Amazing! Authentic Tuscan experience. Wine and food in a wonderful setting. Coleen, the owner, is…read morea super host.

Goodness! This luxury vacation was worth every penny. So great that I visited twice. Once in 2008…read moreand now in 2015. Cooking classes right in the village of Montefollonico taught by women whose families have lived here for generations. We got to cook with Dania at La Chiusa Ristorante and Hotel. To learn to stuff zucchini blossoms from a Michelin starred chef who is beautiful to boot, in Tuscany was a bucket list, lifetime experience. First class accommodations at her hotel and hands-on (and in the pasta) classes with women from all the village restaurants (13 Gobbi, La Costa, Belagaggio) is something that can't be taught in the US. I learned how to make amazing eggplant Parmigiana, pici pasta, pizza, handmade lasagna with béchamel...delish! (Note: be careful, I almost posted on another company's yelp because they sounded like Tuscan Women Cook but checked the websites and realized the other was a brand new company. I think the Sutherland's have been holding classes in Montefollonico since 1998 or 2000.) Check out pictures on their website. You will swoon. Patty and Bill Sutherland, save my place I'll probably return for a third time.

This is a MUST if you ever find yourself in Umbria. Nonie and Tita are wonderful to work with! We…read morewere staying in Umbria at a villa for a week and wanted to experience a cooking class but wanted to do so at our house. Nonie and Tita came to our villa (which was quite out of the way) and for a very reasonable price, brought all the food, the cooking utensils and years of knowledge and walked away leaving 5 new Italian cooks! They were both so great to work with and patient. Whenever we threw a curve ball their way as far as something they had planned or not understanding and asking questions, Nonie would reassure us that this was our class and they would do whatever they needed so that we enjoyed ourselves and learned. AND WE DID! From those decadent lava cakes to flat breads and pastas (oh - we can't forget parmesan baskets with pears! Fancy!), we learned how to make everything traditionally Umbrian in a very easy and hands on manner. We all given our own packets with all the recipes in them and our work spaces and ingredients. I personally loved all the history that Nonie gave as we walked through the recipes. Why they used certain ingredients, the differences you would find regionally in those ingredients, why a dish was traditional and such. The best part was when we were finished cooking and Nonie and Tita shooed us into the living room while they set the table and prepared our plates and then called us in and served us 4 courses with all the embellishments. And once we had finished, there was no clean up as they took care of it all. The whole while talking and laughing with us. Umbriacook4u was definitely one of the very top highlights of our 2 week Italian holiday and I would recommend this activity to everyone! There are options for experiencing the same thing in Tita's farmhouse which would probably give you the feel of having experienced something "local". Either way - you'll get the package deal with Nonie (an ex-pat American who is the English portion of the class) and Tita who is the native Italian. You can't miss an opportunity to meet these two wonderful women and enjoy their true Umbrian hospitality!!!!!!

Rafaella was super quick on my last minute request for a class and was able to accommodate us the…read morevery next day! The instructor was super sweet and funny! She really loved food and to cook and it showed!! The food was delicious, torta with stracchino cheese with rocket, homemade pasta with pork cheek, zucchini and saffron, chicken arribiata and a fig and walnut crostada... OMG I am salivating as I type!! Can't wait to try these recipes at home ( yes, they give you the recipes to take with you, along with a cute certificate we framed and have hanging in our kitchen, and an apron!) Met 2 wonderful ladies in the class too! The one issue we had was finding the place... Perugia is tough to get around... would have been helpful to have directions given to us... otherwise it was PERFECTO!!!

We had a great time on our tour with Roberto from We Drive You Tuscany! We did the 8 hour San…read moreGimignano and Chianti Classico as well as the Pienza, Val d'Orcia, Montalcino wine and Pecorino cheese private tours with Roberto. This was my first trip to Italy, we enjoyed a comfortable ride throughout the countryside in the clean, air conditioned van! Roberto was so knowledgeable and made sure we knew all the best places to visit along with the history of the beautiful Tuscan countryside! He even gave us recommendations for our second leg of the trip to Rome. We will definitely use this service again!!

We had the pleasure of touring Tuscany with We Drive You Tuscany. Roberto was our driver and we…read morehad a beautiful Mercedes van that was new and comfortable. Bottled water was provided and he even stopped to get Fresh pizza for us. By the time we finished touring with Roberto for two days we felt that we knew so much about the area, history and culture of the region. Roberto's knowledge or art, history, food and culture was so impressive. The tour we did with Roberto was much more than him driving us from place to place. Each place we went was so carefully planned and curated. We visited wineries, vineyards and a sheep farm that makes cheese. With his help, we were able to visit every place we wanted to see as well as some smaller unknown, hidden gems. We saw so many beautiful landscapes and Roberto stopped frequently for us to take in the views! I cannot say enough wonderful things about Roberto. We hope to go back soon to tour Umbria and Florence with Roberto.

