One of the most interesting and fascinating experiences in Tuscany is taking part in a cooking class. Tuscan cuisine is based on simple but tasty recipes belonging to rooted traditions and coming from wise farming.
Arianna & Friends give you the opportunity to discover all the secrets of Tuscan food in interesting and informative cooking classes organized for you at a traditional Tuscan farm. Our farm is a wonderful estate in the area of the Pisan hills, between Pisa and Volterra.

Our cook prepares exactly the meals that Tuscans eat at home, using the same fresh and genuine ingredients with the help of very useful tricks.
The duration of the classes ranges from 2 to 3 hours and they can be arranged in the morning or in the evening, before you sit at a table and enjoy all the delicacies you have prepared.

The preparation of your dinner or lunch includes a couple of starters, two main courses (primo and secondo according to the Italian tradition) with side dishes and a dessert.
During the following meal, local red or white wines will be served as well.
During all the experience, there will be a friendly and helpful assistant speaking English (on request also German, Spanish, French, Italian or Russian) ready to answer any question of yours. Remember that you can combine our cooking classes with any other activity of Arianna & Friends.

Our private single-day cooking classes in short

• The preparation of your dinner or lunch includes a couple of starters, two main courses (primo and secondo according to the Italian tradition) with side dishes and a dessert - 4/5 courses.

• During your meal, local red or white wines will be served as well.

• There will be a professional cook and a friendly and helpful assistant speaking English (on request also German, Spanish, French, Italian or Russian) and ready to answer any question of yours.

• The cooking classes take place in the kitchen of a wonderful farm in the area of the Pisan hills, between Pisa and Volterra. We can arrange special cooking classes also in other areas of Tuscany: see more details here ».

• Remember that you can combine our cooking classes with any other activity of Arianna & Friends.

Our cooking holiday packages in short

• We can arrange a more-day cooking holiday in the most beautiful and relaxing holiday farms of Tuscany. Accommodation can be in selected bedrooms, apartments or villas of any category in the middle of the hilly rural Tuscany area.

• During your stay we arrange one or more cooking classes and if you want also some other of our customized activites.

Rates and enquiries

Pictures and examples of our cooking classes

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This is an email we received from Jaqueline and Beda after one of our cooking classes with Arianna.

Liebe Arianna
Nochmals herzlichen Dank für die Organisation und Durchführung unseres Kochkurses in der Toscana. Wir haben die Zeit mit dir und Carla wirklich genossen, genau so wie das Resultat unser "Arbeit". Danke auch noch für das Geschenk, das uns Tiziana heute morgen von dir überreicht hat.

Es würde uns freuen, wenn wir die Rezepte auch noch in schriftlicher Form erhalten (kann auch in Italienisch sein), dass wir für unsere Freunde in Zukunft richtig Toskanisch kochen können!
Wir werden beim Trinken des Chianti auf dich und die schöne Zeit hier in der Fattoria anstossen.
Herzliche Grüsse
Jacqueline & Beda

This is an email we received from Nella from the US, who experienced a cooking class and a dinner with Arianna and our cook:

Hi Arianna,

[...].

I would like to thank you once again for being a part of my 50th birthday celebrations and making it an enjoyable day for everyone.
Could you please email me the recipes for all the items on the menu we had on the 18th of May. It would be most appreciated.
I hope all is well in bella Toscana and I look forward to my next visit.

Regards,

Nella

This is an email we received from Carolina from Canada, who arranged her holidays at one of our farms and experienced our activities:

Hello Consuelo and Adrianna,

I would like to thank you for organizing my cooking lessons and wine tasting, it was a wonderful experience and Ester is such a good cook and so warm and Massimo is so lovely and a fantastic interpreter, his knowledge in Italian cooking and Italian history really add to the experience. It was exactly what I was looking for and more!!

I would love to have the recipes, Massimo did take notes for me but I would love to add mine too, especially that it is still fresh in my memory. Hopefully he can send them to me very soon.

You can be sure I left with my very own mezzaluna, I am ready to do some serious Tuscany cooking!!
Thank you very much for the wonderful experience, Carolina

PS( I will recommend your agency on trip adviser very soon) =

This is an email we received from Suzanne, who took our family cooking class in one day of her holidays in Tuscany:

Hi Arianna,
My husband and 2 boys joined you and Esther for a cooking class in late October. I wanted to thank you for a most amazing memory and to forward a few photos. We have told many of our friends about you.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to Canada to stay with us if you ever make it to Vancouver. We would love the opportunity to cook you dinner! please send an email so i can send photos.
ciao! suzanne

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This is an email sent to us by Brenda, who visited our farm and took 3 cooking classes:

Dear Arianna, Massimo and Consuelo,

Ciao! We just had to send you a note to express our thanks on assisting with our plans while we were in Tuscany. All the arrangements that you made for us went very smoothly. We loved the 2 bedroom apartment at the farm. Alessandro was a delightful host. The cooking classes were too much fun. Many thanks to Massimo and Esther for teaching us the regional (and delicious!) recipes. Massimo's information and guidance about the surrounding towns was invaluable. We were able to really get a feel for Tuscany even though we were only there a week. We will highly recommend you to anyone who mentions that they are planning a trip to Italy. We wouldn't hesitate to enlist your services again. Many, many thanks!

Brenda and Mark Riely
Mary Ann

PS. Attached are some pictures from the trip. Feel free to use them as you see fit. :)

This is an email we received from Tracy, after doing a cooking class with her friends in our kitchen

Hello Arianna,
Here are the photos we promised. Thanks again for everything and let us know if you are ever in Stuttgart!
Tracy and Friends

This is an email we received from Laurie and Chris who took part in our cooking class with Arianna at Elisa's:

Hi Arianna!

It was wonderful to meet you, and THANK YOU arranging an incredible time for us in Italy. Everything was wonderful, the cooking lesson so much fun and so informative. I have eaten mushroom crostini about 5 times since I have been home, and just bought semolina flour for pasta. Now I just need Carla.

I included a few pictures, and there are a couple more coming next email.

We heard about the earthquake a couple days after we returned from Italy, I realize that it didn't strike Tuscany. But I do hope that your family and friends are safe and not in harms way.

Arianna, thank you again. We will be back! Probably not for a year, but I will be in touch again.

Ciao,
Laurie and Chris

Laurie took a cooking lesson at Elisa »

This is an email we received from Marla, spendig her spring holidays with her friend Jan:

Hi Arianna!

I have to thank you again for the wonderful trip you arranged for Jan and I! It was perfect in every way! We enjoyed the cooking class so much and Carla was such a joy to meet. I'll write more later, but just wanted you to know the rest of our trip was great; the hotels in Fiorenze and Pisa were very nice also.
Love,
Marla