Our cooking classes are very hands-on. The classes are taught in English and our wonderful local chefs will guide you through the preparation of a variety of simple but delicious Italian recipes (from Tuscany and from other Italian regions) and reveal some of their culinary secrets.

The cooking classes

Groups are small (maximum 10 people), so that everyone gets a chance to try their hand at the techniques, from making fresh egg pasta dough to lovingly stirring an artichoke risotto to perfection. Rather than cooking a “usual” Italian meal of first course, second course and dessert, we teach you several dishes on each day, so that you go home with quite an extensive repertoire!

You are free to pick and choose whether you’d like to join in the cooking school activities on a particular day or not. If you fancy a day horse-riding, hot-air ballooning or just going to the beach, let us know in advance and we’ll help you do just that.

Getting around

You can get to Certaldo easily by train, but car rental during your week is essential. Ours is not a package tour, where we herd you around in a van. We give you a structured week’s activities but also the tools to explore on your own if you wish to. You drive to all excursions, either following us, or with our detailed directions. Distances driven are short and to keep carbon emissions down, we encourage car-sharing and car pooling whenever possible, putting you in touch with other participants who would like to share a vehicle.

Your week with us

Here is a typical week at Organic Tuscany. Please note that this is an example, albeit a pretty accurate reflection of what we do! The dishes cooked will vary following the seasons and any special requests you have, and the specific days for excursions may vary.

Saturday

You arrive

We help you get settled in. You can just rest after your journey, have a dip in the pool or explore beautiful Certaldo or the surrounding countryside.

 7.30 pm

Alfresco welcome dinner

We cook for you and your new classmates on this first evening, and keep things simple. Warm foccaccia straight out of the oven accompanies grilled organic vegetables, local biodynamic cheeses and crisp salads, all washed down with local biodynamic wine.

Alfresco lunch

Sunday

 11.00 am-1.00 pm

An exploratory walk to get your bearings

We take you on a gentle walk to explore the surroundings and learn about the history of the area where we are staying. We also drive five minutes to see a charmingly frescoed Romanic church nearby. Lunch is back at the villa.

 1.00 pm-2.30 pm

Lunch

 5.00 pm-7.30 pm

Cooking class 1

Handmade fresh pasta, 3 seasonal sauces (a meat sauce, an asparagus and ricotta sauce and an artichoke sauce), Sicilian fennel and orange salad, tiramisù.

 7.30 – pm-9.30 pm

Dinner

Monday

Morning

Visit to San Gimignano

Visit to a medieval city just 20 minutes away. This is also a good morning to use if you want to explore on your own (the Chianti area, Volterra, etc).

4.30 PM – 7.30 PM

Cooking class 2

Crostini with roast peppers and with “salsa verde“, hearty vegetable soup, herby turkey breast, twice-cooked cauliflower, almond biscottis

7.30 – pm-9.30 pm

Dinner

Tuesday

 9.30 AM

Scenic drive to a unique winery

On the way to the winery, we will visit a stunning chapel that offers a breathtaking 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside. This chapel was also the site of one of the most intriguing episodes in local history.

 10.30 AM

Visit to an organic vineyard

We visit a historic winery, where the charismatic owner takes us on a tour of the vineyards, the cellar, and the magnificent five-hundred-year-old villa.

 1.00 PM

Lunch

The lunch is prepared by a local chef and served in a stunning historic building, formerly used as an olive oil press.

 6:30 PM

Olive oil tasting at the villa and dinner

Our oil expert guides you through the world of extravirgin olive oils.

Wednesday

Visit Florence

You have a whole day to visit Florence. You meet an official guide for a three-hour walking tour in the morning, and have the afternoon free to do as you wish – see museums, churches, go shopping for shoes, people-watch on a sunny terrace, or just wander the magical streets.

Ponte vecchio, Florence, Tuscany

Thursday

 10.00 am-12.30 pm

Cooking class

Braised artichokes, risotti (e.g. artichoke, asparagus, porcini mushrooms), herby turkey cooked in milk, moist apple cake.

 12.30 pm-2.00 pm

Lunch

 5.30 pm-6.00 pm

Visit to a master potter’s ceramics studio

Our friend Terry Davies wll show you his beautiful studio.

 7.00 pm-9.30 pm

Wine tasting of local organic wines

led by our wine expert, followed by a light dinner (much of which you will have prepared earlier!) accompanied by the wines you have tasted.

Friday

 10.00 am-12.30 pm

Cooking class

Delectable antipasti (marinated sundried tomatoes, baby onions slow-cooked in balsamic vinegar), vegetable sformati, pollo alla cacciatora (chicken with herbs, wine and olives), almond biscotti.

 Afternoon

You are free to relax by the pool or do some shopping before you leave.

 7.30 pm

Farewell dinner

We have a relaxed dinner at the villa, cooked by the talented Serenella.

Saturday morning

Departure

The villa from the garden
  • 2026 Calendar

    2026 Calendar

    Our weeks include 7 nights' accommodation - Saturday through Saturday. Check-in is on Saturday afternoon, departure is on the following Saturday morning. The dates show Saturday through Friday for clarity.

