Long weekend cooking in Italy
| country: | Italy |
| location: | Rome |
| departures: | Dates upon request all year round |
| price: | From €360 (3 days) excluding flights. Price includes accommodation, cookery lessons, excursions, all meals, wine (airport transfers can be arranged). No single supplement. Kids below 9 free, 9-16 half price |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
| Holiday Details |  4 reviews |
Long weekend cooking in Italy
Ever dream of waking up in a rustic farmhouse north of Rome, in a room with a view over unspoiled landscape including 500 olive trees, and to a wholesome breakfast made with fresh country ingredients?
Dedicated to preserving their rich heritage and traditions through cooking classes, Claudio and Assuntina welcome you to their home and their country. The location is a stunning restoration of a Sixteenth century stone farmhouse, which is set amidst its own set olive grove in the rolling hills of the Tolfa Mountains just outside the small town of Tolfa, north of Rome and only a short drive away from the port of Civitavecchia.
The cookery programmes offer the unique opportunity to experience Italy through its cuisine, in an authentic Italian home setting, where time at the table is sacred and food is celebrated. Your teacher during your stay is Anna who teaches traditional Italian family recipes, demonstrating cooking techniques which have been passed down through the generations from mothers and grandmothers. Anna herself is a grandmother and cooking does not get much better than this! You will learn as she did . . . hands on or in the pasta! Claudio, expert Sommelier will share with you his knowledge in wines, grappa & olive oil through tastings. Before lunch or dinner he will propose different types of wine from all over Italy. His aim is to make learning about wine fun!
The classes are small, informal and taught in their own kitchen. The produce used is picked fresh from their garden and the organic extra virgin olive oil is their own. Vegetarian cooking courses and programs suitable for children can also be arranged . For those of you wanting to practice your Italian, the classes are taught in Italian and are translated into English! We may take you on walks in the surrounding countryside to pick and learn about wild mushrooms and salads herbs, according to the season. October to December sees the olive harvest, wild mushrooms and chestnuts.
Our cooking holidays in Italy are one-day, long week-end or week-long and it's possible to create your own personalized program combining cooking classes with touring. If you don't want to cook every day, we will help you with any information to discover this unspoilt and unknown area. There are plenty of places for hiking, climbing, trekking, mountain biking, archaeology, horse riding, bird watching, walking, hiking, pottery. We can organise guides to Rome, Viterbo, Orvieto and Assisi as well activities upon request.
Rome is one hour's drive away, or 50 minutes from Fiumicino airport and transfers can be arranged to/from Rome airport or Civitavecchia train station or port. From Ciampino it is very easy to reach us by public transportation.
Cookery classes for children: "Healthy Cooking Classes for Kids" for children accompanied by an adult. The program includes a day in Rome(guided tour), a trip to discover the ancient Etruscans people at Tarquinia, hands-on cookery classes – including making pizza too! In the countryside we can organize riding lessons and wonderful walking or biking.
Dedicated to preserving their rich heritage and traditions through cooking classes, Claudio and Assuntina welcome you to their home and their country. The location is a stunning restoration of a Sixteenth century stone farmhouse, which is set amidst its own set olive grove in the rolling hills of the Tolfa Mountains just outside the small town of Tolfa, north of Rome and only a short drive away from the port of Civitavecchia.
The cookery programmes offer the unique opportunity to experience Italy through its cuisine, in an authentic Italian home setting, where time at the table is sacred and food is celebrated. Your teacher during your stay is Anna who teaches traditional Italian family recipes, demonstrating cooking techniques which have been passed down through the generations from mothers and grandmothers. Anna herself is a grandmother and cooking does not get much better than this! You will learn as she did . . . hands on or in the pasta! Claudio, expert Sommelier will share with you his knowledge in wines, grappa & olive oil through tastings. Before lunch or dinner he will propose different types of wine from all over Italy. His aim is to make learning about wine fun!
The classes are small, informal and taught in their own kitchen. The produce used is picked fresh from their garden and the organic extra virgin olive oil is their own. Vegetarian cooking courses and programs suitable for children can also be arranged . For those of you wanting to practice your Italian, the classes are taught in Italian and are translated into English! We may take you on walks in the surrounding countryside to pick and learn about wild mushrooms and salads herbs, according to the season. October to December sees the olive harvest, wild mushrooms and chestnuts.Our cooking holidays in Italy are one-day, long week-end or week-long and it's possible to create your own personalized program combining cooking classes with touring. If you don't want to cook every day, we will help you with any information to discover this unspoilt and unknown area. There are plenty of places for hiking, climbing, trekking, mountain biking, archaeology, horse riding, bird watching, walking, hiking, pottery. We can organise guides to Rome, Viterbo, Orvieto and Assisi as well activities upon request.
Rome is one hour's drive away, or 50 minutes from Fiumicino airport and transfers can be arranged to/from Rome airport or Civitavecchia train station or port. From Ciampino it is very easy to reach us by public transportation.
