We had an absolutely incredible experience at this pasta class just outside of Florence. Everything…read morewas so well organized from start to finish, and the entire experience was the perfect mix of fun, humor, and hands-on learning. The location itself was beautiful, especially dining outside under the stunning wisteria vine-covered table. It truly felt like something out of a movie. Not only was the class informative and interactive, but it was also beyond worth the value. Honestly, it ended up being our favorite experience during our time in Italy. We would recommend this class to absolutely anyone visiting Tuscany!

The LoveXFood cooking experience was honestly the highlight of our time in Florence! There were…read morefive of us and we all had an incredible time from start to finish. Luca and Lorenzo were wonderful hosts: warm, funny, and so much fun to spend the day with. We made spinach and cheese tortelloni with butter/sage, fettuccine amatriciana, and tiramisu, and then enjoyed sharing everything we had made together. We also had wine and tasted their own olive oil, made from olives grown on their trees. It was delicious, relaxed, and we were truly welcomed into their home rather than simply taking a class. And Joy and Paco, their adorable Jack Russell terriers, made the experience even more memorable. We can't recommend LoveXFood enough. If you're visiting Florence, this is a must-do!

We had a wonderful time at Poggio al Bosco, Hill in the Woods, on our tour led by Elena. We were a…read moresmall group of 6, and Elena carefully explained the history of the winery, the name and the making of wine and olive oil. She was very friendly and answered all of our questions thoroughly in English. The wine tasting was excellent and she made it easy to purchase and ship a case home. We were fortunate to time our visit just before the harvest as we were able to sample the grapes as we strolled through the vineyards, accompanied by the family cat, Attilio. Elena's father joined us during the tasting and while he spoke no English, was clearly happy we were there, sampling the wines. The tour is one of our favorite memories of our two weeks in Italy. When we make it back, Poggio al Bosco will be on the itinerary.

This is a small family winery, and tastings are by appointment. The service was wonderful and the…read morewine delicious. They made it easy to ship bottles home too so we didn't have to worry about more luggage.

Visited Tenuta Guadastelle Winery on 9-21-26. Upon arriving the winery grounds were picturesque…read moreand parking was available on site. We checked in for our tour and were greeted by Sara with a friendly smile which made us feel welcomed. Next, Fausto the sommelier and tour guide greeted our group and proceeded with a tour of the grounds. We visited the vineyard where we were able to sample a grape and saw the barrel room. After the tour we walked up to the tasting room which was set up for the tasting and appetizers. The appetizers were beautifully presented and were tasty. My wife and I enjoyed the experience and highly recommended this winery for their service, wine and presentation.

Went for a wine tasting and I'm not into a four hour tour so this was perfect for us, about an hour…read morelong. The property was beautiful and we did it on a patio with an amazing view of San Gimignano in the distance. We had five wines to taste and and an amazing charcuterie tray which was more than enough to be our lunch.

Absolutely loved every minute of our cooking experience…read more Mauro is an amazing teacher , chief and host. We learned a lot, had the one of the best meals we've ever had and topped off by great other guests with us. If we were ever in the area again, I would love to do this again. We have traveled a lot and my husband and and I said it is one of most favorite , rewarding experiences. We loved it so much that We even ordered a pasta making machine. Just got ba k from trip and was so excited to see it had arrived we. And it brings back memories of our amazing experience.

my husband and I just had the most perfect cooking experience with Mauro at the Montese cooking…read moreschool in San Gimignano. such fun, and the food was the best I had in Italy so far! of course we helped to make it. Mauro was charming and great fun. would recommend this class to everyone. Great day!

Had the best time! Made tiramisu truffles, 3 pastas, and bruschetta. They offered us rose while we…read morecooked and delicious wine-pairings with our lunch (ate the pasta etc we prepared). Now that we are back at home we regularly make 2 of the pastas and one of the sauces and the bruschetta is a go-to entertaining dish for us now. Hoping to try the other two sauces at home soon too. This cooking class is set on the most beautiful plot of land with a gorgeous view of San Gimignano. I highly recommend this experience!

Part of a day long tour of Tuscany this experience did not disappoint. The staff was very helpful,…read moreinformative and passionate about ensuring a great experience. We had a lot fun, it was relaxing and the views were incredible!

Getting to Opera in the Kitchen from Florence was simple and smooth, and I'm so glad we made the…read morequick trip--it was the best experience we had in Italy. The setting is an old Italian home in a vineyard with gorgeous views. It immediately felt welcoming and authentic. The host was very fun and helpful with people of all ages (young and very old). We started with a glass of Prosecco and later enjoyed Chianti wine, both of which were fantastic and family-made. The host even gave us a little history on the family wines, the ingredients we used, and the traditional Italian dishes we were preparing. It added so much depth to the experience. The food was fantastic and something that can be easily replicated. You get all the recipes at the end. You have an appetizer, pasta dish, meat dish, and then dessert. The opera singer was fantastic! I've been to many operas myself, but you will never get as great of an experience like this! Nosebleed seats at operas are usually $300, but for this experience you get to be "on stage" with the singer with fantastic wine, good company, and delicious food for much less! The singer was engaging and gave an introduction to each of the songs. It was the best part of our time in Italy, and absolutely worth the trip.

