Cooking and Creativity in Tuscany!

Join Kathy Izard and Caroline Simas for an amazing adventure in Tuscany!

Each day we will have art and writing activities along with culinary adventures planned by La Cucina Sabina. All participants will receive an art supply list pack for the trip. Here is our sample Itinerary:

La Cucina Sabina’s authentic luxury vacations include a culinary and cultural vacation in the heart of Tuscany, near the city of Siena. We have created a single villa-based vacation to experience both luxurious comfort and convenience. This is a foodie’s dream vacation which combines food, cooking, culture, wine tastings, touring, shopping, picturesque excursions and adventure into an experience of a lifetime! Whether your cooking interests are hands-on with a Michelin Star Chef, observing and learning to make pasta with a local cook, or simply enjoying delicious Italian food and great wines, we have created an exceptional experience for you.

 We will be adding in creativity time each day for art and writing but this is our working itinerary which will have some fun surprises and additions!

Saturday – Arrivals, Relax and Welcome Dinner

Late afternoon arrivals at the beautiful Villa Rocchi in Torrita di Siena. We’ll handle your transfers from hotels or train stations in Florence or Siena, or the Florence-Pisa Airport.

Torrita di Siena is a lovely and quintessential Tuscan town just 45 minutes from Siena. Check in to your rooms, relax, enjoy a swim in the pool (weather permitting), a pre-arranged massage, stroll through the town just outside the villa’s gates. Join us for our Welcome Dinner at Villa Rocchi’s Grand Dining Room in the early evening.

Welcome Dinner Begins at 7:30PM in villa’s dining room.

 Sunday – Visit to Pienza, Bagno Vignoni and Cheese Making Lesson With Dinner at the Dairy

After breakfast, we depart for one of the most beautiful hilltop towns in Italy, Pienza. It is perched on a high hilltop allowing unsurpassed views over the Tuscan countryside. We’ll have time for touring and exploration before visiting the town of Bagno Vignoni, famous for its natural thermal waters and the pools of Lorenzo il Magnifico. Lunch is enjoyed in Bagno Vignoni.  

Monday –Pasta Making and Pottery Painting

What could be a better pairing than painting pottery with local artisans in the morning and a pasta making lesson in the evening with a local cook at Villa Rocchi?

Tuesday – Brunello Winery Tours in Montalcino, Organic Honey Tasting, Plus Pizza Making

When you say Tuscany, one of your first thoughts is fine Tuscan wines such as Brunello, so we start our tour visiting the family-owned organic Brunello winery I Cipressi, near Montalcino, with tastings (also an organic honey tasting). We then visit the small town of Montalcino for lunch and some free time for shopping and exploration. Afterwards, we return to Villa Rocchi and a bit of relaxation, followed by an optional Pizza and Tiramisu lesson and dinner!

Wednesday – Siena Tour, Pastry Tasting, Open Lunch and Free Time to Explore and Shop

Enjoy a half-day guided tour of Siena, likely Italy’s loveliest medieval city, where you experience the glory of the Romanesque-Gothic architecture without the crowds of Florence. Along the tour you will see Il Campo, where they run the Palio, the famous horse race through the center of town, along with many of Siena’s other gems.  We’ll also stop for a tasting of their renowned pastries.  Because of the excellent and abundant ceramic, leather and other artisanal shops, we give you extra time for exploration and lunch on your own. Dinner will be back at Villa Rocchi.

Thursday – Michelin Star Chef Cooking Experience, Hermitage and Open Time in Cortona

What better place to learn authentic Tuscan cooking than in a hands-on lesson with Michelin-Star Chef Silvia Baracchi, at her renowned Il Falconiere restaurant and resort in Cortona. After the lunch lesson, we head to lovely Cortona’s center, the famous “Under The Tuscan Sun” town, for a tour and visit to Celle di San Francesco, the monastery and Hermitage where St Francis resided and taught for a period.  There’s a bit of open time for strolling the town before heading back to the Villa. Dinner will be back at Villa Rocchi.

 Friday – Montepulciano Tour With Underground Caves, Lunch and Gelato Making. Arrivederci Dinner

We start the day heading to Montepulciano, one of Tuscany’s most famous wine making areas for a tour of the town and its vast underground cave and tunnel system first created by the Etruscans 3000 years ago, and still used as wine cellars for storing and aging wine. We’ll enjoy lunch in town as well as an artisanal gelato making lesson. We have time for exploring or shopping before heading back to Villa Rocchi for relaxation and packing before dinner. We have a special Arrivederci dinner planned at the famous Antinori winery and Estate.

Saturday – Departures and Transfers

After breakfast, Checkout mid to late morning and transfers provided to local airports, hotels or train stations in Florence or Siena.

·      If during the week you feel ill, please let us know as soon as possible so we can arrange for a COVID test and then take precautionary measures to isolate for your safety and that of other guests. If you test positive during your stay, or at the end of your stay, we will assist you in finding appropriate lodging for isolation. If you have Covid assistance insurance, you would need to notify your carrier for what they require for coverage.

·      Tipping – Tipping of waiters is included.  Tipping of co-host, villa staff and cleaning staff, guides and drivers is not included but welcomed and appreciated.

Hope you can join us!