The Fabrizio Tuscan Estate™

Join Fabrizio and his family, along with Chef Cati, for a fun-filled Tuscan Kids & Family Cooking program designed exclusively for families at the farmhouse property. Kids love his country farmhouse, where they will learn to roll out pasta, make pizza, gelato and desserts and can go horseback riding too!!!  Experience the delights of this family hands-on cooking program, while visiting the Leaning Tour of Pisa, a Tuscan outdoor market and a famous gelateria, ice cream maker too!

As featured in Summer 2022 – Click here to read more!

Set on a working vineyard and olive orchard, the property is surrounded by the rolling green Tuscan hills and offers a gorgeous swimming pool and horseback riding area. The private villa has recently been restored, preserving its old-world charm while adding modern comforts such as air conditioning, and private bathrooms.  It’s a fun-filled authentic cooking experience designed for families and children that you will never forget!

The estate has a vast olive grove and an organic vegetable garden where guests can pick their own tomatoes, eggplant, squash flowers and a bounty of seasonal produce, and  in season, pick the olives and watch them be pressed into extra-virgin olive oil.  Families are invited to explore the gardens and pick the fruits and vegetables which are then used in the cooking classes. This is a great opportunity for kids of all ages to experience Mother nature and learn about the origins of homegrown produce in the heart of Tuscan.

Join Fabrizio for a Kids’ Cooking Program

Learn how to make pasta and pizza in hands-on cooking classes with Fabrizio, Chef Cati and family.  During the cooking classes everyone will be mixing and rolling out the dough, making pizzas, pasta and gnocchi, while learning about the healthy Mediterranean diet.  After you have chopped and diced sweet tomatoes or zucchini and porcini mushroom, you will be making delicious pasta sauces, like pesto, pumpkin or mushroom – along with pizza toppings toot  You will also prepare Tuscan desserts, such as crostata, pie, cantucci, Tuscan cookies and even gelato.  Gelato making is included at the villa with a delicious tasting to follow.  Following each cooking class, everyone enjoys the food prepared in class together at our table. A toast of local red or white wine for adults and soft drinks for children and water are included.

When you are not cooking, relax in the garden, take a bicycle ride through the Tuscan hills or go for a swim in the property swimming pool (weather permitting).  You may also take a ride or hire a car and visit Vinci, home of Leonardo da Vinci and the da Vinci museum.  This museum features the artist’s creations showcasing everything from his drawings on the human anatomy to mechanical clocks and flying machines.

Cooking Lessons & Market Tour

Experience the delights of the traditional Tuscan lifestyle, while attending fun-filled Kids & Family cooking classes and excursions with Fabrizio. You and your family will learn to prepare antipasto, homemade pasta and pizza, a main course (meat, fish or vegetarian) and dessert in each class – including a Tuscan market tour with tastings and a stop at a famous gematria with tastings.  Wine for adults and soft drinks for the children are included.

The Kids & Family Cooking classes, held in the villa’s country style kitchen (in what used to be one of the family’s historic wine cellar), feature traditional recipes showcasing Tuscan cuisine.  You will be making Tuscan classics such as:  tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms & pepolino, artichokes and tomatoes stuffed with herbs and cheese; gnocchi in ragù; Chianti Etruscan sauce and beans all’uccelletta;  cantucci, traditional almond cookies with Vin Santo for the adults, tiramisù, or schiacciata all’uva, a Tuscan cake with red grapes and rosemary – to name a few!!!

You will also learn the secrets of making pici, very thick spaghetti.  When in season, we will make gnocchetti verdi di patate con pomodorino fresco e basilico, green potato gnocchi with fresh tomatoes and basil, filetto d’orata al gratin di patate, fish with potato gratin, and semifreddo alle nocciole con cioccolato fondente, ice cream cake with dark chocolate and hazelnuts. If you prepare seafood, Fabrizio has his family recipe of seafood risotto and if you love meat, then there is his recipe for tenderloin with black truffles, porcini mushrooms.  This is just a sample of Tuscan cuisine depending on the season.

