Luxury Lucca Villa Cooking Vacations & Food Tours

A sample itinerary for our Luxury Lucca villa cooking vacation and wine tour follows, but as this is generally offered as a private Tuscany tour, the itinerary can easily be customized.  

Day One

• Transfer from Pisa or Florence airport (or Lucca train station), and check in to your villa accommodations.
• Enjoy a welcome drink and snack before touring the beautiful villa and gardens with your host.
• At 7:00pm meet the Chef, Sommelier and villa owners for an introduction to your culinary itinerary for the week.
• A dinner buffet to follow.
• Overnight.

Day Two

• After breakfast, visit an enchanting Lucchese villa built in the 16th century. From the majestic gardens to the ornate main hall, Villa Torrigiani displays the popular architectural designs of Lucca’s past. Their “garden of Flora” will be like stepping into a fairytale with its grottoes, nymph temples, and flowers.
• Following the villa visit, arrive at a winery near Montecarlo for a winery tour, tasting, and light lunch. This area has long-standing traditions surrounding white wine production using grapes such as vermentino, rousssane, semillon, sauvignon, pinot blanc, and chardonnay. But in the last decade or so, reds have also risen to prominence.
• In the afternoon, return to the villa for some time to relax before starting your first cooking lesson.
• In this lesson, you will learn about olive oil and pasta as the Chef will teach you how to make pasta from scratch. Sample menu may include ravioli ricotta e spinaci, tagliatelle al pesto, arista con patate al forno, and cantucci con Vin Santo.
• Dinner to follow based on your efforts.
• Overnight.

Day Three

• Breakfast like a local at a caffe-pasticceria today. Perhaps enjoy a frothy cappuccino and a flaky cornetto.
• Depart for Greve, located in the heart of Chianti Classico. This region is famous for the production of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Malvasia, and Trebbiano grapes that make the popular wines which you will have a chance to taste after visiting an 8th generation owned butcher shop. A light lunch will be provided at Verazzano Castle, which dates back to the 14th century.
• Continue to San Gimignano, known as the city of the towers because of the fourteen towers that pierce its skyline. There, you can enjoy its many artisan shops offering handmade and painted ceramics before stopping for a gelato at one of the world’s best gelaterias. Maybe try a taste of rosemary-scented raspberry gelato or pink grapefruit and sparkling wine gelato.
• For dinner, relax and enjoy a pizza party at the villa with local artisanal beers.
• Overnight.

Day Four

• After breakfast, tour the charming city of Lucca with a private guide. After a visit to the Roman Amphitheatre — once mined for building stones and today a quiet piazza — you will learn about its rich gastronomical history by visiting its oldest wine cellar for a tasting followed by a delectable food sampling at a favorite local delicatessen. A typical Lucchese lunch to follow.
• Now that you are inspired by the rich local flavors of Lucca return to the kitchen for your next cooking lesson. Sample menu may include minestrone di verdure, lasagna, and la zuppa lucchese.
• Dinner to follow based on your efforts.
• Overnight.

Day Five

• Breakfast.
• Today is a free day for relaxing. You might want to schedule a massage or explore the area by bike. Or, you might want to take the day and go to Florence or the Cinque Terre. Upon request we can also schedule a visit to a local cheese producer and olive press. (Arrangements can be made on request for an additional cost).
• Today there is no formal lunch, but you can help yourself to a light lunch from the fridge.
• In the late afternoon, return to the villa for your next cooking lesson. Sample menu may include risotto al zafferano con zucchini e taleggio, pollo alla cacciatora con polenta, and tiramisu.
• Overnight.

Day Six

• Breakfast, then depart for the medieval towns of Barga and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana to meet the local producers of pecorino cheese, salami and prosciutto.
• Enjoy lunch in the area while taking in the breathtaking mountainous views.
• In the afternoon, return to the villa for some time on your own.
• Your cooking lesson tonight might include insalatina con pere, pecorino e aceto balsamico, bucatini all’ amatriciana, bistecca all brace con fagioli al fiasco, and castagnaccio e ricotta del pastore. (If you have chosen to do a long excursion on your own, you can also skip the cooking and just enjoy dinner.)
• Dinner to follow based on your efforts.
• Overnight.

Day Seven

• Breakfast.
• For your last full day, enjoy time on your own to relax or explore the nearby cities, such as Montecatini Terme with its thermal waters and spa, Pisa with the Leaning Tower, Viareggio with its beaches and seaside promenade, or Pietrasanta with its marble sculptors and artists.
• Lunch on your own (depending on where you are staying, you may be able to walk to a local restaurant or your hosts can arrange a taxi).
• Your last cooking lesson will take place in the afternoon and will focus on seafood. Sample menu may include gamberoni con fagioli cannellini, paccheri alla marinara, pesce al cartoccio, and semifreddo al limone.
• Before you sit down to enjoy your creations for your last dinner, your Sommelier will lead you through one last wine tasting followed by a graduation ceremony.
• Farewell dinner.
• Overnight.

Day Eight

• Breakfast, check out, and departure group transfer around 10 a.m.
• Buon Viaggio!