Amazing! Authentic Tuscan experience. Wine and food in a wonderful setting. Coleen, the owner, is…read morea super host.

Goodness! This luxury vacation was worth every penny. So great that I visited twice. Once in 2008…read moreand now in 2015. Cooking classes right in the village of Montefollonico taught by women whose families have lived here for generations. We got to cook with Dania at La Chiusa Ristorante and Hotel. To learn to stuff zucchini blossoms from a Michelin starred chef who is beautiful to boot, in Tuscany was a bucket list, lifetime experience. First class accommodations at her hotel and hands-on (and in the pasta) classes with women from all the village restaurants (13 Gobbi, La Costa, Belagaggio) is something that can't be taught in the US. I learned how to make amazing eggplant Parmigiana, pici pasta, pizza, handmade lasagna with béchamel...delish! (Note: be careful, I almost posted on another company's yelp because they sounded like Tuscan Women Cook but checked the websites and realized the other was a brand new company. I think the Sutherland's have been holding classes in Montefollonico since 1998 or 2000.) Check out pictures on their website. You will swoon. Patty and Bill Sutherland, save my place I'll probably return for a third time.

This is a MUST if you ever find yourself in Umbria. Nonie and Tita are wonderful to work with! We…read morewere staying in Umbria at a villa for a week and wanted to experience a cooking class but wanted to do so at our house. Nonie and Tita came to our villa (which was quite out of the way) and for a very reasonable price, brought all the food, the cooking utensils and years of knowledge and walked away leaving 5 new Italian cooks! They were both so great to work with and patient. Whenever we threw a curve ball their way as far as something they had planned or not understanding and asking questions, Nonie would reassure us that this was our class and they would do whatever they needed so that we enjoyed ourselves and learned. AND WE DID! From those decadent lava cakes to flat breads and pastas (oh - we can't forget parmesan baskets with pears! Fancy!), we learned how to make everything traditionally Umbrian in a very easy and hands on manner. We all given our own packets with all the recipes in them and our work spaces and ingredients. I personally loved all the history that Nonie gave as we walked through the recipes. Why they used certain ingredients, the differences you would find regionally in those ingredients, why a dish was traditional and such. The best part was when we were finished cooking and Nonie and Tita shooed us into the living room while they set the table and prepared our plates and then called us in and served us 4 courses with all the embellishments. And once we had finished, there was no clean up as they took care of it all. The whole while talking and laughing with us. Umbriacook4u was definitely one of the very top highlights of our 2 week Italian holiday and I would recommend this activity to everyone! There are options for experiencing the same thing in Tita's farmhouse which would probably give you the feel of having experienced something "local". Either way - you'll get the package deal with Nonie (an ex-pat American who is the English portion of the class) and Tita who is the native Italian. You can't miss an opportunity to meet these two wonderful women and enjoy their true Umbrian hospitality!!!!!!

Rafaella was super quick on my last minute request for a class and was able to accommodate us the…read morevery next day! The instructor was super sweet and funny! She really loved food and to cook and it showed!! The food was delicious, torta with stracchino cheese with rocket, homemade pasta with pork cheek, zucchini and saffron, chicken arribiata and a fig and walnut crostada... OMG I am salivating as I type!! Can't wait to try these recipes at home ( yes, they give you the recipes to take with you, along with a cute certificate we framed and have hanging in our kitchen, and an apron!) Met 2 wonderful ladies in the class too! The one issue we had was finding the place... Perugia is tough to get around... would have been helpful to have directions given to us... otherwise it was PERFECTO!!!

Absolutely incredible service -- Thomas went above and beyond!…read more We had the pleasure of having Thomas as our driver in Siena, and we honestly couldn't recommend him enough. It was a Sunday in Italy and we were completely stuck with no transport. Thomas arrived in a lovely, air-conditioned van, helped us with our bags, and immediately went out of his way to make sure we had the best possible experience. As soon as we got in the car, he told us all about Montepulciano -- the best vineyards to visit, what prices to expect, and how to get around. We hadn't booked anything, but Thomas contacted his friends and organised everything for us. He even took us to our hotel, waited patiently while we checked in, and never rushed us. He then arranged a taxi to collect us after our vineyard tour and even negotiated the price for us -- something we never asked him to do! At the vineyard, he personally walked us in and introduced us to his friends. Thomas truly saved our day and turned what could have been a stressful experience into one of the highlights of our Italian trip. He was incredibly kind, patient, generous, and genuinely wanted us to have the best experience possible. If you have the option to book this service, do it! And if you get Thomas as your driver, you're incredibly lucky. Thank you so much, Thomas, for making our experience so special!

