Enjoying time in Tuscany at the estate.

Toasting a wonderful dish made during your cooking class.

Cheers to the cooks after a fabulous cooking week in Tuscany!

Preparing for a cooking class at the estate.

Plating a simple plate of pasta during your culinary vacation.

Fresh veggies from the garden.

Enjoying a cooking class with Chef Silvia.

The Baracchi winery and owners.

A delicious second dish during your cooking vacation.

Chef Silvia's kitchen during your cooking vacation in Tuscany

The table is set in the vineyard for a special dinner in Tuscany.

A delicious dish served at the Michelin-star restaurant on the estate.

A modern take on a Caprese salad at the estate's Michelin-star restaurant.

Delicious pasta dish at the Michelin-star restaurant on the estate.

Chef Silvia Baracchi ready for a cooking class in Tuscany

Cooking pasta together during a Tuscany cooking vacation

The garden at your Tuscany estate on your Tuscany culinary tour.

The pool and gardens.

Enjoying the view from the estate in Tuscany.

The view from the relais onto the surrounding countryside.

Junior suite at the relais.

The Michelin-star restaurant.

The spa and its pool.

Slicing stead during the cooking class in Tuscany.

The relais il Falconiere in Tuscany.

A view of part of the relais.

Deluxe room at the relais.

A deluxe bedroom at the estate.

Chef Silvia, your host and instructor.

A classic room with a view.

Dining outside at the relais.

The prestige suite at the hotel.

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Overview

Il Falconiere Cooking Classes & Wine Tastings in Cortona, Tuscany

Featured on NBC Extra’s Mansions & Millionaires, September 2014.

Located just three kilometers from the historical city of Cortona, famous for its hidden treasures and gorgeous landscapes, The Relais Il Falconiere and Spa is a small, luxury hotel and an ideal destination for an Italy cooking vacation & wine tasting tour. Within easy reach of Montepulciano, Pienza, Arezzo, Perugia, Assisi and Siena, and not far from Orvieto and Florence, Il Falconiere puts you in the heart of Italy!

Il Falconiere was for many generations the Baracchi family house before it was converted into a luxury hotel. The Baracchi family still manages the property and personally takes care of the guests who participate on our Cortona cooking classes and vacations, giving the hotel a warm and inviting atmosphere, like staying at a friend’s gorgeous, sumptuous villa.

Cortona is the famed setting of Francis Mayes’ book Under the Tuscan Sun (and the film based on it starring Diane Lane), and the town is just as charming and picturesque as you would want for your Italy cooking vacation. Cortona was an Etruscan city in ancient times, but it now is part of the region of Tuscany. Its ancient roots and its location near the border of Tuscany and neighboring Umbria make it a fascinating town to explore during our Cortona cooking classes and Italian wine tours.

Our food vacations near Cortona, Italy include plenty of exploring of this beautiful town, but also hands-on Il Falconiere cooking classes. Chef Silvia Baracchi has turned the estate’s restaurant into a world-class Michelin-star dining destination, and she or her chefs will lead the culinary classes during our Tuscany tour. Chef Silvia’s pride in her work is manifest in every bite as she teaches you the art of Italian cuisine.

You will also pay a visit to the Baracchi winery, complete with a guided wine tasting of their wonderful wines accompanied by delicious dishes. What could be more special than drinking a glass of fine Tuscan wine while gazing out over the vineyards that produced it?

Rounding out the week are excursions to local sites of interest, including gastronomic visits during our Cortona cooking vacations to taste the local products. Come join us under the Tuscan sun for this once-in-a-lifetime Italy food & tour!

Latest Review

We gave this trip 5 stars

★★★★★

Debra & Lawrence

Trip taken November 2024

The International Kitchen recommended and arranged a fantastic cooking vacation for us in the Tuscany region of Italy. This was our third vacation using The International Kitchen and the best so far. The food , wine and cooking experience were all memorable. We have recommended The International Kitchen to family and friends; we plan to book with them again next year.

The Details of Culinary Vacations & Cooking Classes in Cortona, Tuscany

As one of our best selling Italy cooking vacations, our 6- or 3-night cooking under the Tuscan Sun has everything you could hope for in a Cortona culinary tour, including:

deluxe accommodations at a Relais & Chateau hotel
cooking classes with Silvia Regi Baracchi, the chef of a Michelin-Star restaurant, and her staff
meals as indicated
visits of Cortona, Montalcino, and Montepulciano
farm visit with cheese-making
and more!

Itinerary

6-Night Tuscan Sun Culinary Vacation Itinerary
3-Night Tuscan Sun Culinary Vacation Itinerary

A sample itinerary for our food & wine tour in Cortona follows. The order of activities is subject to change depending on the specific dates booked. A five-night Tuscany cooking vacation itinerary is also available – please inquire for details.

Day One

Welcome cocktail this evening with Silvia Baracchi, your host for your Tuscany cooking vacation and Tuscany wine tour.
The aperitif will be followed by a delicious dinner in the hotel’s famed Michelin-star restaurant.

Day Two

After breakfast, your first cooking lesson of your Tuscany cooking vacation, perhaps based on Frances Mayes’s famous stay in Tuscany immortalized in the book and movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
Lunch to follow accompanied by great Tuscan wines.
Afternoon at leisure. You can relax in the Thesan Spa (which has a Sauna, Turkish bath, Hydro massage pool, and Chromo Emotional shower) and perhaps schedule a wine therapy relaxation massage .
In the evening, take a guided walk around Baracchi’s vineyards and winery on a Tuscany wine tour and learn about the process of wine making, from the vineyard to the bottle.
A wine tasting will follow with dinner at the restaurant.

Day Three

Breakfast.
In the morning your Tuscany food tour will continue with a guided sightseeing tour of Cortona, setting of the book and movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
Lunch at a typical trattoria in town.
Return to Il Falconiere for the next cooking lesson of your Italy food tour.
Dinner to follow based on your efforts, wine included.

Day Four

After breakfast your Tuscany culinary vacation continues when you depart for a visit to a local farm, where you will get the milk for your cheese-making class, and will enjoy a light lunch featuring local products.
This afternoon enjoy a visit of Montalcino and Montepulciano. You will love the stunning landscape of the Val d’Orcia, and will visit outstanding wineries on our Tuscany wine tours to taste the famed Rosso di Montepulciano and Brunello wines.
Dinner back at the restaurant.

Day Five

Breakfast, then your Tuscany culinary vacation continues with a visit of amazing little Tuscan towns, including Asciano, which is home to the Tuscan white truffle. Depending on the season, you might visit truffle hunters, or might enjoy a walk through the woods.
Lunch out during the excursion based on local food specialties.
Back at the Relais, enjoy the next cooking lesson of your cooking in Tuscany tour, based on Etruscan cuisine.
Dinner to follow.

Day Six

Breakfast and morning at leisure.
This afternoon, transfer to the nearby Locanda del Molino in Cortona for the last cooking class of your Tuscany cooking vacation (depending on the week, this class could be at the estate).
Farewell dinner to follow.

Day Seven

Breakfast.
Departure. We hope you have enjoyed your Tuscan culinary vacation and Tuscany wine tours and we await your return!

A sample itinerary for our 3-night Italy cooking trip in Tuscany follows. The order of activities is subject to change depending on your specific dates.