How do you choose? Part 5 The Village! You won’t find the village of Montefollonico on too many tourist maps. But if you do, you have found a true Tuscan gem. From a distance, Montefollonico looks like a typical isolated medieval hamlet surrounded by thirteenth-century walls of fired bricks. But once you enter the large double-arched gate…typical is not what you will be thinking. A tiny village with just a few small narrow, winding streets and short, rustic houses are what

How do you choose? Part 4: What being an owner/operator means to us! It is easy to find a cooking vacation in Italy on the internet. But it isn’t so easy to find one where the owners are also the operators. Many cooking tours are offered by resellers or agencies that never come in personal contact with operation of the tour. We feel this is not an option. We own and operate Cook in Tuscany. We are with our guests from the moment they arrive until it is time to say Ciao. W

How do you choose? Part 3: What hands-on cooking classes mean to us! Hands-on cooking classes can mean anything from watching a chef cook, to a row of cutting boards and knives laid out for everyone to chop the same ingredients. Our classes are full-immersion. We like you to get involved as much (or as little) as you desire. Of course, everyone wants to roll pasta and we agree, it is so much fun, but we want you to stir the pot, stuff the ravioli, cut the herbs and feel l

How do you choose? Part 2 Balance and what it means to us! We believe that balance is the key to a great vacation. Balance-Some tours have you on a bus for hours with only a few stops to see the sights or experience an activity. Some offer one or two cooking classes during the week. Others give you crowed tourist areas to figure out on your own. Our itinerary truly offers our guests balance. We don’t want you standing in lines or never experiencing the true Tuscan lifestyle.

All-inclusive can mean many different things to many different cooking tours in Italy. Tuscany is beautiful but can be hard to navigate. The all-inclusive option offers you the ability to know what you are paying for in advance. I invite you to look closely at itineraries from other tours. Watch out for "You will have time to explore", "Time to yourself", and "You are free this morning"...That means not included and most definitely not free! Our culinary tours are truly all-i

Did you know…Part 2 Tuscany is famous for its wavy green hills, wine, beautiful villas, sunflowers, cheese and hilltop villages from the 12th century but did you know that many famous movies were filmed right here in Tuscany? Here’s the short list Romero & Juliet (filmed in Pienza and Siena) The English Patient (Montepulciano, Pienza, Siena) Letters to Juliet (across southern Tuscany) Midsummers’ Night Dream (Montalcino, Val d’Orca) The Gladiator (Val d’Orca Valley) The Twlig

Did you know … Part 1 "Viaggio tra i sapori e i colori della cucina italiana." That's the motto of the Unione Ristoranti del Buon Ricordo: "Travel through the tastes and colors of Italian cuisine." Italian food is definitely traveling through taste and color. Even a regular plate of pici with ragu is a delight to eyes. The long barely yellow colored noodles and the deep red sauce are a perfect match. Then there’s the taste…the noodles are warm, soft and chewy and the sauce ad