We had a great time on our tour with Roberto from We Drive You Tuscany! We did the 8 hour San…read moreGimignano and Chianti Classico as well as the Pienza, Val d'Orcia, Montalcino wine and Pecorino cheese private tours with Roberto. This was my first trip to Italy, we enjoyed a comfortable ride throughout the countryside in the clean, air conditioned van! Roberto was so knowledgeable and made sure we knew all the best places to visit along with the history of the beautiful Tuscan countryside! He even gave us recommendations for our second leg of the trip to Rome. We will definitely use this service again!!

Ryan and Debra curated and helped my family cook three amazing dishes over Hangouts during COVID…read more The pasta was deliciously simple and tasty! His guidance was also patient and helpful for understanding the history and the importance of the dishes we made to the region he cooks from. The only thing wrong with the experience is we weren't in his kitchen, I highly highly recommend Ryan for any event whether in person or online for cooking classes to experience the Tuscan flavors. Thank you!

Chef Ryan has helped me check off an item on my bucket list! A personal cooking class in Tuscany…read more... Check! When we booked this class we hoped for a chef with a warm and inviting personality, quality food, exceptional ingredients, and the ability to teach others in a way that is not intimidating! The extras just made it over the top from incredible wine throughout, recipes that you can repeat at home, little cooking tips that go a long way at home, lemon cello, his "secret salt" and the great plating tips. You will not be disappointed and will want to share with friends, my husband and I will remember this day as the best part of our time in Cortona! We hope to come back with friends someday.

We had never travelled to Europe before and were looking for a special way to celebrate 30 years of…read moremarriage. When we found the Wine & Cooking in the Heart of Chianti and Florence, Tuscany trip on the CDV website, it seemed like everything we were looking for. Now that we are home, we look back fondly on a perfect vacation, and know we can't wait another 30 years to do it again. From the initial planning, CDV was super responsive and helpful in answering all our questions, and they sent detailed information about what to expect. When we departed for our trip, we felt comfortable that we were in good hands. Then, from the moment we arrived at the Florence airport, our host Lorenzo took over led us on the trip of a lifetime. The entire week was very well planned and organized, and we went to so many fabulous places, but whenever we discuss our trip, the thing that stands out most is the people we got to meet and spend time with: Lorenzo is an amazing host - fun, passionate, patient and knowledgeable. He did a great job transforming our group from strangers to close friends by dinner on the first day. He is a great person and we feel so fortunate to have met him. We still keep in touch with Lorenzo on WhatsApp. Gianfranco was not just our bus driver. He is part of our CDV family. Yes he got us safely from point A to points B, C and D comfortably and safely every day, but he also cooked with us, dined with us, and had fun with us. Unfortunately for Gianfranco, his job did not allow him to drink wine with us. Simonetta - our amazing chef and cooking teacher. We had two cooking classes with Simonetta and she prepared two of our dinners. I could talk about Simonetta for hours, but for this review I will just say that we love her. The cooking classes were so much fun and she is very special. CDV has close relationships with all the people we visited, and we especially enjoyed our time with Mourizio at Piombia; Enrico at De Rici - what a fun guy he is; Patrizia our cooking teacher in the Cortona countryside; Piero at Poggerino; and especially Simone and Chris at Castellinuzza e Piuca - I don't remember having a more fun evening than our time with Simone and Chris. There are too many others to list them all here, but every host was gracious and engaging. Grazie Mille CDV for a trip we will never forget!

My First time in Italy!!! I feel so blessed that it was with Culture Discovery!!! What an amazing…read moreTrip for me!! The Food, The Entertainment! The Cooking Classes! The Laughter! The Views! The Weather! The Sites! The Education! WOWZA!!! Truly the most amazing Trip I've had!!

We did a Chianti Classico Wine tour with Tomasso on April 27th. It was the best day ever!!!…read more Tomasso took the time to show us the best of the local family vineyards. We also had a few stops in addition to the wine tasting- like at a meat and cheese store in Greve, and a small village with a castle wall around it - SO quaint and wonderful to see!! This made our day even more special. We highly recommend booking your wine tour with de Gustibus!!

Absolutely a great time to tour Florence on a sidecar. Gilberto and Ricardo took four of us older…read moreladies for the ride of our lives and we loved it. Visited landmarks in fFlorence and some of the best view in the city. It was educational, exhilarating and just cool. It end with an aperitif at a cozy restaurant. This is a tour not to miss.