We had so much fun with Lucrezia and Maurizio in our home in California. We invited friends to our…read morehome for a cooking class and live opera and they did not disappoint. The food was delicious. Lucrezia miraculously supervised with grace and charm as we prepared 4 different dishes simultaneously. Then she served one course at a time, beautifully plated, while we relaxed and enjoyed with our friends. Maurizio entertained us with his soul moving voice between courses. The whole event was spectacular. They made it so easy for us. They brought everything from the wine to the cocoa powder to coat the tiramisu. We look forward to doing this again next time they are in California.

Everything! We had a great time cooking with Margarita and Christian's and the food and wine was…read morevery good. The hospitality was wonderful and our time at the farm was well spent.

Prior to our visit to the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at Borgo Alle Vigne in rural Selvatelle south…read moreof Pisa, Italy, we contacted Arianna & Friends on line to arrange for a private cooking class for 4 at Rita's Farm in rural Tuscany. The farm house is rustic outside but the kitchen is modern and well equipped. The five hour hands on 4-course food preparation session (based on menu we selected)was the best and most rewarding experience of our trip to Italy. Massimo was an excellent guide and teacher. We were impressed by his vast knowledge of subjects which he presented in an interesting way. Silvia the cook was patient and supportive. Her sweet personality showed through language barrier. We really had fun learning to cook and appreciate Italian food and wine. We used wine and olive oil produced by this farm in our class.

We had a tight three-hour window before an afternoon wedding and wanted to visit a small winery…read more Finding nothing nearby, we decided to drive over an hour to Casa Sola. I emailed them the day before, and a representative replied quickly, stating their wine shop opens daily at 10:00 AM. I replied that we would arrive right at 10:00 AM.We woke up early and drove 1.5 hours to get there. Upon arrival, the wine shop was locked. I called the number, and the same person I emailed came out. He mentioned a large group of 30 people was arriving soon. I told him we just wanted a quick tasting, so he led us into the tasting room. Inside, another staff member was setting up glasses. The two employees immediately began arguing in Italian right in front of us. A few minutes later, the first man turned to us and said, "I'm sorry, but we can't do a tasting today because you didn't make an appointment." When I showed him the email confirming our 10:00 AM arrival, he completely dismissed it.Disappointed, we left and spotted Casa Emma down the road. What a blessing in disguise! A wonderful woman named Elena greeted us. Even though they were fully booked with over 100 guests on the way, Elena offered us a quick standing tasting. That "quick" tasting turned into an amazing sampling of six wines, their olive oil, and a balsamic vinegar flight (12, 25, and 100 years old!). We were so thrilled that we bought over €1,000 worth of wine, oil, and the 100-year-old balsamic.Huge thanks to Elena for saving our morning and making our long drive completely worth it! Avoid Casa Sola and go straight to Casa Emma instead.

The moment I saw the vineyard while traveling Italy in 2016 I was captured by its beauty, intimacy,…read moreand a team of staff. So, my, then fiancé, agreed to let us marry in here September 7, 2019. It was absolutely spectacular, and a dream come true! The vineyard is breathtaking, and Anna & Barbara are professional and an absolute pleasure to work with. Highly recommended. My husband and I agree that the grounds were beautiful, very reasonable pricing, especially when considering the level of service and area provided. They were also very responsive to all our questions and many emails! This place is absolutely gorgeous while still being intimate, and the staff here are wonderful! Barbara and Anna were there for us every step of the way and made it all so fun and stress-free. To start - I reached out to Casa Sola in November of 2017 just to see the process of booking the venue. They explained everything in great detail and when we "officially" started planning they stayed in constant communication with me and we planned everything via email. They made a stressful time much easier. Not only did we get married, but we rented out both cabin properties and our guests loved the venue and their personalized cabins. The location was tucked away, but we communicated that clearly to our guests and brought groceries with us, but they do offer breakfast baskets that had so much food that many people ate it all day. They do offer other baskets for lunch and dinner, but unfortunately, I was not told about this until after we were there, so if you book here ask about them because the baskets are amazing and filling. Because we had an intimate guest list, we didn't use a seating chart for our reception dinner, but we did make a cabin "seating chart" to make sure all of our guests were able to stay and enjoyed their stay. Barbara and Anna were so accommodating and understanding as the guest list changed quite a few times and a bit last minute. The vineyard, in general, is very romantic. We Loved everything about it. The property grounds are gorgeous, and we received many compliments on our venue choice! We loved the vineyards, koi pond, and especially the mansion. We didn't hire a wedding coordinator, but Anna and Barbara were so wonderful and made sure that all of our wedding details came together perfectly. Due to a language barrier, it was wonderful that they helped with translating and coordinating every step of the way. They were always in constant communication with me throughout the whole process and checked on me throughout the whole day. They also recommended outstanding vendors to choose from. It was the perfect place to have our wedding and I could have asked for anything more! Our ceremony was outdoors on the side of the gorgeous main building with a beautiful view of the vineyard behind us. The cocktail hour was in the entryway that has a beautiful persona with dinner in the area the ceremony was and the reception in the entryway as well and both were beautiful and unique. To sum up, my wedding day was absolutely perfect every step of the way and the very few things that were not 100% were forgotten as we couldn't have had a better day. Casa Sola is a gorgeous venue and made wonderful by its wonderful staff. Barbara and Anna were there for us every step of the way, very responsive and accommodating, and such a pleasure to work with. Our guests had a wonderful time and I attribute much of that to the beauty of this venue and the hard work of the staff!