We had a great time. I recommend this cooking class. It was booked by our travel agent.read more

We had an absolutely delightful experience cooking with Lella and her staff at her Scuola di…read moreCucina! My new husband and I were honeymooning in Italy, and being the foodies that we are, we wanted to try our hands at preparing some of our own Tuscan cuisine. We found Lella through our travel agent and loved every second of our time in her kitchen. We enjoyed a private cooking experience - just us, Lella, Guilia (her assistant) and Angela, our translator. We prepared 5 courses of delicious, authentic Italian food: soup, pasta, meat, side dish and dessert. The soup course was a deliciously simple pappa al pomodoro, a bread and tomato soup with basil, garlic and olive oil. The pasta course was a handmade (by us!) pici pasta with a cheese and black pepper sauce. The side dish was an artichoke souffle made with fresh baby artichokes. We grilled up a delicious veal chop for the meat course, served with baby arugula and a balsamic vinegrette. Finally, we made our own cantuccini, a delicious almond cookie with a delicate orange flavor. Every single dish was very well explained and full of fresh, local ingredients - not to mention incredibly delicious! We've already made the pappa al pomodoro and the cantuccini at home and they turned out ALMOST as good as they did with Lella. As wonderful as the food was, we were most smitten with Lella and her wonderful team. They were all absolutely fantastic, very attentive and happy to have us in their kitchen. We enjoyed a wonderful meal together when the class was over, talking and learning about each other and our favorite foods, recipes and ingredients. The team even took the time to write down some favorite things to do in Tuscany so we could experience a real, local Tuscan experience without the typical tourist traps. As we were preparing to leave, Lella bagged up the rest of the cantuccini for us to enjoy throughout the rest of our trip and at home - and enjoy, we did! Both my husband and I would highly, highly recommend any kind of cooking class you can take with Lella. If you're looking to experience a REAL Tuscan cooking lesson in the heart of Sienna, this is it! Be warned: the school is a little bit tricky to find. Park near the stadium, just outside the Sienna city walls, and call beforehand to ask for specific directions to the school.

We walked in here on a Sunday afternoon and the owner was very friendly to us. He cracked open four…read moreexquisite bottles for us to sample, and provided crackers with olive oil--what an outstanding experience! We walked away buying a bottle of red and white wine for under €30. The location of this vineyard is breathtaking. The house, the trees, the field of vines, the mountains--all leaving us speechless.

Another wonderful lunch at an organic farm that grows grapes and olives. We had a tasty…read morebean/veggie lunch that I greatly enjoyed. We walked around and heard about the fields/crops and visited with horse, sheep, geese and cats! Lol Very nice family operation and restaurant!

A hidden gem in the Tuscan Mountains located in their villa. The appetizers were amazing and on…read morepoint. They have great wine selections from their own vineyards. A nice outdoor dining area overlooking the hills. It's a feast for the eyes and mouths.

Room was spacious and nicely decorated, with a bottle of wine to welcome us. The restaurant within…read morethe hotel served delicious food (must try the Florentine Steak)! Only downside is that this place is a distance away and in a remote location.

Casa Emma was a stop on a wine tour I participated organized by Grape Tours. This was our last…read morewinery and our meal stop. I was expecting wonderful wine, but I was blown away by the view, the restaurant and the food. It was a smaller dining room, but still very cozy with a lot of natural light. Our group was about 15, so we were a bit loud, but sat in the corner at two large tables. The food was paired with wine. Everything I ate was wonderful and perfectly complimented by the food. I enjoyed a meal featuring antipasti and bruschetta, a soup, along with delicious homemade pasta and cantuccini almond biscotti for dessert. Sampling the olive oil and balsamic was another highlight of the trip!

Visited as part of a larger tour…read more The staff was friendly and helpful. The tour provided of the wine-making facilities was fairly perfunctory. The main point of interest is the wine that they age in terracotta containers, vs. wooden barrels. The wine tasting (and olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting) were very good, and we ended up ordering several bottles of wine shipped home (and skipped dinner out that night). In short, a stop definitely worth it.