Tuscany Slow Cooking™

Set in the Acciaioli Hills on Florence’s southern side is the Villa Florentine with Chef Luciana. A Baroque door let’s you into the courtyard where you will step back into time. Nestled in the Imperial Hills of Florence’s south side, this magnificent property, built in 1470, offers a close proximity to the city and the beautiful peace of the Tuscan countryside.

As featured in April 2011 – Click here to read more!

Set among tall Tuscan cypresses that line its private roadway, and surrounded by its prestigious gardens, the Villa is an extraordinary place for your culinary program. And culinary it is with Chef Luciana. Learn the traditions of Florentine cuisine in a Slow Cooking™ week that is steeped in centuries-old recipes. Cooking classes take place in a great working kitchen that also includes a wood-burning bread & pizza oven. During your hands-on cooking class, you will make antipasti, pasta and desserts and learn about the property’s award-winning wine and olive oil. The property follows the rule for using fresh, local and organic product from their large gardens and practices the Slow Food movement for cooking.

When you are not in the kitchen stroll the vineyards, olive groves and private gardens or take a dip in the swimming pool that overlooks the Certosa Monastery.

Tuscany Accommodations

The luxurious villa, once home to a noble Florentine family, is set in a an Italian garden surrounded by pomegranate and tall cypress trees and beautiful Renaissance statues.  There is a sitting area with Tuscan décor and frescos and dining room where you can enjoy breakfast each day.  Each suite inside the villa is large and furnished with Florentine antiques, art and original masterpieces that tell the story of its romantic past.  Pastel frescoes decorate the walls and Florentine cotto tiles line the floors.  Large windows swing onto rolling vineyards and olive trees. Each suite offers modern bathrooms with hair dryers, plush bathrobes and slippers.  Other amenities and services include: air-conditioning, wifi and daily breakfast in the dining room and maid service.  Walk the grounds, visit the amphitheater or relax by the outdoor swimming pool, complete with deckchairs and towel services. The swimming pool is open from April 1 to October 31.

During your stay visit the Monastery of Certosa set in the hills. This ancient Monastery continues in tradition where monks make wine and jams with recipes of the ancient past. Visit the Church of San Lorenzo, patron Saint of Chefs & Cooks, for a best-kept secret view of frescos and architecture from the 11th century. Siena and San Gimignano are great day escapes where you can visit landmarks, churches and food shops filled with local specialties like Panforte, the sweet spicy cake made at Christmastime in Siena and Cantucci & Vin Santo.

Your hosts Signor Rodolfo, Signora Lucia and the staff, welcome you for an extra ordinary cooking experience at the Florentine Villa.

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Cooking Classes

Chef Luciana’s lessons are hands-on, teaching you the wonderfully simple flavors of Florentine cooking, noted as the most hearty & wholesome in Italy. Vegetables, fish and especially meat play a major role in Tuscan cuisine, complimented by the property’s organic wine and olive oil. The ingredients that you will use are seasonal and regional. White beans, asparagus, truffles, mushrooms, tomatoes, spelt, artichokes, and Florentine steaks are staple ingredients that are always on Luciana’s table.

During the week, prior to a cooking class, visit a Florentine marketplace, in the foothills. Watch vendors converse with locals over the freshest eggs, the crispiest bread, or firmest cheese, as visiting this open market is definitely a true cultural experience in Florentine living. You will hear the vendors and the customers laughing, shouting out their wares, and negotiating prices. The colorful marketplace is a staple in Italian culture and lifestyle.

Tuscan Bread Making

Learn to mix, knead and make Tuscan breads in the ancient wood-burning brick oven under the direction of Chef Luciana. While all of Italy salts their bread, the Tuscans do not; and this bread making practice dates back to the 12th century when the gents from Pisa boycotted the salt trade to hurt the Florentines who were, at that time, their enemies. The price of salt had risen so high that it became too expensive for the working class people to buy, so salt was left off the table. Tuscan bread to date remains unsalted and in doing so pairs well with the local cuisine, with crostini-salted salumi on toasted bread, along with aged cheese, and also used as a base with traditional soups such as minestra di pane and rebollita.
The list of Tuscan bread runs long, but a few favorites are Covaccino, Doucesses, Pane Integrale, Procorn E Panda, Cazzottini, and focaccia. After a day at the oven you will be baking bread like a true Tuscan.

Siena

Set in the olive groves and vineyards of Chianti is Siena. You can see its unique bell towers from miles, while its Piazza del Campo is regarded as one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe. There is also the Duomo, a great example of Italian Romanesque architecture that was originally intended to be the grandest cathedral in existence (before funds ran out!), and Palazzo Pubblico houses Ambrogio Lorenzetti frescos. However, just a few steps away from the main square, a tangle of narrow, winding side streets and steps temp strollers into every hidden angle of the town, past pretty squares, bars and restaurants and theatres. Specialty food shops are dotted over the town offering everything from faro, spelt, and beans to tiny local chickpeas and almond and spice sweetmeats. Be a spectator and pull up to a café table at the Piazza del Campo for a creamy gelato or steamy cappuccino. Famous for the Palio, a historical horse race held every July in the main piazza, Siena is a magnificent city.

San Gimignano

San Gimignano is a medieval city perched on a hillside in the Tuscan country. It is renowned for being the town of towers, with only 14 still standing of the original 72 towers that once stood in the times when wealthy families tried to outdo each other by building impressive towers. A stroll round the main piazza and its shops is a must, and there is no end of things that will catch your eye: hand-painted pottery, thick, carved olive wood chopping boards, art galleries, a selection of local wines, olive oil, the area’s famous salamis made with fennel seeds and deep red Prosciutto. Cozy trattorias offer stunning views of the red roofs of the city.

