Tuscan 4-Night Cooking Experience with Wine Tour with Not in the Guidebooks

Tuscan 4-Night Cooking Experience with Wine Tour

PRE TOUR

I flew into Pisa the evening before to explore Pisa but also to make sure I arrived in time for my Tuscan tour with Not in the Guidebooks.

I stayed in the lovely 4* Hotel Bologna, only a 10min taxi from the airport (EUR15), a 10 min walk to Pisa Central train station and a 15 min walk to the main Piazza dei Miracoli, where you can see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

DAY 1

After a lovely breakfast, I met Vicky from Not in the Guidebook,s as well as the other wonderful agents on the tour with me at Pisa Central train station.

We then set off on the Trenitalia train from Pisa Centrale at 14.06, with a quick change at Vezzano Ligure & arrived at Aulla Lunigiana. The return train ticket on Trainline.com cost approx. £17 per person.

Trenitalia train – excellent service with clean and well-signposted platforms. There are slopes and lifts for people needing accessibility. Onboard was clean, with coaches showing signs for accessibility and toilets. There is a screen inside the train showing all the stops and what the next stop is, making travelling very easy to understand.

After a lovely 1hr 25min train journey with stunning views of the Tuscan countryside, we got a 20min taxi (EUR40 for a 5-seater taxi) to our new ‘home’ for the next 4-nights – the gorgeous Palazzo Del Duca.

Oh, my goodness, I was blown away as soon as we arrived in the little medieval town of Tavernelle. Absolutely stunning accommodation at Palazzo del Duca, and our hosts Mirella & Francesco are so lovely and full of knowledge. Mirella knows everything there is to know about local, Tuscan & Italian cooking & you can see Francesca is a qualified sommelier with his fountain of knowledge about the local wines.

Our ‘small‘ taste of local food that evening was incredible - the different local cheeses, meats & breads were delicious; I love how they support local businesses by using their products.

I’m so excited for my next few days learning to cook authentic Italian food and sample some incredible wines.

DAY 2

We had a wonderful breakfast in our apartment - fresh bread from the local bakery delivered to our kitchen & lots of amazing fresh cheeses, eggs & cold meats in our fridge , all from the local shops. It's lovely how they support their community by using all the local vendors - gorgeous, authentic Tuscan products.

With a leisurely morning, we explored Tavernelle. A little village steeped in history, with medieval roots & a name linked to the old roadside taverns where travellers once stopped to rest. Surrounded by vineyards, olive groves & beautiful Tuscan countryside, it’s easy to see why people love to visit here as a getaway from the hustle & bustle.

You can walk around the village in 10min but there are lots of hikes & walks for all abilities nearby.

We ended our little walk with a quick stop at the local pub/restaurant.

Perfect morning getting to explore the village & meet the locals.

The moment I had been waiting for & it did not disappoint!

In Italy, wine should always be accompanied by food, so of course,e before we even started, ed Francesco opened another of his beautiful wines.

Mirella started by showusg is how to make fried basil leaves. We all loved these the night before & I'm hoping this will be my new appetiser at parties - if I can make it correctly.

A local lady had very kindly walked up to the shepherd on the mountain that morning to get us fresh ricotta for our ravioli.

Mirella showed us how to make the ricotta filling. Followed by our starter, Panzanella - a popular Tuscan bread salad. Ending with an incredible triple-layer traditional Tiramisu.

With everything chilling in the fridge, it was time to get our hands dirty as we took to our boards & from scratch made fresh, homemade ravioli.

Feeling a bit nervous as mine didn't quite start as planned, Mirella was on hand to guide us & we were soon adding our ricotta filling & sealing our ravioli. Mirella is full of knowledge & made the entire experience so interesting & lots of fun - we were all very proud of ourselves when we saw all the ravioli we had made.

With the table beautifully set outside, we sat down as Mirella brought out our 3-course meal. Francesco had perfectly paired a bottle of wine for each course - absolutely delicious!

