Join us in Cortona, where Chef Netta invites you into her home and teaches you her cooking secrets and how to transform fresh local ingredients and produce into delicious Tuscan fare. Her Villa is nestled on a hilltop in the Val di Chiana amid the lush fields of grain, sunflower and lavender gardens, olive groves and vineyards. Chef Netta’s Villa sets the mood for a healthy vegetarian cooking experience in charming Cortona!
As featured in 
April 2013 – Click here to read more!
Join Chef Netta in Cortona for an extraordinary experience of cooking, touring, sipping and swirling Tuscan wines while soaking up la dolce vita, sweet life.
Learn how to mix, roll and knead the perfect dough for pizza and pasta, while transforming organic vegetables and fruits into beautiful toppings and sauces. Step into Chef Netta’s kitchen and learn how to prepare Tuscan classics, while learning the importance of regional products and many different Tuscan and Super Tuscan wines. Chef Netta’s classes are vegetarian.
And when you are not in the kitchen, our English-speaking guide takes you on an enchanting tour of Cortona’s best-loved monuments, Teatro Signorelli, Piazza della Repubblica, the Diocesan Museum home Luca Signorelli’s masterpieces, the Santa Maria Nuova church, designed by Giorgio Vasari, and Santa Maria delle Grazie, along with wine shops, leather crafters and art galleries. And when you’re not cooking, food and wine excursions with your driver takes you into the beautiful Tuscan hill towns and to wine producers and artisan cheese makers.
Cooking Classes
Chef Netta is passionate about her cooking and shares techniques with you throughout your time in the kitchen. Her passion and energy for Tuscan cuisine will have you cooking like an Italian, so roll up your sleeves and tie on your aprons for an extraordinary experience making antipasti, fresh pasta, main courses and dessert.
Chef Netta also grows her seasonal fruits and vegetables in her garden and purchases from nearby purveyors, local markets and farmers from the Tuscan hills.
After each cooking class, everyone enjoys lunch or dinner with the foods that were prepared in class. Enjoy, relax and share your cooking notes around the table. Chef Netta also loves wine and has a wine cellar stocked with over 60 of the best Italian wines.
Chef Netta’s Tuscan Menu
Ribollita – The celebrated ribollita, is a hearty soup of the countryside
Pappa col Pomodoro – Bread and tomato soup
Cecina – A savory chick pea pie Tortellini di Patate – Traditional fresh pasta stuffed with potato
Schiacciata alla Fiorentina – Tuscan flat bread
Castagnaccio – sweet chestnut cake
Cortona
Cortona is a dreamy Tuscan village and offers something for everyone. Ancient churches, a pretty piazza, wine bars, gelato shops, shopping and artisan goods! Made famous by Frances Mayes in Under The Tuscan Sun, Cortona was once part of Umbria, then became part of Tuscany.
The prevailing character of Cortona’s architecture is medieval with picturesque narrow streets set on a hillside embracing the enchanting view of the Val di Chiana. It’s a town that also cherishes its tradition. Once a year in June, the locals celebrate Medieval Week, with a procession of over 300 people wearing traditional medieval costumes while horseback riders parade through the village. Weekly local markets comes to life in the village’s piazza with venders selling traditional products, wine and goods. And, you can always sit back in any one of the local caffès, sip an espresso or vino and soak up the Tuscan sun.
Tuscany
Tuscany! From art, architecture and history to the seaside, mountains and most importantly, spectacular Tuscan cuisine, there is something for everyone in Tuscany. From Florence the Magnificent to charming Montepulciano, there are endless towns peppered on narrow winding roads throughout all of Tuscany.
Your stay at the boutique B&B with Chef Netta welcomes you to this secret part of Tuscany, where in addition to your cooking lessons, you will have time to soak up the charm of your peaceful surroundings.
Cortona Accommodations
Chef Netta’s Villa property is set in the green hills of Cortona, near to Arezzo, Monterchi, Sansepolcro, Camaldoli, Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Siena, San Gimignano and the magnificent region of Umbria. The Villa’s rooms are warm and welcoming and tastefully furnished with antiques from the 18th to 20th Century. Each bedroom has a private bathroom with daily maid service each day. Breakfast is served in the elegant dining room including homemade cakes and jams, creamy cappuccino and delightful teas, fruits grown in the garden to start your day the Tuscan way!
When you’re not cooking and touring, stroll through the garden, soak up the sun and relax. There’s a sweeping view of Monte Amiata, rolling vineyards and a beautiful swimming pool.
Listen to music, read a book from the library or simply enjoy a glass of wine by the fire in the sitting room – once the Villa’s ancient horse stable.
Click for Property Photo Gallery
Itinerary ~ 4 days, 3 nights
Day One~ Arrival
- Pick up at the train station – Check in, introduction and welcome tea.
- Chef’s Tuscan Welcome dinner at the Villa – wine and beverages not included.
Day Two~ Cooking Class
- Breakfast is served.
- Free time in Cortona with transport to and from the town provided.
- Return to the Villa.
- Return to the Villa.
- In the early evening, get ready to mix and roll out the dough for your hands-on pizza-making class, followed by dinner. Everyone dines together and enjoys the pizzas that were prepared in class, along with other local foods. Wine and beverages are not included.
Day Three~ Cooking Class
- Breakfast is served.
- Following breakfast, your driver takes you onto a Tuscan winery for a tour and tasting, learning about harvesting, winemaking and ageing techniques that make the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Discussions, wine tasting and light lunch are included.
- Return to the Villa in the afternoon.
- Dinner on your own.
Day Four~ Departure
- Breakfast is served.
- After breakfast, check out and arriverderci!
Program Includes:
- 4 days, 3 nights accommodation based on double occupancy. Click to View!
- Chef’s Welcome dinner with tastings of Tuscan fare. Wine and beverages not included.
- Daily breakfast and maid service.
- 2 cooking classes with lunch or dinner following; Wine and beverages not included.
- Round trip transfers to and from Cortona for free time in town.
- Excursion to a Tuscan vineyard with private driver. Visit tour, and tastings and lunch included.
- Maps included for your self-guided tours.
- Arrival and departure transfers from the Camucia-Cortona Train Station to Villa.
- Cooking Vacations’ welcome bag with chef’s apron and recipe book.
Program Prices
$1,795 per person, based on 2 guests in a classic room.
$1,995 per person, based on 2 guests in a suite with terrace.
For Single Guests: If you are traveling on your own, please call us for the best group price. We are happy to welcome you into an already scheduled group.
*An Italian visitor tax may apply in some cities and must be paid directly on site at check out.
2023 Dates: This program is available throughout the year. You can check in and start your cooking program any day of the week. Rates are subject to change based on currency exchange. Call for updated rates. Airfare not included. Group transfers for any cooking tour or tours that include transfers, are for the group and are not private. Transfers before, after or to another destination outside of your cooking tour are not included in the program price. If you would like to add on a private transfer or transfers, let us know and we will send you pricing.
Add-On Activities
Add-on an extra tour to your program.
Cortona Food Lover’s Tour:
Meet your guide Giovanni for a walking tour through the historic center of Cortona. Visit the town’s main piazzas, Piazza delle Repubblica and Piazza Signorelli, follow the ancient Etruscan city walls, and admire the sweeping views down over Lago Trasimeno. Along the way, stop off in artisan bakeries that carry on the time honored tradition of local dolci, like cantucci, ricciarelli and brutti ma buoni, and learn how local nonnas prepare delicious local pici pasta. And of course, no food lover’s tour would be complete without a glass of wine or a creamy cappuccino.
Price:
$350 for your group of 1-3 people.
