Our Top Culinary Vacations in Rome Countryside
Enjoy authentic Italy on a Roman countryside food tour. Your home is a 1797 villa located in the heart of Ciociaria (about 90 minutes from Rome) and in the historic center of a small town. In 1964, the Ministry of Education proclaimed this an area of particular interest for its panoramas of extraordinary beauty. From the slopes of the ancient tower (where, according to popular tradition, the legendary queen Camilla and her father Metabus took refuge in a cave), you’ll enjoy a wonderful view of arches, towers, and bare stone walls, giving the appearance of a medieval hamlet, built close around the fortress.
Your host is an American-born Italian who grew up in a close-knit Italian family of three generations in the Midwest, where he was lucky to have learned fluent Italian at a young age from his beloved Nonna. He owned a successful interior design firm in Boca Raton, Florida, but always spent time in Italy. He was continually drawn to the village of his father’s birth and in 2005, when the adjacent property to where his father was born was put up for sale, he decided to fulfill his dream.
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Roman Countryside Food Tour Details
Your cooking vacation near Rome will be a fun exploration of Italian food and wine during the hands-on cooking classes, interspersed with fun and informative excursions to local sites of interest. Accommodations are at one of two lovely private villas.
Itinerary
Please see a sample itinerary of our Italian cooking vacations outside of Rome. The Sunday to Saturday itinerary is displayed. For the Monday to Sunday weeks at the sister property, the order of activities is shifted, with the cooking classes in the morning and excursions in the afternoon.
Day One
- Arrival at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and transfer to your accommodations. (Note that the transfer from Fiumicino leaves between 11AM and 12 noon; please plan to leave enough time to disembark and go through passport control before meeting it.)
- Check-in at the villa followed by a welcome apperitivo and light lunch. After lunch, set off on a short guided walk to get to know the medieval historical village.
- After some time to relax, head to the town of Pofi and the Pizzeria Borgo Antico for your welcome dinner.
- Overnight.
Day Two
Day Two- After breakfast, visit the town of Arpino, the birthplace of Cicero as well as the land of “olives.” You will visit a traditional olive oil mill, as well as hear how to make extra virgin olive oil, and get a taste of fresh olive oil at a local estate. A light lunch will follow.
- On the return to the hotel, stop at “Meringo’s” for the best gelato.
- Around 4 p.m, meet the pastry chef to start your class.
- Dinner and overnight.
Day Three
Day Three- Breakfast.
- Start your day at the local farmer’s market to pick out the ingredients for an antipasto extravaganza.
- Next, visit a local cheese caseificio, where you’ll sample fresh buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, and provolone.
- Then it’s on to the “Abbey of Fossanova” in Terracina, a Tyrrhenian seaside town. After strolling by some shops and taking in a view of the sea, lunch at a seafood cooperativa.
- Back at the hotel, some time on your own before your next cooking class that will focus on “antipasti,” including crostini, bruschette, grilled peppers and eggplant, frittate, and stuffed zucchini with a sampling of formaggi e olive. Enjoy your creations at dinner.
- Overnight.
Day Four
Day Four- Breakfast out at a coffee bar, followed by a trip to “La Pastorella” where you’ll see how fresh sausage is made.
- Next, visit a “Prosciuttificio” in the town of Guarcino, where you will enjoy a picnic lunch of fresh hand-cut porchetta or prosciutto.
- After returning to the villa, some time to relax.
- Begin your third hands-on cooking class, where you’ll discover a variety of “primi patti” such as sagna con fagioli, zuppa di pane, gnocchi al sugo, and fettucine con tartufo. Dinner to follow based on your efforts, a bottle of wine included.
- Overnight.
Day Five
Day Five- Breakast.
- In the morning, head out for to “Cantina Tullio,” a vineyard in the Val Comino, which is known for it’s Cabernet wines. Here you’ll visit the bottling plant and cellar, see the vineyards, hear about the vinification process, and end with a wine tasting.
- Depart for the town of Atina, known for it’s annual Jazz Festival.
- Lunch at “Le Canardizie,” which was previously called “Old Cantina Visocchi” before it was restored with antique winery relics.
- In the afternoon, a sommelier leads a wine tasting of another fantastic wine of the region. You will also prepare a variety of “Second Piatti,” including salsiccia con patate e peperuola and involtini, as well as a “controno” to accompany your dinner in the villa.
- Overnight.
Day Six
Day Six- Following breakfast, start a pizza making class by making the perfect dough. You will then top the pizza just the way you like it, cook it in the pizza oven, and enjoy it for lunch.
- In the afternoon, after relaxing for a few hours, go shopping in Frosinone.
- Your multi-course farewell dinner tonight will be at a local restaurant.
Day Seven
Day Seven- Breakfast and departure for the Rome airport (please schedule a flight departing after 11:00 AM). Arrivederci!