Well done team, on preparing an incredible feast!

DAY 3

This morning we had another walk around the village, learning more about its fascinating history. The gorgeous little village church was open & the locals were so friendly - we even met a 94-year-old lady who definitely did not look her age. We also met someone who had just returned from picking huge porcini mushrooms.

After a quick walk around Francesco's winery, we headed to the local pub/restaurant for a fantastic lunch.

In the afternoon, we met Mirella in the kitchen for our 2nd cooking course - today we were making fresh, homemade tomato soup; our pasta offcuts with sausage, tomatoes & aubergines;s and chestnut fritters with ricotta & local chestnut honey.

Enjoying a glass of wine while helping to chop the vegetables, fry the sausages and make the delicious chestnut & ricotta fritters - this experience has been amazing!

Just 2 days ago, we were strangers - there’s been so much laughter & fabulous company. It felt like one big Italian family, all pitching in & helping out in the kitchen before dinner.

Francesco & Mirella had picked up some of the fresh mushrooms & as a surprise served them to us as our appetiser - they were so light & almost fluffy in texture - absolutely divine!

These are the moments that make travel so special - good food, good wine & great company.

DAY 4

After breakfast, we set off towards the famous UNESCO-protected Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is famous for its stretch of 5 coastal villages - Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza & Monterosso al Mare.

We arrived at Cantina Cinque Terre (cantina5terre) winery, where Francesco took us on a very interesting tour, showing us the process from grape to bottling. Seeing all the hard work behind the scenes definitely gave me more perspective & appreciation when I drink a glass of wine now. Like Francesco says, 'there is a story behind every bottle of wine.'

The vineyards here are planted on incredibly steep terraces supported by dry-stone walls, with much of the work having to be done manually. The main grapes are Bosco, Albarola & Vermentino.

After a walk through their museum, where you can see the tools & equipment they used to use, we headed inside for some wine tasting.

Here we got to taste - Cián Àuti & Costa da Posa - both gorgeous white wines, perfect with seafood,d as well as the dessert wine - Sciacchetra.

We then headed down to Manarola, with its colourful houses stacked dramatically down the cliffside towards the sea - very beautiful & not surprising it's the most photographed.

Make sure you wear comfortable shoes as you can only walk down on foot & it is on a steep hill, but the slope is manageable if you take it slow & enjoy the beautiful views & many shops along the way.

Having worked up an appetite, we had a few more steps to our restaurant for lunch, but it was totally woith i, when we saw the view - absolutely stunning!

As for their seafood - their mussels, lobster & seafood selection were incredibly fresh; it took me back to my childhood in Cape Town - absolutely divine.

Of course, with food you need wine & Francesco had the perfect bottle of wine for us to taste, which paired beautifully with our seafood!

Another fantastic day!

Our final evening ended with an interview with Travel Weekly, a training session with NITGB & a 'midnight' feast to use up the leftover food.

DAY 5

After breakfast, it was time to say goodbye to Francesco & Mirella - taking home new cooking and wine skills, but most importantly, some very special memories.

On the train back to Pisa Centrale, I was asked what my favourite part of the trip had been. One word immediately came to mind: people!

Our hosts, Francesco & Mirella, made us feel like part of their family - from cooking local food with local ingredients in the palazzo kitchen, to discovering that making wine really is an art.

The people of Tavernelle were just as welcoming. Everyone we passed seemed to stop for a friendly Ciao - from the local honey maker & butcher to the restaurant owner & residents. It was wonderful to experience such genuine warmth & hospitality.

As much as I love work fam trips, they can be a little daunting. You often arrive not knowing anyone in the group, but it didn’t take long for Vicky from Not in the Guidebooks, Katie from Travel Weekly and all the agents on this trip to become friends - with plenty of laughter, great food and even a midnight feast!

A huge thank you to Vicky & Not in the Guidebooks for such a wonderful experience. I’ve come home with lots of inspiration, new friendships & an even greater appreciation for this beautiful part of Tuscany.