GROUP weekly cooking class: Typical Tuscan Cooking Class
Cooking Classes
Weekly shared cooking classes in Tuscany, in small groups 4-12 people
TYPICAL TUSCAN MENU
Learn the secrets of the Italian food, get to know local people, share this experience with other visitors, make new friends!
At Rita’s farm we have our culinary school called My Tuscan Kitchen, in Montefoscoli, 30-40 minutes from Pisa, the coast, San Gimignano and Volterra, where we organize enjoyable hands-on shared classes
DOWNLOAD DETAILS OF CLASSES, NEW 2024 CALENDAR & BOOKING FORM HERE
Every Tuesday Rita’s farm and My Tuscan kitchen school welcome you for a class with focus on typical Tuscan recipes. We will choose seasonal ingredients and together with you we will create a very typical and traditional Tuscan menu with 3 or 4 courses, depending on what is fresh and available on the day.
You can learn for instance how to prepare delicious meat sauces for pasta, delicate risottos, rich potato gnocchi, typical legume soups, tasty vegetarian dishes, traditional meat stews, bruschettas, dishes prepared with stale bread as the tradition wants, and desserts like Tiramisu or Cantuccini or other delicious dolci.
Calendar 2024, every Tuesday
– From January 2nd to October 29th: class starts at 3:30 pm
– July 16th, 18th and 20th: special Bocelli week typical cooking class: class starts at 3:30 pm
– November 5th and 19th: special truffle cooking class, starts at 10:00 am
– November 12th and 26th: class starts at 3:30 pm
– December 3rd, 10th and 17th: class starts at 10:00 am
– December 20th and 27th: special Christmas cooking class. starts at 3:30 pm (Friday)
– Not available on February 13th, December 24th and 31st
Special cooking classes Check rates and details
Meet Rita and her lovely family, the pets and the farm animals such as chickens and donkeys. Enjoy a shared experience with other guests who come from all over the world and learn about the history, culture and traditions of our land.
Food is culture, so while learning he recipes, you’ll also get information about they are related to the history of Tuscany and Italy.
Our local cooks, friendly mammas or nonnas from Tuscany, are happy to share with you all the secrets of the most typical Tuscan dishes using their family recipes.
The atmosphere is familiar, cozy, easy going, and everybody is welcome to participate in the preparation of the food, like in a family. For those who don’t feel like cooking, no problem, you’ll enjoy all the explanations, the wines and the company, while waiting for the meal to be ready.
When the food is ready, you’ll sit in the veranda with view or inside by the wood burning stove if it’s cold, and you’ll enjoy the food prepared. Wines are served during the class and during the dinner/lunch, unlimited.
A mysterious Temple right next door
Just next to our cooking venue is the stunning Tempio a Minerva Medica a special place rich in history and mysterious legends. On the occasion of our cooking class you will have the chance to stop in front of it for a picture and learn about a few facts. You can learn more about it and enjoy a full guided visit of the temple by clicking here.
Some questions that will find an answer during the class:
Who invented Tiramisu and what does the word mean? What is the typical Sunday lunch at the table of Italian families? How to use extra virgin olive oil properly? Is chicken cacciatora a real Italian recipe?
A truly fun and educational experience for the whole family 🙂
Please note:
Menu is decided by our staff. Please, make sure you inform us about possible food restrictions or allergies in advance, so that we can guarantee a menu that suits everybody. Last minute changes are not possible.
The experience ends with dinner and you’ll eat what you prepared with your hands.
Meeting point is at Arianna & Friends office 15 minutes before the class starts. Please be in time. This is a self-drive service. If you need a driver, please ask for a quotation.
More : for a complete experience, be informed that every Thursday we also organize a class with focus on fresh pasta and pizza. Find more info in this page: PASTA & PIZZA COOKING CLASS.
