Pastry making class at Rita’s farm
Cooking Classes Duration: From 2 to 3 hours
Rates
FANCY SOMETHING SWEET? TRY OUR PASTRY CLASS
Enjoy a sweet and memorable experience with our pastry class at Rita’s! If you love traditional desserts and cookies made in Tuscan homes, this is the perfect activity for you. Arianna & Friends organizes this class at Rita’s Farm, a real Tuscan farmhouse with beautiful views of the hills. Here, you will step into the heart of Tuscany, where time slows down and local traditions come alive.
A charming Tuscan farmhouse & Welcome Savory Plate
Our pastry class takes place at the scenic Rita's farmhouse in the countryside near Montefoscoli, between Pisa, San Gimignano and Volterra. We begin with a short introduction to the history of the farm and the local cuisine, giving you a deeper understanding of the roots of Tuscan food. At the farm, you will meet Rita's friendly animals, including her chickens and donkeys. Before and during the class, you will enjoy a complimentary small welcome tray with fresh bread, farm-made olive oil, and cheese to taste whenever you like.
Baking and Preparing Desserts with our Cook
Tuscany has a long history of farming, and many of its classic recipes come from this tradition. Some recipes come from farmers, while others were made in rich families' kitchens, we will go through both of the styles. A local cook and our storyteller will guide you through making these delicious Tuscan desserts. Please choose three "dolci" from our list below . You'll learn simple tips to make cookies, cakes, spoon desserts and pies that are both authentic and delicious. The class is informal and friendly, and even beginners can enjoy it. Some recipes might be a little challenging at first, but with our guidance, you will succeed. Everything you make will be savored as a "merenda", the Italian afternoon snack, with coffee or tea, and any leftovers will be packed for you to take home and share with family and friends. .
The warm, authentic atmosphere of the farm makes it the perfect setting to learn, taste, and enjoy.
Below you find our menu list with all the desserts:
Dolce 1 Cantuccini alle mandorle e cioccolato – Traditional almond & chocolate biscuits
Dolce 2 Dolce all'olio – Home cake made with olive oil
Dolce 3 Torta di mele – Apple cake Tuscan style
Dolce 4 Torta della nonna – Type of pie filled with Tuscan custard and pine nuts
Dolce 5 Crostata di frutta – Short-crust-pastry tart with custard and fresh fruit
Dolce 6 Salamino al cioccolato – Salami-shaped dessert made of chocolate, dry biscuits and liquor
Dolce 7 Tiramisù tradizionale al caffè e cioccolato – Traditional Tiramisu with coffee and chocolate
Dolce 8 Tiramisù alle fragole – Strawberry Tiramisu (only in spring and summer)
Dolce 9 Tiramisù all'arancia – Tiramisu with oranges and cinnamon (only in autumn/fall and winter)
Dolce 10 Torta cioccolato e pere – Traditional chocolate and pear cake
Dolce 11 Zuppa inglese – Tuscan trifle with custard, sponge biscuits and liquor
Dolce 12 Frittelle di farina di castagne – Type of fried pancakes with chestnut flour served with some sugar, ricotta cheese, chocolate
Dolce 13 Schiacciata con l'uva – Sweet bread oven baked, with grapes and sugar (only from August through December)
Dolce 17 Ricciarelli – Typical Christmas cookies with almond flour. Available all year around
Dolce 18 Torta al cioccolato senza glutine – Typical gluten free chocolate cake with almond flour
Dolce 19 Torta del nonno – Typical pie with chocolate custard and shaved almonds
EXTRA/LIGHT LUNCH: In addition to the complimentary plate of cheese, oil and bread, our cook is delighted to prepare a savory dish for you to enjoy before enjoying the desserts you've created. Please note that this light lunch incurs an extra charge
A mysterious Temple right next door
Just next to our cooking venue is the stunning Tempio a Minerva Medica a special place rich in history and mysterious legends. On the occasion of our cooking class you will have the chance to stop in front of it for a picture and learn about a few facts. You can learn more about it and enjoy a full guided visit of the temple by clicking here.
In our cooking class we like telling you a lot about Tuscan farms and farmers' cooking traditions, introducing you to Tuscan people with their personal stories, careers and characters.
You will have one of our guides as a language assistants and coordinator with you during the whole class. Please, see below all the guides and language assistants who can be with you.
During this experience you will also meet one of our Tuscan cooks who give you the cooking class. Please, see below which cooks you are likely to encounter.
The total rate for this activity varies according to the number of people in your party.
Check rates in the table below.