Cookery classes for children: "Healthy Cooking Classes for Kids" for children accompanied by an adult. The program includes a day in Rome(guided tour), a trip to discover the ancient Etruscans people at Tarquinia, hands-on cookery classes – including making pizza too! In the countryside we can organize riding lessons and wonderful walking or biking.
traveller reviews for Long weekend cooking in Italy
Our hosts welcomed us as part of their family and we had no language problems at all. The food was excellent and we met many new friends. Would definitely recommend and would certainly consider revisiting. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
 In a friendly, relaxed family atmosphere, we welcome small numbers of guests into our home and into our kitchen for authentic cooking holidays in Italy. Our aim is to offer guests an unforgettable holiday experience while learning through informal, informative classes, the art of Italian cooking, at the same time preserving a heritage rich in flavors and in tradition. Our olive oil is certified BIOLOGICO (organic) by Suolo & Salute (Association for the Organic Agriculture). We promote pure food that is local, seasonal and organically grown. We operate in a way that increases the positive impacts and decreases the negative ones on the local community and the environment. We support the local community economically by bringing our groups to rural areas in Italy. We promote our country, off the beaten track, through cookery courses & activity holidays in order to preserve our heritage and traditions. We offer regional cooking, mainly vegetarian, using recipes and techniques passed down over the generations. We offer small classes and hands-on cookery & activity holidays, living with us, lodging in our just restored "casa in campagna." Local women teach our classes and enjoy sharing their culture and traditions. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
 Reviewed 11 Sep 2005 by Angela Flint |  |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Most memorable part of holiday were the days we spent in ancient Rome and Tarquinia at the tombs.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The only tip we would give to other travellers would be don't miss out on this one.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Our holiday benefited local people by the fact that we ate produce mostly from the farm where we stayed, which was organic and the money would have been circulated within the locality.
4. Any other comments?
It was a wonderful holiday. Rating ***** Could not have been better. Our hosts welcomed us as part of their family and we had no language problems at all. The food was excellent and we met many new friends. Would definitely recommend and would certainly consider revisiting.
| Reviewed 06 Mar 2009 by Anca Stanese | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
I am not completely sure to be honest :) so difficult to decide... the beauty of the place, the warm of the house or maybe most of all the wonderful people we met there. I was looking forward the cooking lessons but we have found much more than that.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If you are looking for relaxing and feel peaceful after a frantic week or month or year at work, this is the perfect place. The kids loved the place as well, while I was thinking that they are mostly interested into playing on the PS3 or visiting Disneyland and the likes. It was truly a weekend spend with the family. A much bigger family.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
I do think so.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Just perfect.
| Reviewed 12 Feb 2007 by Ian Davison | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The friendliness of the welcome.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
All is organised - you have only to turn up.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes the venue specifically engaged local people and the economy and set out through the use of organic produce to enhance the environment.
| Reviewed 12 Aug 2006 by Rossella Spadini |  |
I welcome the opportunity to send you a positive feedback on our holiday in Italy, which we booked via your internet site. The description given in the site was accurate and true. Everything we expected to be, actually was.
Regrettably we encountered perhaps the hottest weather ever in Tolfa in the month of July for decades. More than 44 degrees cent in the sun and never below 30 degrees cent in the shadow or at night. Taking into consideration that there is no air conditioning in the rooms and that the (promised) swimming pool was not completed, our vacation life came to a stand still... most of the visiting trips were cancelled due to the hot and humid temperature...
I guess that that made the holiday quite memorable for my son David (10 years old) who - after the cooking lessons by Anna, the local cook - ended up playing computer games on the local PS2 without any time limits...
On my side, I had a sun stroke and that I will not forget... as I will not forget the smells, the colors, the tastes, the landscapes... all wonderful!
I would rate the holiday: OK ** 2 stars; and I would blame the "extremely hot and unpleasant weather" for the missing *** 3 stars... the local people and family really deserve a ***** 5 stars credit for their welcome and their efforts.
Regrettably we encountered perhaps the hottest weather ever in Tolfa in the month of July for decades. More than 44 degrees cent in the sun and never below 30 degrees cent in the shadow or at night. Taking into consideration that there is no air conditioning in the rooms and that the (promised) swimming pool was not completed, our vacation life came to a stand still... most of the visiting trips were cancelled due to the hot and humid temperature...
I guess that that made the holiday quite memorable for my son David (10 years old) who - after the cooking lessons by Anna, the local cook - ended up playing computer games on the local PS2 without any time limits... On my side, I had a sun stroke and that I will not forget... as I will not forget the smells, the colors, the tastes, the landscapes... all wonderful!
I would rate the holiday: OK ** 2 stars; and I would blame the "extremely hot and unpleasant weather" for the missing *** 3 stars... the local people and family really deserve a ***** 5 stars credit for their welcome and their efforts.
check out similar holiday ideas...
responsiblevacation.com
iknowagreatplace.com
responsibletourismawards.com