Whether you are staying at the villa outside, or you are an outside guest looking for a half day authentic culinary experience, our cooking studio offers morning or afternoon hands-on cooking classes, followed by the lunch or dinner with the fruits of the labor.
The cooking studio is a cottage that used to be the abstract painter Francesco Clemente’s painting studio; the father of your native Tuscan chef.
In the estate in fact, it's still possible to admire a small collection of his paintings that recall the beauty of the countryside. For the vibrant oil paints he used, he was named the Hemingway of the colors.
The morning cooking lesson begins at 10 am with a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of homemade cake, while the lesson is described by the chef.
Around noon, the guests take a break and enjoy an aperitivo with a glass of the estate chilled Trebbiano wine and the antipasto, while enjoying the magnificent views of the Chianti hills, and the 600 olive trees and vineyards that surround the property.
At 1.30 pm, it is time to sit down and enjoy lunch with the class concluding in a fabulous meal matched with the estate ’s wines, the white Trebbiano, and the red San Giovese.
The menu includes an antipasto, a first course, a main course, a side dish, and dessert. All recipes come from the chefs’ grandmother Nonna Olga, and only fresh and seasonal ingredients are used.
As an optional, with an earlier start, you could even follow Veronica to Sant’Ambrogio market in Florence, where she will purchase some of the fresh produce used for the recipes, and also stop for a cappuccino while immersed in the lovely atmosphere of a traditional Italian market area.
At the end of the lesson, the guests will receive the recipes, and a lovely terracotta bread warmer in a chic brown and beige box as keepsake.
On the first floor of the cottage, there is a double bedroom with bathroom en suite, and another bedroom with twin size beds (sleeps 4); this retreat is ideal for a couple who would like to spend a short vacation in Tuscany, cooking, eating and enjoying The Dolce Vita to the fullest.
We also organize beautiful off the beaten path winery excursions, cheese tastings at a local organic goat farm, candle lit butler served dinner or lunch.
A wide variety of La Quercia products are available to purchase on site or can be shipped to your home: Trebbiano and San Giovese wines, Extra Virgin Olive oil, red wine vinegar, fruit jams, spreads to pair with fresh or seasoned cheese, dried herbs, fresh eggs, hand made shopping bags, lavander sachets, mugs and a lot more.
Please enquire for more information, special dietary requests and costs
