Food, Wine & Truffles In Le Marche™

Tie on your aprons with Signora Vera and Signor Massimo, food lovers, truffle hunters, and wine enthusiasts, in the heart of Le Marche on our truffle hunting and cooking classes tour.

The Region of Le Marche is one of Italy’s most natural regions, keeping its beauty, rich culture, and food. This one-of-a-kind truffle hunting and truffle cooking class experience takes you into the forest and then the kitchen, where you’ll learn about truffles and how to use the tubers in cooking.

Le Marche is one of Italy’s major truffle regions, and here you’ll find endless tuber magnatum pico – the prized white truffle, and tuber melanosporum – the delicious black truffle, which are abundant and delicious. Signoro Reno and his prized truffle dog are on a search for the best truffles in the region – and they always find the tubers!!!

Following the truffle hunting experience, head to the kitchen where you will prepare a full-course menu including handmade pasta served with fresh shaved truffles, followed by a main course, dessert, and wine. Our truffle hunting and cooking class is perfect for the food lover at heart who appreciates the precious truffles.

Le Marche Cooking Classes

Join us in the kitchen for hands-on cooking classes using truffles, while preparing antipasto, fresh pasta, sauces, main courses, and desserts.  Transform farm-to-table ingredients, learning how to incorporate delicious black and white truffles – think truffle-infused frittata, creamy risotto, and gently shaved on fresh pasta.  A true Le Marche speciality is vincisgrassi – a layered pasta with cheese and meat sauce.  Le Marche stuffed olives, called olive all’ascolana, are a delicious delicacy.  Learn how to mix, roll, and cut tagliatelle; prepare herbed roasted lamb, rabbit, and pork served with braised fennel, bomboletti al sugo.  Learn about local wine – while you sip and swirl  Verdicchio, white and Ciliegiolo, Pinot Nero, and Lacrima di Morro.  You will learn how to prepare traditional desserts such as i cavalluci, a folded-over dough stuffed with chocolate, candied orange, and other spices, a Le Marche delight!!!

The Marche region is a culturally rich area, divided into four provinces by four river valleys, in a remote part of Italy – undiscovered by the crowds – ensuring that the land and villages remain quiet and untouched.  Set on the eastern side of central Italy, between the Adriatic Sea and the majestic Apennine Mountains, this region offers delicious food, culture, art, wine making, history, and music.  Local farmers, wine makers, and shopkeepers are warm and friendly.

Ascoli Piceno

Surrounded by mountains and natural parks, the town of Ascoli Piceno has been inhabited since pre-Roman times.  Ascoli Piceno’s historic center is filled with beautiful churches, palazzos, and monuments.  It also boasts a main Renaissance square called Piazza del Popolo, named one of the most beautiful in Italy. This piazza once acted as the Forum in Roman times.  You can also visit Le Marche’s art gallery inside the 17th-century Palazzo Comunale or visit Ascoli’s Cathedral.

Offida

Set atop a gentle hill in southern Le Marche, Offida is a medieval town known for its centuries-old lacemaking, monastic architecture, and deep agricultural roots. Once a fortified settlement under the Piceni people and later a thriving medieval commune, Offida grew around artisan guilds, vineyards, and religious life. Its crown jewel is the 14th-century Church of Santa Maria della Rocca, which stands on a rocky promontory and reflects the town’s blend of Romanesque and Gothic influences.

Today, history still guides daily life with women continuing the tradition of bobbin lace on doorsteps, wine shops pour ancient local varietals like Pecorino and Passerina, and narrow streets follow their original medieval layout. Offida offers an intimate glimpse into Le Marche’s past, with a welcoming, small-town rhythm perfect for slow wandering and tasting its enduring culinary traditions.

San Benedetto del Tronto & Mont Sibillini

Discover the coastal town of San Benedetto del Tronto and Grottammare, where you will enjoy the beautiful sea landscapes with your driver and English-speaking guide, and enjoy a traditional seafood lunch, included. San Benedetto is the province’s largest city, and its port is also one of the biggest on the Adriatic Sea. San Benedetto’s promenade and beaches are ideal for strolling, while its Museum of the Sea is a tribute to the city’s longstanding fishing history. Neighboring Grottammare, called “the Pearl of the Adriatic,” has a perfectly preserved historical center and an intense cultural life.  The town also celebrates the Festival Liszt, a music event saluting the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, who held Grottammare in high regard.

Travel to Mount Sibillini National Park, which covers 70,000 hectares of nature’s most beautiful landscapes. The park is a treasure trove of biodiversity due to the presence of wetlands, thick forests, plateaus, and mountains, including Monte Sibilla, the site of the Cave of Sibilla, the supposed refuge of the prophetess Sybil. In addition to its natural beauties, the park is peppered with many picturesque villages, such as Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict.  Enjoy a traditional lunch featuring local products, included.

