Your All-Inclusive Week With Il Campo/Cucina:

La Vita Vera Italiana – The Real Italian Life

Awaken to the delights of Il Campo. Stay in a beautifully restored eighteenth century farmhouse, or in a noble villa on the estate of a count. Pluck ripe red cherries from the orchard. Gather nettles from the forest. Stuff ravioli with fresh ricotta made from local sheep’s milk. Embrace simple pleasures in a world away from the ordinary. Let villagers welcome you into their homes, farms and kitchens to share heirloom recipes, family stories, local customs and a great deal more. Come to Radicondoli, a magical medieval village near Siena, and discover a way of life that cannot be experienced in the famous tourist centers of Italy.

“Il Campo/Cucina is more than a cooking school. It is an infusion of Tuscan culture where you experience the heart and soul of Italy and the sheer joy of cooking Tuscan style. Bravo!” -Mary Jane Norton, Washington, DC

“Il Campo/Cucina is summer camp for adults!” –Aurora Christophers, San Diego, CA

Il Campo is a culinary adventure that provides an unforgettable week of surprises and discoveries in the world of Tuscan food, wine and culture. One day you can make homemade pasta with a farm wife and the next day cook alongside a world famous Tuscan chef. Another day you may have lunch with a shepherd, and the next day, dine with a count. You will taste amazing wines made from local vineyards as well as from world-class wineries around Italy. You will witness first hand in numerous ways the Tuscan passion for il campo–which means “the field”–where food, wine and renewable energy are produced, and where sustainability is a time honored tradition.

Il Campo/Cucina will open your eyes to the magic in everyday life. Perhaps most special of all, you will make new friends with people from all over the world and become part of a small Tuscan village that will embrace you as family before you say good-bye.

An Invitation

Whether you are a serious cook, a Slow Food aficionado or just like to eat great food, Il Campo/Cucina will inspire you. Join one of our small groups of no more than twelve participants, or bring your own group, for a unique, all-inclusive week of cooking, wine tasting and sight seeing centered in Radicondoli, a storybook village in the heart of Tuscany.

Your all-inclusive Tuscan culinary adventure week provides:

Deluxe lodging for six nights in a beautifully restored farmhouse near the charming medieval village of Radicondoli.
All meals with local wines provided, in local farmhouses, at outstanding restaurants, and in homey trattorie in the surrounding countryside. A daily breakfast with home baked breads and tarts, locally produced eggs, cheeses, marmalades and more will be served in your own villa dining room.
Four hands-on cooking classes followed by lunch or dinner with talented and engaging instructors, from casalinga (housewife) style to Michelin-rated chefs. We provide a list of ingredients and a recipe journal for note taking. English interpreters are always present; the classes are collaborative, spirited, inspiring and fun.
A visit to a local sheep farm with a pecorino cheese tasting and tour, followed by a delectable lunch with the shepherd’s family. In the spring, we will watch the process of making a variety of sheep’s milk cheeses.
A visit with Count Andrea Pannocchieschi d’Elci at his medieval villa that begins with a tour of his grounds and concludes with a sumptious lunch with him in his noble dining room.
A wine tasting with Luigi Pizzolato, vice president of the Tuscan association of sommeliers (AIS), sampling wines from throughout Italy. We will learn how to taste wines as well as how to select them when we return home.
Shopping and sight-seeing excursions to renowned Tuscan villages such as Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Volterra.
Hikes around Radicondoli to explore the woods and farm fields, and gather plants and wild herbs to for cooking our meals.
An abundance of seasonal local farm products (Il Campo/Cucina is a kilometer zero cooking school, promoting local and seasonal products).
Tastes of olive oils from the terra di Radicondoli, one of the richest olive oil regions of Tuscany.
Participation in village festivals as they coincide with our program schedule.
An Il Campo/Cucina commemorative apron, cooking and wine tasting journal and certificate of completion.
All local ground transportation.
Pick-up in Florence at the Porta Romana at 11:00 AM on Day One and drop-off at Santa Maria Novella Train Station at 1:00 on Day Seven of your week. Airfare is not included.
Preformed groups of twelve can tailor the week to their own wishes: wine tasting, hiking, yoga, meditation, and artisan tours can be part of your culinary adventure with Il Campo/Cucina
A customized supplemental package including hotels in Florence, Siena, Rome or Venice is available through our travel associate, Laura Massoni Travel; prices based on current market rates.

The price for your all-inclusive* week is $3,800 per person, double occupancy, with a $400 single room supplement. A nonrefundable $500 deposit is required to confirm your week. Click here for more information or to reserve your place.

*Price does not include airfare.

What people are saying about Il Campo/Cucina:

“Learning the techniques of preparing and enjoying Tuscan foods while surrounded by the beautiful landscape and the equally beautiful people, making new friends and memories and indulging in a variety of tastes, textures and smells. Eating fabulous food and drinking wine at lunch and dinner each day is not for the unadventurous!”
Kim Perry, Jamul, Calfornia

“This was a unique opportunity to experience La Vita Vera Toscana. Marlane and Giovanna are a great team; they put their heart and soul into providing the best experience possible for their guests. Il Campo provided a lifetime of food and wine experiences distilled into one amazing week.”
Elaine Iannuzziello, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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