My husband and I had the most amazing week with Shilpa, Riccardo and the Organic Tuscany crew. The setting was beautiful, the classes were both fun and informative, everyone involved was approachable and kind, and it was a great way to unplug for the week. There was ample time to participate in organized activities while still having downtime and space to do your own thing. I came back fully refreshed and excited to cook a few new dishes for my family.

What a fabulous week! Riccardo & Shilpa are excellent hosts and shared not only recipes, but Tuscan hospitality. We felt like guests in their home and not just tourists. Manuela and Serenella were talented and patient as they taught us the nuances of Italian cooking. Christina taught us about olive oil and wine. The villa was beautiful and the accommodations were first-class. The side trips to San Gimignano, Certaldo, Siena and Florence were lead by excellent and knowledgeable guides. I feel that I have made lasting friends with the others in the class. I recommend this vacation without reservation!

Organic Tuscany was an amazing week. Everything was just incredible. The staff were easy going and friendly with loads of patience during the classes. The food was so good!! I'm not particularly interested in cooking but went along as part of my friend's birthday celebration and I enjoyed everything about our week. There were plenty of activities planned outside of the cooking classes including guided tours in Sienna, Florence and Cetaldo. I would love to go back for another week and highly recommend for anyone interested in good food and a look at Tuscany.

We couldn't be happier about our week with Organic Tuscany! We were part of an extended family group of nine, including two teenagers. Shilpa and Riccardo were great hosts, so welcoming, knowledgeable, and organized. The cooking classes were approachable for novices, but would also appeal to the experienced cook. Classes were fun. Leading us through preparation of some classic Tuscan dishes, our expert instructors made sure that everyone had a job to do and had a turn at different steps in the process. Best of all, we got to eat everything we prepared--sourced from wonderfully fresh and local ingredients. The accommodations in our villa outside Certaldo were excellent and put our well-curated and guided field trips to Florence, Siena, and other Tuscan destinations within easy reach. In short, our Organic Tuscany experience was fantastic!

What could be more wonderful than a week in a beautiful villa, learning to prepare and sample mouth-wateringly delicious Tuscan meals? And all this in the company of delightful fellow participants who had never met before, hailed from Canada, USA and South Africa and yet, found a connection and became firm friends. We were guided in our cooking endeavours by our hosts Shilpa and Riccardo and assisted by the bubbly Serenella! The highlights - where do I start? The venue, beautiful; the view, breathtaking; the staff, excellent; the excursions, top notch with professional and superb guides; the lunch at the wine farm, just like a movie; the food, sublime - ditto the wines. The recipes, varied and using the very best ingredients, were easy to follow and will be used again and again on our return. The final evening, as we sat, replete after a delicious meal, we were treated to the sounds of classical guitars under a full Tuscan moon. This magical experience will be forever etched in our memories.

Absolutely amazing experience. Everything was perfect! The guest rooms are spacious, our bed was comfortable and the home was very clean. We were treated like family by all the staff. The well organized cooking sessions were just right in occurrences and length of time, allowing us time to explore the beautiful area or just sit with a glass of wine and enjoy the peaceful setting. The guided tours were great and again, perfect in length. It definitely helped that the rest of the "students" were so much fun to cook and dine with. We have formed a friendship that we trust will last a lifetime. I would repeat this experience in a heart beat! We traveled for three weeks in Europe, this week was by far the best week! Just do it!!

This Tuscan cooking class is so much fun for everyone at all ages. Shilpa and Riccardo are such caring and interesting people. The recipes and cooking classes are so delicious and interesting to learn. I learnt some really good techniques that are used in Italian cooking. The variations of recipes was also an amazing experience. The assistant chefs and tour guides that are part of the experience are knowledgeable of the vegetation in the Tuscan region. Grapes, olives and vinegars. My week at Organic Tuscany was very enjoyable and I would sincerely consider going back in a few years for additional Italian cuisine learning. Love it!

This was my first trip to Italy (and my first solo trip). I had been wanting to do a destination cooking course and stumbled upon Organic Tuscany. Ricardo and Shilpa were very helpful in answering any questions I had prior to the trip. Upon arrival, Shilpa was extremely welcoming and friendly (even though I arrived a bit early). My stay throughout the week was so much more than I had anticipated. The cooking courses were fun, informative and delicious! The friendliness of all the staff and hosts made me feel at home. At the location..the view...was spectacular. And on top of all that they had great adventures planned for us throughout the week. If you want to explore Tuscany and explore Tuscan cuisine, I highly reccomend this ! I truly look back at this experience as the highlight of my trip to Italy. Thank you so much Ricardo and Shilpa!

Organic Tuscany was a dream that came true! The experience exceeded my expectations. Starting with our dear hosts Shilpa and Riccardo who were incredible kind and guided us through a one of a kind cooking and local experience. The cooking classes were super well guided by our hosts and amazing local friends of them who were there with us to support the classes. Finally, the location is cozy, silent and pretty close to anywhere is Tuscany. Already recommending the experience to my friends, would love to come back!!

