Cooking Under the Tuscan Sun
If you would like to participate in a relaxed half-day cooking class in a beautiful setting, look no further than Il Falconiere, one of my all-time-favorite Italian countryside resorts. You don’t need to be a guest of the property to participate in the class, but I can’t imagine why you would want to stay anywhere else!
Surrounded by olive trees and vineyards in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, two hours driving distance from Rome, and about an hour from Florence, the Relais Il Falconiere stands on a hill overlooking the medieval city of Cortona. Owners Silvia and Riccardo Barrachi, a warm, creative and fun-loving husband & wife team of winemaker, falconer, and Michelin star chef spent the past 30 years restoring the family’s 400-year-old estate, and are wonderful stewards of this dreamy property. You will find them on the grounds, busy harvesting grapes and olives, producing wine and oil, preparing incredible meals, and ensuring that their guests are well cared for. The hotel's simply appointed 20 rooms and suites are spread throughout the estate giving you the opportunity to live the authentic Tuscan dream, if only for a few days! In addition to the cooking school, the Relais offers a beautiful spa, a Michelin Star restaurant, and relaxing spaces to enjoy the jaw-dropping scenery. There is a falcon on the premises, and a kind and loving bulldog, Giacco, who roams the property!
What sets this cooking class apart from others is that it takes place in a charming residential style kitchen, rather than a stark stainless-steel restaurant space, with courses designed around the sort of cooking you can easily replicate in your own home. On my most recent visit, using locally sourced ingredients, many from the estate, we prepared ravioli filled with mascarpone, buffalo mozzarella and basil tomatoes, chicken tenderloin stuffed with zucchini, pancetta and marsala sauce, and the best Tiramisu I have ever tasted. While we cooked, we sipped delicious Baracchi wine, enjoyed lively conversation, and had a surprise visit from the estate’s famed Falcon!
Later that day, in the hotel’s beautiful restaurant, we were served the courses that we had prepared earlier, and I must say that we were certainly impressed with the fruits of our labor!
Take a look at the video I took of my most recent cooking class at Falconiere and let me know if you, too, would like to make this a part of your next Italian experience!