Ryan and Debra curated and helped my family cook three amazing dishes over Hangouts during COVID…read more The pasta was deliciously simple and tasty! His guidance was also patient and helpful for understanding the history and the importance of the dishes we made to the region he cooks from. The only thing wrong with the experience is we weren't in his kitchen, I highly highly recommend Ryan for any event whether in person or online for cooking classes to experience the Tuscan flavors. Thank you!

Chef Ryan has helped me check off an item on my bucket list! A personal cooking class in Tuscany…read more... Check! When we booked this class we hoped for a chef with a warm and inviting personality, quality food, exceptional ingredients, and the ability to teach others in a way that is not intimidating! The extras just made it over the top from incredible wine throughout, recipes that you can repeat at home, little cooking tips that go a long way at home, lemon cello, his "secret salt" and the great plating tips. You will not be disappointed and will want to share with friends, my husband and I will remember this day as the best part of our time in Cortona! We hope to come back with friends someday.

We had never travelled to Europe before and were looking for a special way to celebrate 30 years of…read moremarriage. When we found the Wine & Cooking in the Heart of Chianti and Florence, Tuscany trip on the CDV website, it seemed like everything we were looking for. Now that we are home, we look back fondly on a perfect vacation, and know we can't wait another 30 years to do it again. From the initial planning, CDV was super responsive and helpful in answering all our questions, and they sent detailed information about what to expect. When we departed for our trip, we felt comfortable that we were in good hands. Then, from the moment we arrived at the Florence airport, our host Lorenzo took over led us on the trip of a lifetime. The entire week was very well planned and organized, and we went to so many fabulous places, but whenever we discuss our trip, the thing that stands out most is the people we got to meet and spend time with: Lorenzo is an amazing host - fun, passionate, patient and knowledgeable. He did a great job transforming our group from strangers to close friends by dinner on the first day. He is a great person and we feel so fortunate to have met him. We still keep in touch with Lorenzo on WhatsApp. Gianfranco was not just our bus driver. He is part of our CDV family. Yes he got us safely from point A to points B, C and D comfortably and safely every day, but he also cooked with us, dined with us, and had fun with us. Unfortunately for Gianfranco, his job did not allow him to drink wine with us. Simonetta - our amazing chef and cooking teacher. We had two cooking classes with Simonetta and she prepared two of our dinners. I could talk about Simonetta for hours, but for this review I will just say that we love her. The cooking classes were so much fun and she is very special. CDV has close relationships with all the people we visited, and we especially enjoyed our time with Mourizio at Piombia; Enrico at De Rici - what a fun guy he is; Patrizia our cooking teacher in the Cortona countryside; Piero at Poggerino; and especially Simone and Chris at Castellinuzza e Piuca - I don't remember having a more fun evening than our time with Simone and Chris. There are too many others to list them all here, but every host was gracious and engaging. Grazie Mille CDV for a trip we will never forget!

VACATION OF A LIFETIME - ABSOLUTELY AMAZING…read more My lifelong dream has always been to go to Tuscany. After considering all options, I chose the Culture Discovery "Wine and Cooking Under the Tuscan and Umbrian Sun" vacation. I wanted to see the countryside, the small towns, the history and how the people really live. CDV gave me exactly what I was hoping for, and so much more. Italy was everything I had ever imagined it would be - the people; the food; the ancient, interesting small, hill towns; the spectacular scenery. I cannot say enough about how friendly, warm and welcoming every single person was. They truly made us feel like we were one of the family - family I would love to visit often. The other guests on the tour were a wide range of ages and from all walks of life. They were interesting and fun and everyone came together to have and make the best possible experience they possibly could. The small group size also contributed to that feeling of family. Our accommodation was absolutely gorgeous and CDV had thought of every possible comfort and welcoming kindness. The sightseeing trips were wonderfully selected, the cooking classes were more interesting and fun than one could hope for and the food and drink were just plain amazing. I would never consider traveling with another company after the incredible time I had with CDV.

We did a Chianti Classico Wine tour with Tomasso on April 27th. It was the best day ever!!!…read more Tomasso took the time to show us the best of the local family vineyards. We also had a few stops in addition to the wine tasting- like at a meat and cheese store in Greve, and a small village with a castle wall around it - SO quaint and wonderful to see!! This made our day even more special. We highly recommend booking your wine tour with de Gustibus!!

Absolutely a great time to tour Florence on a sidecar. Gilberto and Ricardo took four of us older…read moreladies for the ride of our lives and we loved it. Visited landmarks in fFlorence and some of the best view in the city. It was educational, exhilarating and just cool. It end with an aperitif at a cozy restaurant. This is a tour not to miss.