If this cultural, cooking, wine, and olive oil experience isn’t on your bucket list, it should be! Richard and Shilpa and their cadre of local family and friends who make up the Organic Tuscany team are fantastic. You and your group will be cooking sumptuous meals using tried and true Italian techniques and locally sourced fresh ingredients. Mealtimes on the expansive terrazza of your new home for the week — a charming and comfortable Tuscan villa overlooking the Certaldo countryside -- are a delight, as were the immersive opportunities to explore Tuscan food and culture that were offered.

We loved it!I I was a little worried that my daughter (21) might feel out of place due to her age, but we both loved our week at Organic Tuscany. Riccardo, Shilpa and all the staff were wonderful, as were the other guests during our week there. The week is a nice balance of cooking and sight seeing, with opportunities to relax poolside if you wanted to. I would highly recommend this experience to others. It was the highlight for me during our 5 weeks in Europe. - Cathy Shilpa and Riccardo were very welcoming and accommodating hosts, they even helped us to print our voting papers so that we could vote from overseas! The food was exceptional and I probably ate twice as much as I normally do because of this. I throughly enjoyed the cooking classes and the staff were friendly and helpful. We visited Florence and Siena and the tour guides (who were organised by Organic Tuscany) were very passionate about their cities and gave engaging tours. I particularly liked the tour that our guide gave of Florence where we saw a local market and she got us some samples of cheese and truffle dishes. The other guests were friendly and we all got along really well. The villa has a spectacular view and it was nice to call Il Pino home for a week! Overall it was a wonderful vacation and my only regret is that we didn’t manage to get a photo of everyone. - Emma

Sucb a fun experience! This was my first trip to Italy (and my first solo trip). I had been wanting to do a destination cooking course and stumbled upon Organic Tuscany. Riccardo and Shilpa were very helpful in answering any questions I had prior to the trip. Upon arrival, Shilpa was extremely welcoming and friendly (even though I arrived a bit early). My stay throughout the week was so much more than I had anticipated. The cooking courses were fun, informative and delicious! The friendliness of all the staff and hosts made me feel at home. At the location..the view...was spectacular. And on top of all that they had great adventures planned for us throughout the week. If you want to explore Tuscany and explore Tuscan cuisine, I highly reccomend this ! I truly look back at this experience as the highlight of my trip to Italy. Thank you so much Riccardo, Shilpa, and the whole Organic Tuscany team!

Meal Times on the Expansive Terrazza Were an Endless Source of Delight If you are at all considering this experience, do not hesitate to treat yourself to a unique Tuscan cooking, cultural, and just plain fun week staying in a picturesque and comfortable villa in Il Pino/Certaldo. The food you will learn to make is simple, yet sumptuous and made in a non-fussy fundamental way that honors the locally sourced fresh ingredients and Italian techniques. Under the excellent and caring oversight and humor of your hosts, Richard and Shilpa, as well as a cadre of local family members and friends, you will make memories to last a lifetime while learning some serious food, olive oil, and wine chops along with your group, who will become your best friends for your week together. Meal times on the expansive terrazza overlooking the Tuscan countryside were an endless source of delight.

A Tuscany Culinary and Cultural Adventure Organic Tuscany Cooking School was a one of a kind experience. The setting of the rural Tucany landscapes are breathtaking. The villa Il Pino was a spacious and welcoming setting for the cooking school. The week of activities in addition to the cooking classes provide an expansive selection of historic and cultural information. The days are planned to include cooking, site seeing, socializing or just relaxing. The menu design used the best of the local organic products. The Organic Tuscany staff are patient with all the participants and the various levels of cooking skills of the group. Enjoyed the time and would recommend the Organic Tuscany Cooking School to anyone that loves the food and people of Italy.

Satisfying, Sumptuous, Serenity Shilpa, Ricardo, and their caring, enlightened Team were the catalyst to an endearing week of warm camaraderie, and serenity in the bucolic Tuscan hillside amongst olive groves and vineyards. Daily hands on authentic Tuscan cooking classes still left plenty of time to visit amazing medieval hilltop towns and villages. Sitting down outside with an international group of keen, enthusiastic classmates (who became fast friends), to raise a glass and dine on remarkable but simple well taught culinary creations was the highlight of our highly recommended time at Organic Tuscany. This is an experience you don’t want to miss!Dr Timothy and Victoria Bayley

Fabulous experience We waited 2 1/2 years for this trip and we weren’t disappointed! Our hosts were great. The villa and pool were fabulous and the food so delicious! It’s the perfect split between cooking, sight seeing, relaxing and just being totally spoilt! Would thoroughly recommend to anyone wanting to explore Tuscany and experience the amazing food and wine from the area. Can’t wait to go again!