Also included is a visit to the vibrant outdoor marketplace.  You will soak up the scent of just-baked bread, artisan cheese, while seeing the morning picked produce from the nearby rolling hills.  Listen to the sounds of sellers calling out their daily catch, prime cuts and specials.  Shop along rows of passionate purveyors who keep the farm-to-table food philosophy alive.  Following the market visit, Fabrizio stops at our famous geleteria, ice cream maker, for a visit and tasting.  Tastings included.

Tuscan Villa Accommodations

The private villa has recently been restored, respecting its old-world charm, while adding modern comforts. Set on a working vineyard, the property is surrounded by rolling green Tuscan hills twenty-five minutes outside of Florence.  The estate has a vast olive grove and an organic vegetable garden, which produces beautiful olives, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini and a bounty of seasonal produce. Guests are invited to pick the fruits and vegetables, which are then used in the cooking classes.

The accommodations are large apartments and oversized superior rooms, traditionally furnished and newly renovated with modern conveniences; with air conditioning. Each room has a private bathroom, telephone, full kitchenette, refrigerator, satellite TV, and a private garden or spacious terrace.

Stepping outside your door is a colorful garden with a café-style terrace for dining, reading or painting. There is an outdoor wood-burning brick oven for our pizza making class, an over-sized swimming pool and terrace on the property grounds. Majestic Murgesi horses are bred on the premises. If you like to ride, let us know and we will arrange for horseback riding.  Bikes are available at the property for peddling through the Tuscan countryside.

Breakfast is served daily In the farmhouse’s spacious dining room and outdoor seating are featuring artisan breads, cold cuts, cheese, homemade jams, biscotti and cakes baked each morning by Chef Cati. Traditional Tuscan lunch or dinner is also available; reservations must be made in advance.

Family-style suites and apartments are also available upon request.

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Itinerary~ 4 Days, 3 Nights

Day 1: Check-in and Welcome

• Check in, relax. Welcome aperitivo for parents and soft drink for kids, and introduction. Kids have a chance to explore property, visit the horse stables, or kick-in to a game of soccer.
• Chef’s tasting dinner with a toast of wine and soft drink for kids included.

Day 2: Market Visit With Gelato Visit and Tasting & Cooking Class and Gelato Making 1

• Breakfast is served.
• Meet Fabrizio for an early morning market visit. Throughout the tour, he shares her knowledge of the fruits and vegetables in season and how to choose the best products to be used in class.  Following the market tour, he will visit our favourite gelateria, ice cream shop, with tastings included.
• Then, return to the kitchen and tie on your apron  for slicing and dicing in your hands-on pizza making class with dessert included.
• Enjoy the foods that were prepared in class around the table. A toast of local red or white wine and coffee included for adults and soft drinks and water for children.
• Afternoon everyone makes gelato.  Learn how to make cream Italian gelato, tasting follow.
• Later in the day, you are  free to relax at the property, go for a swim in the pool, walk through the vineyards or visit the horseback riding area (pre-reservations and small insurance fee to ride).  You may also opt, it is another suggestion, and explore the charming town of Vinci. Vinci is the home of the Leonardo Da Vinci and a museum dedicated to the art where works of his work is on display.

Day 3: Excursion to Pisa & Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast is served.
• After breakfast, your driver will pick you up for a private half day excursion through the Tuscan Hills to Pisa, home of the historical Leaning Tower. Everyone will love the climb to the top to admire the bird’s eye view of the town and the beautiful Italian countryside. Lunch on your own. Suggestions are provided.
• Following your tour to Pisa, return to the property for your cooking class.  Tie on your apron for slicing and dicing in your hands-on cooking class preparing an antipasto, fresh pasta making, main course and dessert. Enjoy the foods that were prepared in class around the table. A toast of local red or white wine and coffee included for adults and soft drinks and water for children.

Let us know if you would like to add on horseback riding!

Day 4: Departure

• Breakfast is served.
• Check out & transfer to Florence Airport or Train Station.
• 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.