    April 25th - May 1st
    Full
    May 2nd - 8th
    Full
    May 9th - 15th
    Full
    May 16th - 22nd
    Full
    May 23rd - 29th
    Full
    May 30th - June 5th
    Full
    June 6th - June 12th
    Full
    Aug 22nd - Aug 28th
    Full
    Aug 29th - Sept 4th
    Places available
    September 5th - 11th
    4 places available
    September 12th - 18th
    Full
    September 19th - 25th
    2 places available
    Sept 26th - Oct 2nd
    Full
    Oct 3rd - Oct 9th
    Full
  • 2026 prices

    Prices

    * Prices are in Euros and are converted into each guest's currency according to the exchange rate the day they book. To give you an idea, we show the current USD prices.
    Type of guest Euros USD*
     Cooking guest1 €2,500 $2,911
     Non-cooking guest1 €1,900 $2,212
     Double room for single use2 +€900 $1,048

    1) Based on two people sharing a double room with an ensuite bathroom.
    2) We only have space to accept 2 solo travellers per course. They pay a €900 supplement and are offered their own double room with ensuite bathroom.

What our guests say

Reviews from TripAdvisor, Google, Yelp and Facebook

Mark Busch
22 Oct 2025
A unique and enlightening experience. The staff was wonderful and the setting absolutely perfect. Get away from the noise and become part of the beautiful Tuscany countryside. The accommodations were perfect, and the team made sure that everything was made clear and any questions answered, including trains, car rental (who was also great by the way) and driving directions. The tours of the local areas were great, and the guides fantastic. A small group lends to a more intimate experience as well as a better opportunity to make new friends.
Highly recommended. I am sure we will do this again.
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jen Scott
22 Oct 2025
Attending the week-long Organic Tuscany cooking class (Saturday to Saturday) was truly a dream come true. It had been on my bucket list for years, and I’m so happy I finally made it happen!

From the very first communication with the website and with Riccardo and Shilpa, everything was amazing — so organized, informative, and welcoming. The website itself is excellent, and now I understand why all the reviews are so glowing.

When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Serenella one of the main chefs. The villa is absolutely beautiful — we stayed in the Blue Room, which has a breathtaking view of Tuscany. Throughout the week, the cooking sessions were fun, educational, and full of laughter. We had a wonderful group, and I learned so much from Serenella, Clara, Manuela, Arturo, and Riccardo. I honestly wouldn’t change a thing!

The excursions to the medieval towns, the pottery workshop, and the winery were all fantastic. I especially loved learning about Tuscan wine and olive oil — it gave me such a deeper appreciation for both. I also loved our last evening and our musical surprise!

This experience has truly been one of the best of my life and will always remain in my top 10 travel and life experiences. I’ll miss my group dearly and will keep everything I learned close to my heart. I hope to see everyone again for the advanced classes — hint hint!
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Sue M
5 star rating
22 Oct 2025
Best birthday gift ever!!!!! It was the real deal. Loved my time there and learned so many secrets to delicious Italian cuisine, wine and olive oil! Serenella, Artruro and the entire team are knowledgeable, friendly and truly strive to ensure your time there is amazing.
There was a perfect mix of in the kitchen learning and on the road excursions.
Loved it! I would highly recommend it!
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Angela Modelski
21 Oct 2025
We had a wonderful week here in Tuscany. The villa was beautiful and comfortable and the views were stunning. The cooking staff/instructors were amazing, friendly, fun and so knowledgeable. They made everyone feel comfortable and included. They enabled us to make delicious, sometimes complicated dishes. We went on some very interesting excursions to nearby historic towns. We learned about making wine and olive oil and pottery. We went on a walking tour of Florence one day. We were given recommendations for good places to shop(I bought a gorgeous leather purse) and places to eat and have gelato. We enjoyed all of it and came home having learned a lot. Serénela, Arturo, Clara, Ricardo and everyone who made our stay so special, thank you!!
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Tim Holland
21 Oct 2025
We had a wonderful week at Organic Tuscany. We were looking for an interesting experience for our honeymoon and this was perfect. Serenella and Auturo are excellent instructors and they made learning fun. We started the week with a group of strangers, with various backgrounds for classmates, but we ended the week as friends. The entire week is the perfect balance of cooking together, excursions to Certaldo Alto, San Gimignano, Florence and a local winery, meals together and free time.

The villa and location is perfect and the views of the Tuscan countryside are incredible. We enjoyed all of our meals on the veranda with spectacular views of the countryside. The four, three-hour cooking classes were fun and everyone participated. True to their name, there is an emphasis on organic and locally grown ingredients, including the wines and olive oils. We all learned a number of wonderful techniques and recipes that are reproducible at home. Overall, we would highly recommend Organic Tuscany to anyone interested in learning about Tuscan Italian cooking, history and culture.
read more
Dale
10 Oct 2025
Experience of a lifetime! Serenella, Arturo and everyone involved were so generous with their knowledge and expertise. The entire week was so well planned. Great balance between cooking/eating/wine drinking and excursions. We learned so much about Tuscan food, wine and olive oil. The villa is extremely comfortable with a beautiful view from the terrace where we had all our meals. Absolutely amazing! When I saw the information on the website I thought it was too good to believe but it was that and more. Being such a good value was icing on the biscotti! Thanks to all!
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Contact us

If you’d like more information about our cooking courses or you are interested in booking a space, please call us, email us or send us a message using the form below.

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Call us

If you’d like to speak to us, you can call our US number (we answer them from here in Italy!)
From the US: ‪929 269 6894‬