Le Marche Accommodations

Check in to your 4-Star property set on the Piazza del Popolo – in the centro storica. Step into the princely property graced with an ancient tower in a light-filled space where stone walls, arched walkways, soft colors, and simple décor create a relaxing place to unwind and let your Cooking Vacations begin. Each room continues with tradition, offering tall windows draped in a palette of natural hues from antique white to creamy beige. High ceilings highlighting the original architecture keep it light and bright.  Comfortable and modern bedding dressed in Italian linens and carefully appointed décor add to the old-world charm blended with a touch of modern design. Private and modern bathrooms stocked with a full collection of soap and supplies add a lovely touch.  Each room includes Wi-Fi, climate control, a minibar, and small conveniences, including a kettle and safe.

Breakfast is served daily and includes artisan breads, pastries, cheeses, and freshly made espresso, cappuccino, and tea. Daily housekeeping, luggage assistance, and helpful front-desk service during your stay make you feel like you are at home while vacationing in bella Ascoli Piceno in Le Marche.

Click for Property Photo Gallery

Itinerary – 7 Days, 6 Nights

Day 1: Arrival, Check In & Welcome Dinner

• Transfer from the Ascoli Piceno train station to a charming 4-star property.
• Check in and relax. Enjoy your Cooking Vacations Welcome Bag and Prosecco.
• Later in the evening, enjoy your Welcome Dinner with a Chef’s Tasting Menu featuring traditional and local fare.

Day 2: Food Lovers’ Tour with Tastings & Cooking Class 1

• Breakfast is served.
• Following breakfast, enjoy a Food Lover’s Landmark Tour through the quaint city center of Ascoli Piceno with food tastings along the way.  Experience the culture and history while enjoying traditional food tastings of Ascoli Piceno.
• Tie on your aprons and get cooking!  You will learn how to prepare farm-to-table dishes with Chef Vera, including antipasto, mixed fried food with the region’s signature olive all’ascolona, stuffed fried olives, and dessert. Lunch follows and includes the meal you prepared in the cooking class, paired with a toast of local red or white wine.
• Dinner is on your own with suggestions provided, or dine at the property’s onsite restaurant.

Day 3: Cooking Class 2 and Visit to Offida with Wine Tour and Tasting

• Breakfast is served.
• Tie on your aprons and get cooking! You will learn how to prepare farm-to-table ingredients with Chef Vera, including antipasto, fresh pasta and sauce, a main course, and dessert. Lunch follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class, accompanied by a toast of local red or white wine.
• In the afternoon, meet your English-speaking guide for an excursion to the charming village of Offida. During your excursion, you will visit a prized winery, tour the cantina and property, and enjoy wine tastings paired with local bites, included.
• Following the tour, return to the property.
• Dinner is on your own with suggestions provided, or dine at the property’s onsite restaurant.

Day 4: Truffle Hunt & Cooking Class 3

• Breakfast is served.
• Following breakfast, experience a truffle hunt with your English-speaking host.  Follow the truffle hunter and his trained dog to find the buried truffles in the ground.
• After your truffle hunt, tie on your aprons and get cooking. Learn how to prepare farm-to-table ingredients with Chef Roma, including antipasto with black truffle, risotto with black truffle, black truffle potato flan, and dessert. Lunch follows and includes the food prepared in the cooking class paired with a toast of local red or white wine.
• Later in the afternoon, relax or stroll through the city center.
• Dinner will be on your own, with restaurant suggestions provided.

Day 5: Adriatic Coast Excursion to San Benedetto del Tronto & Grottamare

• Breakfast is served.
• Following breakfast, meet your English-speaking guide and driver for a full-day excursion to San Benedetto del Tronto and Grottammare. During your visit, you will tour the seafront and stop for a seafood lunch included. Additional menus are available.
• Later in the afternoon, relax by the swimming pool, walk the gardens, or stroll the city center.
• Dinner is on your own with suggestions provided, or dine at the property’s onsite restaurant.

Day 6: Monti Sibillini, Montemonaco & Montegallo

• Breakfast is served.
• Following breakfast, meet your English-speaking guide and driver for a full-day excursion to the breathtaking Monti Sibillini, Montemonaco, and Montegallo.  Explore the hidden corners of these charming historic towns.
• Lunch follows, including a traditional cuisine of the region.
• Following your excursion, relax as you return to the property for the evening.
• Dinner is on your own with suggestions provided, or dine at the property’s onsite restaurant.

Day 7: Checkout & Ciao! 

• Breakfast is served.
• Check out and arrivederci!