What you taste
This is a list of specialties that you are likely to sample as part of the program of this class. Please, note that the specialties of the menu prepared at the class may vary according to the season and the availability of the products in the day of the class.
In our cooking class we like telling you a lot about Tuscan farms and farmers' cooking traditions, introducing you to Tuscan people with their personal stories, careers and characters.
You will have one of our guides as a language assistants and coordinator with you during the whole class. Please, see below all the guides and language assistants who can be with you.
During this experience you will also meet one of our Tuscan cooks who give you the cooking class. Please, see below which cooks you are likely to encounter.
Ciao, I'm Silvia, one of the youngest cooks at Arianna & Friends'. Cooking is my real passion and I like to prepare any traditional dish both for visitors and for my family. I also love baking pizza as well as trying innovative food and special contemporary techniques, especially in my kitchen at home. When I started working for this company in 2018, I met an incredible team of collaborators and with them I finally feel joy and serenity in what I do. Any time I work as a cook I can breath freedom and this makes me happy.
As I really love the sea, in my free time I like being at the beach. I have a passion for travelling and being in the company of my friends. I could define myself as a "free spirit" with a big attraction to ... hats !!!
Looking forward to meet you all! 
Hi everybody! I am Paola, a talented cook who is never tired. I have been cooking all my life both privately and in the kitchens of a series of restaurants in the area I live in, near the central town of Empoli. I joined Arianna & Friends in early 2022 as the whole world was recovering from the difficult years of the pandemic and as the company was quickly restarting its operativity. I was very glad that I could join such a dynamic and friendly team and share with them all my knowledge and passion. I deal with cooking classes and chef services in all the region together with the various story-tellers and chef assistants who participate in the service. In my free time I enjoy cycling in the spectacular Tuscan hills that surround my home town. I can't wait to cook for you an unforgettable meal! 
Good morning everyone! I'm the cook Lorena. I started working with Arianna & Friends a few years ago when I retired, because someone set me up. You must know that Arianna is a good friend of my daughter Martina and they had this brilliant idea of asking me to cook for Arianna's tourists. Well, I coulnd't say no! Arianna tried my food for the first time when she was still at school with my daughter and she knows that I can cook very well!! ahahah
The food I prepare is purely Tuscan: I don't use and butter or lard, but just EV olive oil, from Tuscany of course. People say my meat ragu is excellent, but also my Cacciucco - Livornese style fish soup - is simply fantastic. I make preserves and the best lasagne ever!
I live in Pontedera, the town of the vespa. I'm in my early 70s and last year I got married for the second time! I like music from 40s 50s and 60s like Glenn Miller, King Cole, Frank Sinatra etc. etc.
I cannot speak English, even if I tried to attend some English classes in these last few years... I ended up chatting about food with the other students! But no problem, when I'm with some guests in their holiday home preparing a meal, I always have my little dictionary with me that helps a lot in the conversation.
I look forward meeting you all again soon! 
Mi chiamo Carlo, the only "boy" among the chefs of Arianna & Friends. I am a cousin of Lorena, who has worked with the company for long now and who introduced me to them back in 2022. I live in Pontedera, home of Vespa, and I have been cooking all my life, since preparing delicious food has always been my great passion. In my working age I was an operator for an insurance company, so I know plenty of local people and I am very friendly and talkative. I then retired and decided to dedicate myself to the things I like the most: cooking and joining friends. I have limited Enlish but miraculously all our guests can easily understand me through my body language and face expressions. I will be waiting for you for great barbecue dinners and traditional dishes of all kinds! 
Eccomi! My name is Margherita, mother of 2, who lives in Santa Croce sull'Arno. I was born and raised in the fantastic wine region of Fiano, Greco and Taurasi, namely some the best wines from the South of Italy. I have been living in Tuscany for decades and I have always cooked both for my families and for several restaurants. My very mild and sweet personality is able to create a very relaxed working ambience and my guests really appreciate this atmosphere. I am a curious person who likes learning and I am ready to share my knowledge with all visitors who take on a cooking class or a chef service. Grazie a tutti! 
