Florence: Food, Art & Romance™

Cooking With Chef Monica ~ 4 Day

Florence, Medieval City of food, art & romance is laid with ancient cobblestone streets, outdoor cafés spilling on piazzas, and museums home to Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi, Michelangelo's Davide and Botticelli's Primavera. From the first Etruscans who founded Florence, perhaps as early as 1000BC, to the flourishing Medici Family and the Renaissance Art that followed - Florence is the city of Bruschetta topped with white beans & olive oil; savory tarts with Swiss chard; Gnudi pasta, pasta & Ricotta; Tagliata di Manzo, Florentine steak; Baccala alla Fiorentina, cod with tomato sauce; Frittelle di Pere, Bosc pears dipped in Vin Santo and fried golden; and of course gelato in all flavors and colors.

Cooking Classes

Chef Monica, a native Fiorentina welcomes you into her home and kitchen for traditional Florentine hands-on cooking. A food lover at heart and home Chef, Monica shares her recipe book of Florence's favorites from her charming location by the Boboli gardens in the heart of the city. You will prepare a full menu, including antipasto, first course, second course and dessert; drinks and wine pairing discussion included.

Sample Florentine Menu
Schiacciata, flat bread with rosemary & sage
Tagliatelle pasta with Porcini Mushroom
Stracotto al Peppoli, braised beef with Peppoli wine
Cantucci, almond biscotti dipped in Vin Santo

Cooking classes last approximately 2 hours including preparation of a full menu from antipasto to dessert, everyone enjoys dinner together after class, on the foods prepared during the lesson. Wine, water, coffee and after dinner digestive liquor included. Participation certificate and souvenir cooking gift included.

Florence

The Medieval City, home to Brunelleschi’s Duomo and hailed the most romantic city in Italy is home to the Florentine kitchen. This food and culture cooking program with Chef Monica includes a Market Tour with tastings, a guided Museum Tour; to the Uffizi, home to the great Florentine Masters such as Tintoretto and the great Renaissance masters Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Botticelli; and the Accademia home to Michelangelo’s Davide. Cross the Arno and stop at the Medici Palace and Boboli Gardens for a circle view of the city. Join Chef Monica, and our food experts along the way and discover Florence through the eyes and food of a local.

Accommodations

Beatrice & Massimiliano welcome you to their charming B&B Palazzo in the heart of Renaissance Florence. This boutique-style B&B, with elegant appointed furnishings and all the modern comforts for your stay, is the perfect home-away-from home. Whites, Tuscan reds, and elegant surroundings make it for the sophisticated traveler. This 5-suite property, offers ensuite private baths, direct telephone and high-speed internet access. Breakfast is served daily, on the roof-top during good weather.

Itinerary ~ 4 days, 3 nights

Day One: Arrival & Chef’s Tasting Dinner

• Arrival and check in.
• Welcome Cocktail & meet your host and native-Florentine guide. Introduction to Florence and informal discussion over a prosecco or Aperitivo drink.
• Welcome Dinner with the Chef’s Tasting Menu at our favorite trattoria, just steps from Florence’s Piazza Santa Croce. Our favorite trattoria in Florence creates Tuscan-style choices with crostini or bruschette to get you started, tagliatelle with porcini or gnocchi with arugola & Gorgonzola as your primo, first course. Next, arrives a tempting Tuscan beef-fillet with arugola & Parmigiano or the classic bistecca alla Fiorentina. Top it off with a sweet ending of tiramisu’ or panna cotta. Wine and beverages not included.
• Stroll and admire Florence by night-the B&B is just a few steps away.

Day Two: Market Walking Tour & Cooking Class 1

• Breakfast is served.
• Meet Chef Monica for a stroll through the Market to see the foods of the day and pick up the ingredients for your evening cooking class. Smell fresh fruits and vegetables piled high in the market, artisan cheeses, smoked meats and more. Tastings included.
• Continue on for a walking tour of the city with informal discussion on the art and architecture of the Renaissance, visible around every corner.
• Lunch and afternoon on your own.
• In the afternoon, meet Chef Monica for your Cooking Class 1 in her typical Italian kitchen in the heart of Florence.
• Dinner follows on the foods prepared in class. Wine, water, coffee and after dinner digestive liqueur included.

Day Three: Museum Tour, Gelato Tasting & Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast is served.
• Museum Tour Spend the morning at the Uffizi Gallery and see the Masterpiece of Botticelli, Da Vinci & Caravaggio. The Galleria dell’ Accademia, home to David is another suggested visit. Half-day excursion with guide includes reserved tickets, ticket price not included and payable at the door.
• Take time out for lunch on your own. We have another great suggestion; just ask us when you reserve.
• After lunch, meet Beatrice or Massimiliano for a tour of Italy’s most beloved chilly treat- a Gelato Tasting Tour in the heart of Florence. Learn the best spots and taste a variety of gelato during this Food Lover’s tour.
• In the early evening, meet Chef Monica for your Cooking Class 2.
• Dinner follows with the foods prepared in class, wine & beverages included.

Day Four: Departure

• Breakfast is served.
• Check out and say goodbye.
• Ciao e Arrivederci!

*Note: This schedule may vary due to inclement weather, saint days or festivals. All activities, in the event of rescheduling, are always included during the program.

 

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