The cooking classes

Our cooking classes are very hands-on. They are taught in English, but if you like, we can teach you some simple "foodie Italian". Our local chefs will guide you through the preparation of simple but delicious Italian recipes (from Tuscany and from other Italian regions) and reveal some of their culinary secrets.
Groups are small (maximum 9 people), so that everyone gets a chance to try their hand at the techniques, from making fresh egg pasta dough to lovingly stirring an artichoke risotto to perfection. Rather than cooking a "usual" meal of first course, second course and dessert we teach you several dishes on each day, so that you go home with quite an extensive repertoire!

You are free to pick and choose whether you'd like to join in the cooking school activities on a particular day or not. If you fancy a day horse-riding, hot-air ballooning or just going to the beach, let us know in advance and we'll help you do just that.

Getting around

You can get to Certaldo easily by train, but car rental during your week is essential. Ours is not a package tour, where we herd you around in a van. We give you a structured week's activities but also the tools to explore on your own if you wish to. You drive to all excursions, either following us, or with our detailed directions. Distances driven are short and to keep carbon emissions down, we encourage car-sharing and car pooling whenever possible, putting you in touch with other participants who would like to share a vehicle (we often have four or five people sharing a car, meaning that we don't arrive at beautiful organic farms in a haze of carbon monoxide). Here is a typical week at Organic Tuscany. Please note that this is an example, albeit a pretty accurate reflection of what we do! The dishes cooked will vary following the seasons and any special requests you have, and the specific days for excursions may vary.