Hi everybody, ciao a tutti. I am Elisabetta and I am the youngest one among the chefs of Arianna & Friends. I have been working with the company for several years, initially just as a sous-chef and eventually as a proper chef. I have accumulated many years of experience while learning from all my other colleague chefs, but I also added my personal taste and knowledge to the whole. I am really happy to be part of this team and to be able to meet people from all over the world. In my free time I enjoy the company of my lovely puppy for long walks or just hanging around for shopping. Ciao a presto! 
Maria Grazia, in our team called MG, is a very positive thinking lady who works as a sous-chefs at Arianna & Friends, when she is not busy helping children get born. In fact she is also a professional ostetrician! A nice irony in her character, combined with an intrinsic calm when working, create
an incredible effect during the services provided. 
Marco is a very fascinating middle-aged man with plenty of interests and a great knowledge on botanics and farming. He has been cooperating with Arianna & Friends as a sous-chef in cooking classes and chef services. A great professionalism and care for the quality of service make him one of the most beloved members of all the team. 
Video Gallery
The rates for these activities vary according to the age of the participants.
Check rates in the table below.
Weekly joinable cooking class
|
|
|---|---|
| Age of participant | Rate per participant |
| Adults | € 90 |
| Teenagers (12 – 17 yrs) | € 65 |
| Children (4 – 11 yrs) | € 35 |
| Min 4 participants – Max 12 participants | |
Rates include
- A local cook
- An English speaking story teller
- A visit to the farm, to the vineyards and the olive groves
- Full cooking class
- All food
- Unlimited wines from the farm (white and red)
- Printed material
- Personal aprons as souvenirs
- Served full dinner
- Tax
Rates do NOT include
- Transportation
- Tips to the staff. This is not compulsory, but greatly appreciated
Transportation is not included in the rates above. For more info on transportation, please see the box “Transportation options”.
Two sisters at our cookery school in the Summer:
Hi Consuelo,
My sister, Stephanie and I attended your Tuscan Cooking class on July 17 and wanted to send you some of the pictures we took that day. We had a fabulous time and thoroughly enjoyed everything. Rita was an excellent guide…she was just wonderful and Daniela was just delightful. Thank you so much for such a great experience. Rita told us that if we emailed you the date we were there, that you could send us the recipes. We would love to get them and try them out here in Canada.
Thank you so much.
Anita
Dinner is served in our garden
Two participants to our weekly cooking class
Two sisters enjoying their meal after cooking
A small group at our cooking lesson
A nice souvenir of your cooking experience
Here the message of enthusiasm from Carrie after our cooking class with Ester and Rita:
We reached out to Arianna & Friends two weeks before we’d be in Tuscany/ Pisa area. Consuelo wrote back to us with many ideas. We promptly booked the last 2 spots available for a group (small) cooking class at Rita’s Farm. We truly enjoyed the authentic feel, the fresh ingredients, the menu, the house wines (that flowed freely), and the description provided for the Extra Virgin Olive Oil to look for. I must say, my husband and I have been looking here in Pennsylvania, United States, with NO LUCK. We found the notation, and found a Greece EVOO, but we’ll keep looking. The taste and freshness of the olive oil there at Rita’s turned us off the items we get here, for sure! We enjoyed making of Gnudi – never heard of before to us. The tour and the special surprise were definitely a BONUS. And, who’d a thought “soffritto is the base!” Thank you for a GRAND TIME!
Small group cooking classes with the granny
Informal cooking class with the Tuscan granny
Here the message of Darlene, who loved our cooking venue in November 2017
Good morning!
