I attended the course in 2010 with a friend and a nonparticipant (didn't cook, but did eat) and it…read morewas a wonderful first leg of our Italian adventure. Tuscany is absolutely gorgeous. The local agriturismo with the bee farm was lovely. Best honey ( castagna, acacia, girasole) in Tuscany. The sidetrips to Siena and Florence with great tour guides ( loved Elisabetta!) and the free time to explore San Gimignano and Volterra were great. Saving the best for last--the beautiful organic produce we used to cook with and the time we spent with Manuela, Riccardo, Tina and Shilpa were incredible..the dishes we created were simple but flavorful. I use Riccardo's ragu di carne recipe to this day. The desserts were wonderful, too! The course is a perfect mix of cooking and free time to explore the area. I have recommended this course to anyone who wants to learn some great recipes and still have the time to sightsee.

My parents and friend and I all did their truffle hunting with cooking class-tour-combo as well as…read morean in villa chef dinner. Both the dinner and tour were amazing, worth the price, and extremely memorable. The truffle hunting experience was authentic and not made just for tourists. We were asked to respect the hunter and his dogs and not try to distract the dogs from obeying him. There was no guarantee we'd find truffles either which I appreciated because it means we were getting the authentic experience and they weren't reburying previously found truffles or anything just for their tours' benefits. We learned about how truffles grow and are hunted and how they train the truffle dogs (which were world class hunters I must say). The cooking class after the truffle hunt was also amazing. Every course was more than enough food and we all got our fill. The mother of the farm owner was our teacher which was also really cool. We loved the family aspect of the whole experience and business. Lucca was our guide and helped translate so we could understand our chef and truffle hunter and he also ate with us and knew everyone who we encountered. It was a very personal experience and we felt like part of the family. The in villa chef made dinner was also delicious. When making your reservation you get to choose what they make which is nice. The "chef" is a grandma or mom from a nearby town and either come with a translator or understand enough English so that you can converse. She made more than enough food for us and everything was phenomenal. By the end of the meal we were stuffed with leftovers in the fridge and happy tastebuds. It was nice to come home from a day of wine tasting in Chianti to a warm home cooked meal that we didn't have to think about or clean up after. I would do both again and would definitely try their other tours and programs in future trips.

If you are thinking about attending the Teatro del Silenzio 2027, reconsider. I have loved Andrea…read moreBocelli for 30+years. What that are doing to him is disgraceful. Only making money from his beautiful voice. Many people walked out of his concert early on July 25, 2026 in Lajatico. So disappointing. I thought it was only my husband and I. But now I see online the many, many disappointed concert attendees. Many traveled so far. We traveled 4800 miles. VIP Tickets were exceptionally expensive. Views of the stage were obscured. Spotlights in your face all night. Close seating arrangements. No programs. No directions. Personally, expressing our feelings as Americans, they are 'pimping' you out, Andrea.

This was our second visit to Tufo on a three day trip to Siena. Simone took care of us both times…read moreand he was exceptional. Personable and professional. We had pasta the first night and pizza tonight. Both delicious but we preferred the pizza. Thank you Simone for a lovely experience.

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.

This shop sells a variety of handcrafted ceramic plates, bowls and dishes. They are beautifully…read morehand painted by local artisans. My wife had been looking for Italian themed oil and balsamic dispensers at import stores in the U.S. but found them too pricey. The prices here are far more reasonable and the quality of product is much better. She found a variety of options with designs we both loved. We purchased a couple of these dispensers as well as some dishes. This is a family (father and son) run business. The son speaks English but the father doesn't. Both are friendly and helpful. They are happy to ship what you buy so you don't have to carry it around. If you do take your items with you they will carefully wrap your purchase in bubble wrap for travel. Ours made it home in perfect condition. You can also purchase from their website and they do custom orders. Don't miss the small staircase that takes you upstairs to a second floor of incredible items!

Location: In the beautiful medieval town of San GImignano…read more The goods: Franco Balducci produces some of the most beautiful ceramic pieces that I've seen thus far, from small pieces like sugar bowls and cups, to larger pieces such as plates and vases. The shapes, colors and textures that he uses are brilliant - this is the perfect place to pick up souvenirs of a genuine local flavor, from a local artist. The place: The space itself isn't huge but its very well laid-out. My absolute favorite part of this little excursion was seeing Franco at work in his workshop, which happens to be the front of the store. So, stop in and watch the master at work! Price point: Personally, I found Franco's pricing to be very reasonable - I purchased two pieces for 30 Euro and don't regret it one bit. The pieces are gorgeous and a great reminder of my time in Italy.

When I told some of my coworkers that I was going to Siena as part of my trip to Italy, they all…read moretold me that I HAD to find the "candle lady" while I was there. Well low and behold, I stumbled across her shop while exploring the streets of Siena and I'm so glad that I did! 'La Fabbrica delle Candel" was an amazing shop with all sorts of unique hand crafted candles and wax dipped flowers. We ended up spending forever in there because I loved everything and couldn't decide what I wanted to bring home. In the front of the shop is a workshop area where you can view the candles being made. The girl that was working when we stopped in (not sure if she was the owner or not) was very sweet and spoke excellent english. She explained how the wax flowers were made and talked about how the shop got started. She did an excellent job of wrapping up our purchases so everything made it home in one piece. Definitely a place worth looking for if you're in town - I'm honestly disappointed we didn't end up buying more to bring home!

This is the only shop in Volterra that specializes in Italian paper, inks, journals, pens, wax…read moreseals, and writing supplies. It's a small shop, about half the size of a one-car garage, and it's stocked floor to ceiling. I love what he's doing here. If you're a writer, you'll drop some cash here. The owner is quiet. Seems quite introverted. He's friendly. Can you make him smile?