Tuscan Hills & The Carthusian Monks

During your free time explore the hills of Tuscany that lead to La Certosa! Whether you bike or drive, it is worth the trip. The La Certosa is a Carthusian monastery positioned in the Acciaioli Hills and just minutes from the Villa. The monastery was one of the most influential of its kind in Europe with approximately one hundred monks that worked diligently turning it into one of the richest in Europe. Built in 1341 by Niccolò Acciaiuoli, the monastery’s was constructed as a religious site and a place for young Italians to learn. The Carthusian monks went into seclusion from the world to pray, meditate and work in honor of St. Benedict following his Rule. The monks lived carried on, ate and worked in their small rooms while working diligently making liquor and jams. The Church of San Lorenzo with a Renaissance cloister, houses a great amount of frescoes, a 16th Century marble altar and a crypt containing the Acciaioli family tombs. The monks’ cells open onto the cloister, with a few opening up to the monks’ living spaces where visitors can still visit today: a great day escape exploring the countryside of Tuscany. Guided visits with a monk by your side are available upon reservation.

Organic Olive Oil and Wine Tour & Tastings

During your culinary week, taste and learn about the superior wine and extra virgin first pressed olive oil. The products are genuine and certified and the sommelier will take you on a tour of the cantina, the vineyards and the cellar. At the end of the visit you will have the chance to taste the products grown on the estate. The tasting is paired with a selection of typical Tuscan appetizers, served in the wine cellar or under their Loggia, giving you the insight on the food and wine that locals have been enjoying for centuries.

Itinerary: 6 Days, 5 Nights

Day 1: Arrival & Tuscan Dinner

• Arrival & Check in.
• Relax and meet your hosts.
• Chef’s welcome dinner with wine included.

Day 2: Cooking Class 1 & Lunch

• Breakfast is served.
• Head into the kitchen with Chef Luciana for your hands-on Cooking Class 1. Start with an antipasto such as Bruschetta, then the first course such as Spaghetti with Pommarola Sauce for a slow simmered to perfection tomato sauce. Your second course may include one of Chef Luciana’s specialties such as chicken Escalopes Mugnaia-style with insalata di arancio, a fresh orange salad, and for dessert Florentine torte. Menus vary to use the best fresh seasonal ingredients and can be tailored to accommodate vegetarian, food allergies and other diet requirements.
• Lunch follows on the foods prepared in class. Wine pairings from the property included.
• Afternoon is free and on your own. Suggestion: Rent bicycles from the property and set off for a ride through the Tuscan Countryside. The gentle slopes allow for a pleasant ride for all levels and bring your camera for incredible photo-taking opportunities along the way.
• Return to the Villa in the later afternoon.
• Dinner on your own. Suggestions provided upon request, or reserve in advance for dinner at the Villa.

Day 3: Market Tour & Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast is served.
• Start early in the morning for a visit to the Local Market to learn about the fruits and vegetable in season, meats, fish, cheeses and freshly baked breads. Cooking seasonally is a way of life and Chef Luciana shows you how to choose the best fresh ingredients of the season.
• Return to the kitchen for Cooking Class 2. Start with an antipasto such as Tuscan canapè with chicken, then a first course of crepes served Florentine-style with ricotta and spinach in red pepper sauce. Prepare a second course based on the season such as Guinea fowl in Chianti wine and courgette with pine, balsamic vinegar and rucola salad. Your sweet ending may include a Chocolate Sweet with Cream. Menus vary to use the best fresh seasonal ingredients and can be tailored to accommodate vegetarian, food allergies and other diet requirements.
• Lunch follows on the foods prepared in class, paired with wines from the Villa.
• The afternoon is free to relax, enjoy a swim in the pool, or ask about reserving a wine or olive oil tasting and learn about the specialties of the Villa.
• Dinner on your own. Reserve in advance at the Villa or suggestions provided upon request.

Day 4: Free Day ~ Visit Florence On Your Own.

• Breakfast is served.
• Free day to explore the area. Suggestion: reserve a transfer or go in to the city of Florence on your own. Spend the day in the Renaissance City and visit Florence’s world-famous museums such as the Uffizi with works by DaVinci, Caravaggio, Botticelli and more and the Accademia with its prized  Michelangelo’s David. Take time out for lunch on your own in Florence, suggestions provided upon request, and some time for shopping in the renowned leather market of San Lorenzo or the glittering Ponte Vecchio.
• Spend the evening & have dinner in Florence or reserve Dinner at the Villa (surcharge).
• Return to the Villa in the evening.

Day 5: Cooking Class 3

• Breakfast is served.
• Meet Chef Luciana for your hands-on Cooking Class 3. Create a full course menu including an antipasto, fresh pasta with season sauce, main course and dessert. Menus vary to use the best fresh seasonal ingredients and can be tailored to accommodate vegetarian, food allergies and other diet requirements.
• Lunch follows on the foods prepared in class with wines from the Villa.
• Afternoon free. Suggestion: Visit the Monastery of Certosa, dating from 1342 this monastery still seems to watch over the city of Florence and the surrounding hills.
• Dinner on your own. Reserve in advance at the Villa or suggestions provided upon request.

Day 6: Departure

• Breakfast is served.
• Check out and departure.
• Arrivederci Firenze!

*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.