We had a wonderful visit at Rita’s farmhouse last Tuesday Nov 21, 2017. Rita said you could send us the recipes for our meal. It included:
Bruschette tricolore al pomodoro e basilica; stracchino; rucola e parmigiano,
Pasta Martelli con sugo alla boscaiola in bianco
Spezzatino di manzo in umido con le patate
Tiramisu all’arancia
Thank you so much for sending the recipes and for a perfect evening with Daniella and Rita.
warmest regards
Darlene
Here the words of Lori, who attended our Wednesday evening weekly cooking class with Ester:
We took a cooking class Wed. Aug 30 with Signora Ester and would like the recipes sent to us please. The evening was wonderful, Ester was a good teacher and Rita’s farm was beautiful thank you, Lori
This is a message of thankfulness of Anita, who took her kids to our cooking school in August 2017:
Hi Ariana,
Thank you for a wonderful day at your Tuscan cooking school. We all had a great time and the children said it was the best day of the week we spent in Europe!
Unfortunately I lost my bag with all my papers including the recipes. Could you be so kind as to send me the pasta and torta recipes please? I would greatly appreciate this favor.
All my best, Anita
This is an email we received from Carmel and Garry, who experienced our Tuscan cooking class at our My Tuscan Kitchen cooking school.
Hi Arianna/Consuelo/Veronica/Massimo,
Carmel and I just wanted to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed our Tuscan cooking class hosted by Massimo with assistance from Veronica and Larena.
We had the best time and learnt so much and the overall concept is terrific. The time went so quickly and before we knew it, it was 10pm.
We wish you every success with the niche tourism concepts you present and we will certainly recommend the experience we had to all our friends should they be coming to Italy. Who knows we may be back some time in the future and we can book again for another package you offer.
A special thanks to Massimo who was brilliant in explaining the cooking techniques and being a ‘guru’ at all things Italian!!
Cheers
Carmel and Garry
This is an email we received on from Anne-Marie who took her family to our cooking school My Tuscan Kitchen
Hi Arianna,
Thank you for such a wonderful weekend. You were a great hostess along with the lovely Ester and everyone had a great time, as you could tell from the smiles and laughter all around.
The farmhouse was a perfect retreat, it was nice to meet the owners, their daughter and grandchildren. The babysitter was a gem too, I really appreciate the extra effort she made to entertain the kids.
I attach a couple of photos for you.
Now, I just have to decide what to cook first!
Until next time.
Anne-Marie
Ester and 12 participants to our weekly cooking class at My Tuscan Kitchen
This is a message we received from Jill who enjoyed our weekly cooking class held by Veronica
Hi Veronica!
Thank you so much for sending us the recipes! We have made the pork, pasta, and the sauce. We talk about our cooking class every day, how yummy the food was and how much fun we had cooking with you! We took my daughter to her university 2 weeks ago and she is really enjoying it so far!
We can’t wait to get back to Italy and spend more time there!
Arrivederci!
Jill B. and Family
A salad of fresh vegetables and stale bread, typical of Tuscany: panzanella
Here is a message of appreciation from Raya, who took part to our weekly cooking class at My Tuscan Kitchen
Hello Arianna Good morning From Tel -Aviv!
thank you very much for the Toscan cooking class on the 7/11 in Agriturismo of MyTuscanKitchen. Mrs. Ester was very good teacher and the translator( sory i forgot his name) was very good as well. I hope to come again for 2 step of cooking class in Toscany.
Thanks again
Raya
This is a message Arlene sent us after a group cooking class and a private wine tour with Lucca
Dear Luca
I have now just gotten the time to thank you so very much for your very professional and cordial assistance. You were truly a bright spot in our vacation and we enjoyed the cooking class and the wine tour. We have already told our friends about Arianna & Friends and your expert service in the Tuscany area. Please keep our e-mail and if you ever have the chance to come to the states, please e-mail us and we will be sure to show you our lovely city of Philadelphia and our home in the country and at the beach. Please tell Arianna that you are what we Americans say “a keeper” and her business will flourish with an employee like you.