Roman Countryside Culinary Tours Trip Details
Included in the 6-Night Rome Countryside Wine Tours
Accommodations
6 nights accommdation in double or double twin room at the Palazzo, its cottage, or the villa
Food & Beverages
- Daily breakfast
- 5 lunches
- 6 dinners
- Local wine, water, and coffee included
Classes & Instructors
For your 4 hands-on cooking classes the local chefs create mouth-watering specialties such as zuppa di pane, sagne e fagioli, homemade fettuccine with various meat sauces, gnocchi with pork ribs, salsiccia patate e peperoni with casereccio bread and ciambelle di vino, to name but a few. Those who travel to this area soon learn that in Ciociaria “Si mangia e si mangia bene” (you eat and eat well). This area is also known for its marzoline (goat cheese), fresh ricotta, bufala mozzarella and prosciutto di Guarcino.
Your host immerses his guests into cooking in an Italian family environment and offers small hands-on cooking classes taught by various professionals. Your host and the local chefs have combed their family recipes to you an “assaggio completo” (authentic sampling) of Ciociara traditions.
Excursions
- Guided visit of the medieval town
- Visit to Arpino, including olive oil mill
- Visit to a gelateria
- Market visit
- Excursion to a cheese producer to sample fresh local cheeses
- Visit of the Abbey of Fossanova
- Sausage making demonstration
- Winery visit with tastings, and visit of Atina
- Shopping trip to Frosinone
Transfer Details
- Arrival transfer from Rome Fiumicino airport between 11AM and 12 noon (please note that you will need to disembark and go through passport control, so we recommend you leave yourself plenty of time). (Due to the restrictive driving policies in the center of Rome, we are not able to have you picked up or dropped off at a Rome hotel.)
- Departure transfer to Rome Fiumicino airport (please try to book a flight departing after 11:00 AM).
- If you are unable to take the scheduled transfers, your hosts are happy to transfer you from the Castro-Pofi-Vallecorsa train stop at any time (about 90 minutes from Rome). Or, a separate transfer from/to the Rome airport can be scheduled for 220 Euros each way.
Country:
Italy
Region:
Rome (Lazio)
Tour Dates:
Available any week Sunday to Saturday or Monday to Sunday March 24-November 25 for a minimum of one person. Please review our complete pricing details.
6 Nights
Starting at
$2,750
Accommodation Information
Sunday to Saturday weeks take place at a charming and luxurious Palazzo tucked away in a small medieval town. It has just seven cozy bedrooms, plus the adjacent guest cottage. Built in the 1700s, the renovated structure today still retains some ancient flair, including antique furniture, but with modern amenities. All the rooms include air conditioning and heating, reading lamps, Jacuzzi baths, and hair dryers. The rooms too offer stunning views of the beautiful countryside.
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Monday to Sunday weeks have accommodations at a private 4-room Villa or at an elegant 3-room guest house. Both lie in the same charming medieval village as the palazzo. Once the summer residence of Pope Innocenzo III, the villa offers stunning views onto the countryside and the town’s main square. It boasts 4 luxurious bedrooms as well as a living room, kitchen, and fireplace. The guesthouse was once the residence of nobility and lies on the village’s main square.
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Rome Italy Countryside Foodie Vacation Travel Packages: Pricing & Tour Dates
Find pricing and dates for our Roman Countryside cooking programs below, and contact us for availability or to book your trip.
Cooking Vacation in Rural Rome 2025* Pricing:
6-Night Culinary Vacation Pricing
US$2750 per person based on double occupancy
- Add US$500 for single occupancy (use of a double room by 1 person)
- Add US$250 per person to upgrade to Monday-Sunday La Dolce Vita Weeks
*2025 pricing pending – please inquire!
30% deposit due to confirm booking.
Balance payment due 60 days prior to tour start date. Questions? Please contact us!
Please note that the Monday to Sunday itinerary is slightly different and entails a +$250 upgrade per person. Please inquire for details!
Roman Countryside Food Tour Holidays Dates 2025
Available any week Sunday to Saturday OR Monday to Sunday March to late November.
2025
Sunday to Saturday weeks are posted, but Monday to Sunday weeks are also available for +$250 per person. Please contact us for availability!
March 9-15
March 16-22
March 23-29
March 30-April 5
April 6-12
April 13-19
April 20-26
April 27-May 3
May 4-10
May 11-17
May 18-24
May 25-31
June 1-7
June 8-14
June 15-21
June 22-28
June 29-July 5
July 6-12
July 13-19
July 20-26
July 27-August 2
August 3-9
August 10-16
August 17-23
August 24-30
August 31-September 6
September 7-13
September 14-20
September 21-27
September 28-October 4
October 5-11
October 12-18
October 19-25
October 26-November 1
November 2-8
November 9-15
November 16-22
November 23-29
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The International Kitchen has been organizing the best cooking vacations in Italy and beyond for over 25 years. Trust our decades of experience in helping you plan your next culinary vacation. If you want to explore the Italy and its amazing food and wine, contact us for more information!
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Country:
Italy
Region:
Rome (Lazio)
Tour Dates:
Available any week Sunday to Saturday or Monday to Sunday March 24-November 25 for a minimum of one person. Please review our complete pricing details.
6 Nights
Starting at
$2,750
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