PASTRY MAKING CLASS AT RITA’S– RATES 2026 – |
|
|---|---|
NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN YOUR PARTY |
TOTAL RATE |
| 2 persons | € 520 |
| 3 persons | € 580 |
| 4 persons | € 640 |
| 5 persons | € 700 |
| 6 persons | € 760 |
| 7 persons | € 820 |
| 8 persons | € 880 |
| Extra Adult | € 60 |
| Extra Teenager (12-17 yrs) | € 50 |
| Child (4-11 yrs) | € 40 |
| EXTRA/LIGHT LUNCH OPTION: In addition to the complimentary plate of cheese, oil and bread, our cook is delighted to prepare a savory dish for you to enjoy before enjoying the desserts you've created. Please note that this light lunch incurs an extra charge which is 10 euro per person | |
Rates include
- A 2 or 3-hour hands-on pastry cooking class
- A local cook at your disposal
- An English speaking guide/story teller. Also available in French, German, Spanish
- Tasting of the desserts you prepared
- Leftovers to take home
- Kitchen aprons as souvenirs
- Booklet to take notes
- A short visit to Rita’s farm
- Complimentary plate with bread, olive oil and cheese
- Taxes
Rates do NOT include
- Transportation
- light lunch: 10 euro per person
- tips to the staff. Not obligatory but very much appreciated
Transportation is not included in the rates above. For more info on transportation, please see the box "Transportation options".
This is an email we received from Jana and Roddrick on their honeymoon in Tuscany and doing a truffle hunting tour and a pastry class with us:
Massimo,
Here are the pictures we promised! We had the most amazing time on this whole-day tour with you. We thank you for custom-making this tour to fit all the things we wanted to do! It was simply amazing and we had more fun than we knew what to do with! I know we went to bed smiling and talking about it for many days afterwards. Every part of it was memorable, fun and perfect! If we are ever fortunate enough to come back to Italy, we are certainly booking with you guys and spending more time in that region. I have recommended you guys to my friends who are planning their trip to Italy in March. I know you will give them the same spectacular treatment that you did us! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our honeymoon memorable and exciting! Hugs to Massimo and all our Italian friends we met along the way!
Sincerely,
Roddrick & Jana
This is another message after we answered them:
Hey Massimo!
You deserved every word. 🙂 I am glad you got the pictures and can use them to remember us. We definitely would love to come back to that region again one day and you KNOW we will be calling you! If you get to come to the US, do not hesitate to call on us! We’d love to see you and we even have an extra room & bathroom to put you up for the night if you need it. 🙂 We talked to our friends that are coming to Italy next May and they are going to start working on their trip so I gave them your website and all the info so they can figure out what they want. Hopefully they will take our advice and use you guys! We talked to Roddrick’s dad a bit about the melon liquor and we bought some in Capri to bring back for him to taste. Of course, it wasn’t quite the same as what we had with you, but it gave him an idea of what we were talking about. He loved the stuff and he said we’d need to sit down and talk about it for sure! SO I’ll keep you informed! 🙂 Thanks for everything and keep in touch!!
Sincerely,
~Jana
This is an email we received from Sallie and Karen, who spent 10 days in Tuscany in our farm and enjoyed our pastry shop experience, our painting class and our cooking class:
Hi Arianna,
Just a quick note to thank you and the team very much for the incredible job you all did during our recent trip to Tuscany. Special thanks to Massimo and Consuelo for helping solve the GPS problem, the replacement Tom Tom worked extremely well and was a definite “must have” for foreigners trying to navigate their way around Italy. Also, to Massimo and Veronica for joining us and translating during our Cooking and Painting classes, their knowledge and experience, without a doubt, enhanced our experience during each of them.
With regard to the Pastry & Pizza Cooking Class we did with Massimo, he mentioned that copies of each of the recipes will be emailed to us, can I also remind you about that please, as we haven’t received them yet?
Thanks again.
Sallie & Karen
This activity does not present any particular physical challenges. However, if you have any accessibility needs — whether mobility-related, sensory, cognitive, or any other requirements — please let us know in advance and we will do our best to accommodate you.
LOCATION OF THE COOKING VENUE:
This cooking class takes place in the village of Peccioli, in central Tuscany, among Pisa, San Gimignano and Volterra, about 10 km from Selvatelle.
MEET-UP LOCATION:
Unless differently specified, the meeting point with the language assistant is at an easy meeting point near Peccioli. Detailled instructions will be provided.
DURATION:
This program takes from 2 to 4 hous + time for lunch or dinner
AVAILABILITY:
Available all the year through, from Mondays to Saturdays in the morning, followed by lunch, or in the afternoon, followed by dinner.
LANGUAGE:
This class is available in English, German, French, Spanish or Italian with no surcharge.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL:
Easy
CHILD FRIENDLY:
Ideal for children
CLOTHING:
No particular clothing required.
FOOD RESTRICTIONS:
The foods served during this cooking class might contain gluten, lactose, nuts and alcohol. If you have any food restriction, please inform our personnel during the enquiry process.
TRANSPORTATION:
This program and its rates do not include transportation and are set on a self-driving base. For further information see the box "transportation options".
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