Thank you again with all the help you gave us and all the courtesy you showed.
Sincerely,
Arlene
PS. If possible, you said you could e-mail us the recipes from our cooking class!!!
Here the message of Lynn, who took part to our weekly small group cookery lesson on our farm:
Last week myself and 2 friends took a cooking class near Peccoli that was arranged by your company. It was WONDERFUL! Ester and Luca were great. Luca said he would send recipes to my email but I have not gotten them yet. Could you please send the recipes for the fabulous meal that we made? I am anxious to get cooking now that I am home.
Thank You,
Lynn
This is a message from Angela from Zimbabwe, who joined one of our small group cookery lessons in Tuscany:
Buongiorno! We are now back in Zimbabwe. What a wonderful time we had in Italy!!
Please could you send us the recipes from the cooking day. We are so keen to prcatice what we learnt!
Thank you again for such a wonderful day. We will remember it for ever!
Best
Angela
This is an email we received from Gianna, who spent a week in Tuscany with her beautiful family:
Dear Arianna, Massimo, and friends!
You were a great help in making our trip a success! We really appreciated the last minute accommodation arrangements. And the whole group had a great time with the olive oil and dairy tour and then the market tour and cooking class. We learned a lot about tuscan food and wine, had great fun, and ate wonderful, local food. Rafael already made the mushroom bruschetta are we are looking forward to trying to replicate the carciofi risotto and veal in chianti.
Mille Grazie e Ciao,
Gianna
Here a note from Jeremy, who visited Tuscany on the occasion of the concert of Andrea Bocelli at Teatro del Silenzio and in between met Massimo during one of our small group cooking classes:
Dear Arianna & Friends,
Just a short note to thank you and your team for the wonderful time we had in Tuscany – your organisation was perfect and we enjoyed every moment. The accommodation was excellent and both the rehearsal and the concert exceeded our expectations. We also enjoyed the cooking experience and the photograph below shows that Massimo did also! His passion for food and extra virgin olive oil was very evident!
Once again many thanks – we will have no hesitation in recommending you to our friends and colleagues.
This is an email we received on from Raya, who enjoyed one of our small group cooking classes at My Tuscan Kitchen's cooking school:
Hello Arianna Good morning From Tel -Aviv!
thank you very much for the Toscan cooking class on the 7/11/13 in Agriturismo La Ca ‘ Solare. Mrs. Ester was very good teacher and the translator( sory i forgot his name) was very good as well. I hope to come again for 2 step of cooking class in Toscany.
Thanks again
Raya
This cooking class takes place on a farm near the village of Peccioli, in central Tuscany, among Pisa, San Gimignano and Volterra.
MEET-UP LOCATION:
Unless differently specified, the meeting point with the language assistant directly at the premises of the cooking school. Detailed information and road instructions will be provided at the booking stage.
DURATION:
Our programs take 3 hours for cooking and the rest for dinner and relaxation. Time for transportation not included.
AVAILABILITY:
The program "Typical Tuscan Dinner" is available is available every Tuesday afternoon with dinner or morning with lunch
LANGUAGE:
This class is available in English with no surcharge. German, French, Spanish, Russian or Italian are also possible upon booking with no surcharge.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL:
Easy
CHILD FRIENDLY:
Ideal for children
CLOTHING:
No particular clothing required.
FOOD RESTRICTIONS:
The foods served during this cooking class might contain gluten, lactose, nuts and alcohol. If you have any food restriction, please inform our personnel during the enquiry process.
TRANSPORTATION:
This program and its rates do not include transportation and are set on a self-driving base. For further information see the box "transportation options".
The destinations reached during this activity are in the Tuscan countryside, in areas off the beaten track that cannot be reached by public transport. We highly recommend renting a car or a scooter in order to reach them. As an alternative, we can offer a valued service by chauffeured car, van or minibus. Any cost of transportation is to be added to the rates displayed on the rate table of this page.
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