Cooking courses in Tuscany @ Il Sasso

  Italy

• All Other Areas in Italy: 
Montepulciano

Term: Throughout the year 
Dates: all year round

Description: Il Sasso, in collaboration with the Godiolo Agriturismo Taverna, offers creative Tuscan cookery courses. The Godiolo Agriturismo is situated in the Montepulciano countryside, around 500 metres from the old town centre, and offers a splendid panoramic view over the hills that surround the town.

The chef, Fabio Fastelli, will prepare typical Tuscan cuisine together with you, using fresh produce from the Godiolo farm. Courses are available throughout the year, from Monday to Friday, and are held in the afternoon. You can choose whether to prepare a complete meal or concentrate on a particular type of dish, and modules can be bought singularly or in combination with other modules.

Dinner Modules (minimum 4 people)
In the dinner module you can cook with other students under the expert guidance of chef Fabio Fastelli, from the Godiolo Agriturismo, and eat the meals you have prepared with red wine and Vino Nobile wine produced by the Agriturismo. During the meal Fabio will explain how best to combine different foods with different wines. In the morning you can frequent one of our standard courses or follow courses on the history of Italian cuisine and local produce at the Sasso (packages of 6 hours of lessons cost Euros 200,00 per person, packages of 10 hours of lessons cost Euros 320,00 per person).

Dinner Module 1 (4 - 8 persons)
Starter: stuffed duck with wild fennel
First course: ravioli pasta filled with green vegetables with fresh tomato sauce
Main course: diced pork with lemon and capers
Dessert: hazelnut "cantucci" buscuits
Cost: Euros 55 per person, wine included, duration is 3 hours (4.00pm 7.00pm)

Dinner Module 2 (4 - 8 persons)
Starter: toasted Tuscan bread with liver pate
First course: "pici" spaghetti with garlic sauce
Main course: wild boar with Vino Nobile wine sauce
Dessert: blackberry tart
Cost: Euros 55 per person, wines included, duration is 3 hours (4.00pm-7.00pm)

Dinner Module 3 (4 - 8 persons)
Starter: pear, walnut and Pienza pecorino sheep cheese salad
First Course: pappardelle pasta with duck ragù sauce
Main course: oven baked guinea fowl in pastry
Dessert: "torta della nonna" granny's cake
Cost: Euros 55 per person, wine included, duration is 3 hours (4.00pm - 7.00pm)

Single Modules (minimum two people)
With the single module you can choose which dishes to cook, and then eat them accompanied by a Vino Nobile wine tasting. In the morning you can frequent one of our courses or follow courses on the history of Italian cuisine and local produce at the Sasso (packages of 6 hours of lessons cost Euros 200,00 per person, packages of 10 hours of lessons cost Euros 320,00 per person).

Starter Module
Starters or "antipasti" are an integral part of Tuscan cuisine, with a wide variety of dishes linked to the local area and the seasons. The lesson will put you to the test with simple and tasty recipes like "bruschetta" toasted bread as well as more challenging meat based starters. For example: Tuscan toasted bread "crostini" with liver pâté, pheasant terrine, ploughman's artichoke tart, Easter "ciaccia" (savoury cheese tart).
Cost: Euros 60 per person, duration is 3 hours (3.00pm - 6.00pm)

First Course Module
Homemade pasta is undoubtedly the strong point in Italian and Tuscan cuisine. During the pasta lesson you will mix, knead and spread out the dough, cut the tagliatelle and fill the ravioli, all by hand. This is a big job, and an immensely enjoyable and satisfying one. For example: maremmani pasta with nettle and tagliatelle pasta with pheasant ragù sauce; taglierini pasta with country pesto and cheese agnolotti pasta with walnut and Pienza pecorino sheep cheese sauce.
Cost: Euros 75 per person
Duration: 3 hours (3.00pm - 6.00pm)

Meat Module
Even though this is Florentine steak country, Tuscany offers a wide variety of meats prepared with variety and simplicity. From the countless poultry based dishes to other barnyard animals, to game and on to all the different pork variants. For example: duck with wild fennel, guinea fowl in pastry, wild boar with Vino Nobile wine.
Cost: Euros 75 per person
Duration: 3 hours (3.00pm - 6.00pm)

Dessert Module
The Tuscan dessert tradition is based on simplicity, using fresh ingredients, fruit and jams. You can prepare the great Italian classics that have now become international desserts, or less famous desserts more closely tied to the season and the local area. For example: traditional hazelnut "cantucci" biscuits, blackberry tart, "torta della nonna" granny's cake, "ciaccia dei Morti" (leavened bread with dried fruit), ricotta cheese and pine nut tart, "panettone" cake.
Cost: Euros 60 per person
Duration: 3 hours (3.00pm - 6.00pm)

For more information please contact us.

Highlights: Come and join our cooking classes! Il Sasso offers hands-on cookery courses in Montepulciano, Tuscany. Learn more about regional pasta, local wine and Tuscan food in general. The perfect cooking holiday in Italy with full immersion in Italian culture, food, wine - and, why not, the Italian language.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Italy Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 2-8

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Written Application

"Il Sasso" - School of Italian in Tuscany's Mission Statement: The principal objective of our language courses is to get our students, even those in the beginner and elementary levels, to the point where they're able to communicate in Italian.

Year Founded: 1983