We picked the perfect Cooking School Shilpa ,Riccardo and their staff were perfect hosts. The whole week was so well planned from Day one. The side trips were perfect for seeing more of Tuscany. The food we made together was delicious. We came home and have made several dishes. The villa was beautiful with amazing views. We can't rave enough about Organic Tuscany and plan to return. We just need more time in Italy. Two weeks is not enough.

Excellent trip This was on my bucket list. Best trip ever! We will be back. Everyone working at Organic Tuscany were incredible. Food, fun and friends!

If you have one week in Italy, go here! My mum and I finally got to our Organic Tuscany week in May 2022 and it was the best part of our month long European holiday (Italy and Spain). And it was so much more than you even imagine reading the website and the schedule. We had an amazing and diverse group of 10, from Canada, US, UK and Australia - newlyweds, old friends, married couples, and two sets of mums and daughters! The cooking lessons were so much fun and the food was delicious. My biggest revelation - I never really "got" gnocchi, but it was sublime at Villa il Pino and once in Rome I purchased all the instruments to make them at home! Plus the exact same pasta machine that I ordered on Amazon. I also adored the risotto and the tagliolini con asparagus - divine! Shilpa and Riccardo were such wonderful hosts, caring, funny, organized, relaxed, just lovely lovely people, in their element. The side trips - olive oil tasting, ceramics, Siena and San Gimignano, old town Certaldo, dinners, all were super fun and interesting, and the guides were great. If I was to do another cooking week in Italy, I would go back again to Organic Tuscany without hesitation! I hope I get the chance! Mum too!

Amazing week! My wife and I had absolutely the BEST week at Organic Tuscany! After postponing for 2 years due to Covid, we went the end of May 2022 (great weather at that time of year). We arrived a day early, spending the evening in Florence to help get over the jet lag. The next day we took the train to Certaldo, where our rented (automatic, as I don't drive a stick shift) car was waiting for us. We had excellent instructions to drive to the Villa, and were put into a beautiful room with an AMAZING view of the pool and the rolling Tuscan hills (in the distance we could see San Gimignano!).There is too much to describe, so I will just go over the highlights. Riccardo and Shilpa were excellent hosts, and helped with the cooking. We were a group of six lovely people, and the main cook Saranella was an excellent teacher. There was another woman who didn't speak english but aptly demonstrated what we had to do. There were 4 intense cooking sessions, and in each we learned how to make an appetizer, first and second course with sides, and dessert. If you already cook, there are good tips and recipes (as a dessert guy, I especially enjoyed the Tiramisu and Cantuccini), and even if you don't cook as much, it was a lot of fun! They even made allowances for my wife who doesn't eat pork, so that she would still be able to participate in cooking without touching the two pork things we prepared (she made the same dishes, just without adding the sausage). Of course we ate the delicious meals we prepared (and we already bought a Gnocchi board and potato masher, so we can make these at home!).But the week wasn't all about cooking. It was also about learning about the land, the people, and the culture. We went to a gorgeous winery in the hills near Certaldo, and learned about making wine from Cesare, the son of the owner. We sampled some of his products, had a wonderful lunch, and even got to tour his family villa, which is a treasure and looks like a museum.On another day, also had a nice guided tour of an olive oil production grove, and additionally a private wine and olive oil tasting back at the Organic Tuscany villa by Christina, who had previously taken us to the olive grove. While on one day the rest of the group took a tour of a local ceramics studio, my wife and I took the opportunity to rest for the afternoon at the villa (every day was so busy!). During the time we had to ourselves, I took a nice walk into the countryside on my own, while my wife hung out at the pool and caught some rays (the weather was perfect, and fyi there is air conditioning in the rooms when it gets too hot).Trips included a guided tour of Certaldo and Siena, and a trip on our own to San Gimignano (easy driving instructions). Instead of taking the included guided tour of Florence on the last day (we had already been there on a past trip), my wife and I drove to Volterra, yet another gorgeous medieval city located only an hour away and surrounded by the amazing Tuscan hills. Surprisingly, driving was pretty easy in Italy, all on local roads with beautiful views at every turn.On our last night at the Villa, Saranella prepared a special meal for us. After dinner, as we did all week, we hung out around the table drinking wine and enjoying the conversation and evening breeze. As a special treat, on the last night we were treated to a special concert of Italian folk music from a local guitarist and his son. We left the next day for Rome, and stayed over so we could get our flight home without rushing to catch our flight.In addition to all the meals we prepared (which may vary from group to group) there is a link they give for other recipes that they teach, so you can make so much more once you get home!One thing about Covid. It wasn't an issue anywhere we went. You need to wear a good mask on the buses and trains. We ate outside at every restaurant, and I put on my mask when I went inside a store/church.To summarize, this was one of the best trips we have ever taken! Thank you Riccardo and Shilpa for helping to make this such a memorable trip!