tuscan pecorino cheeses, served with flavoured jellies. Experts Francesco and Sara will introduce you to typical products and prestigious Tuscan wines which can rarely be found elsewhere:

• Vino Bolgheri serrved with toasted home-made Tuscan bread (bruschette) and a selection of organic extra virgin olive oils, flavoured with hot pepper, porcini mushrooms and truffle.
• Vino Chianti Classico Riserva served with three Tuscan pecorino cheeses, each one of a different ripening, paired with jellies (flavoured with vin santo, Vernaccia and Chianti Classic) and truffle-infused honey.
• Vino Nobile di Montepulciano served with Casentino salamis (ripe Tuscan raw ham, classic Tuscan salami, typical finocchiona or Tuscan sbriciolona) and with assorted canapés (tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, Tuscan chicken liver sauce, truffle and cheese, fresh tomatoes).

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Ticket Price
April 1, 2010–March 31, 2011	7:30 p.m.	Daily except Sundays and holidays	35 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Tasting of three wines (as above described) and of typical products (as above described), served with water, salad and fresh fruits. Your skilled hosts will guide you through the tasting.
Language: Italian, English and, on request, Spanish.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of one person.
• Children under the age of 18 are not admitted.

Tuscany

Learn the culinary secrets of Authentic Southern Tuscany at Palazzo Bandino, a winery near Montepulciano. Your hands-on lesson begins at 10:30. With well-known local chef Luciano Benocci, you'll prepare Sienese specialties that combine the season's freshest ingredients, straight from the Palazzo Bandino estate. Or choose the pizza lesson, something it is very hard to find anywhere in Italy! You'll learn to make two kinds of pizza, cooked in the estate's authentic brick oven, as well as Tuscan roast chicken and potatoes.
Whether you have the classic cooking lesson or the pizza lesson, afterwards you'll visit the wine cellars for an introduction to Tuscan wines and a demonstration of how they are bottled. Lunch with wine follows, after which you will receive a certificate. The estate is easy to find, located just outside Chianciano Terme only five minutes from the autostrada exit. Cost for the lesson for 2-8 people is 145 EURO/person; lunch with wine for a companion who does not attend the cooking class (with minimum two cooks): 30 EURO/person; adult cooks who also book a stay at Palazzo Bandino through In Italy Online receive a 10% discount. A maximum of two children ages 9-15 pay 50% when accompanied by two adults for a Family Lesson, which includes a visit to the vineyard and the olive grove and a simple, safe cooking or pizza lesson followed by lunch with wine. You may also combine the cooking lesson with the wine lesson (described below). This special full-day package includes two lessons and a full lunch with wine and costs 261 EURO/person; Palazzo Bandino guests receive a 10% discount on this price. Not available on Saturdays or Mondays. You must have a car to take this class. Click here for former guests' comments.

Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Tuscany Wine Lesson

If you are interested in learning more about Tuscan wines, tasting a wide variety of them and purchasing some at the lower local prices, then we have an extremely rare opportunity for you. Instead of driving around to visit each winery, and most likely being turned away at the door because they only accept groups or they are closed for the day, we offer a half-day wine appreciation and tasting session that encompasses all the great Tuscan vintages: Chianti, Rosso di Montepulciano, Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino and Colli Etruria. Your morning at Palazzo Bandino (see above) starts at 10 a.m., with a very entertaining and informative explanation of the history of these wines, illustrating how and why Chianti evolved from a straw-encased staple of college dormitories to one of the world's most respected wine classifications, and then gave birth to the Super Tuscans, which have earned their place in the Olympus of world wine history. You will taste samples of each wine group, accompanied by cheese, olives and typical Tuscan bread. After this you will stretch your legs in the vineyard, and visit the winery to witness the process whereby a grape becomes a sip. Lunch with wine follows, after which you may purchase all the wine you want and pay the same price as if you visited each wine estate individually. Palazzo Bandino is easy to find, located just outside Chianciano Terme only five minutes from the autostrada exit. 145 EURO/person for a minimum of two people (participants who also book a stay at Palazzo Bandino through In Italy Online receive a 10% discount). Not available on Saturdays or Mondays. You must have a car to take this class. Click here for former guests' comments.