Umbria cooking vacation, Italy

Our popular Umbrian short break dedicated solely to cuisine. Staying in an elegant stone, organic farmstead, with pool.
Stunning organic farmstead 2 days cooking classes Traditional Umbrian cuisine Organic Wineries Orvieto Truffle hunting Cittΰ della Pieve Swimming pool
Price
€1820To€1960 excluding flights
Duration
5 Days
Type
Small group
Reviews
More info
includes: en-suite accommodation, all meals with water and wine, cooking classes, full day trip to Orvieto, winery and truffle hunting experience with lunch.
No extra charge for single occupancy, but solos need to join a confirmed date
Make enquiry

Description of Umbria cooking vacation, Italy

Price information

€1820To€1960 excluding flights
includes: en-suite accommodation, all meals with water and wine, cooking classes, full day trip to Orvieto, winery and truffle hunting experience with lunch.
No extra charge for single occupancy, but solos need to join a confirmed date
Make enquiry

Check dates, prices & availability

Travel guides

Umbria
Atmosphere is everything in Umbria, and although Tuscany may have better marketing and more visitors, Umbria certainly matches it for untouched Etrusc...
Cooking & food holidays
Taste can trigger our most intense memories, like the bit of petite madeleine that instantly evoked a dreamy past in Proust's A La Recherche Du Temps ...

Vacation information

Our top tip:
Bring books and a shawl/jacket for evening chill outs and hillside chills. This place is pure tranquility.
Trip type:
Small group.
Solos:
Solo travelers welcome. Surcharge for own room.
Accomm:
Stunning restored farmhouse, with swimming pool and 9 elegant ensuite rooms.
Included:
Accomm., all meals, all drinks with meals, cooking classes, listed activities, station transfers.
Meals:
What can we say? It’s a cooking vacation. You won’t go hungry. Or thirsty.

Reviews

48 Reviews of Umbria cooking vacation, Italy

5 out of 5 stars
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Reviewed on 23 Oct 2023 by

It was excellent, and my wife was thrilled to be able to relax and feel at home in a gracious setting in Umbria. Read full review

Reviewed on 21 Oct 2023 by

This was one of the best vacations I have ever had. I felt so relaxed from the moment I set foot on the property. The balance of relaxing, cooking and seeing local attractions was perfect. This vacation was a perfect 10/10 Read full review

Reviewed on 20 Oct 2023 by

This was the best overall experience I have had on a vacation, would not change a thing. Everyday in Rome and Florence we wished we were back at the Villa. I hope to return with family next time. Read full review

Reviewed on 02 Oct 2023 by

Everything! I loved every minute - from Marina and Gianluca, our incredible hosts, to the cooking lessons, hikes and fantastic women who made up our group for the week. It exceeded my expectations in every way! Read full review

Reviewed on 25 Sep 2023 by

The cooking classes, the excursions, the farmhouse, the friendly hosts, so many things... I would recommend absolutely! Read full review

Reviewed on 02 Sep 2023 by

Truffle hunting was an amazing and exclusive experience. The time in the kitchen was so educational and rewarding too... Fabulous vacation. Read full review

Reviewed on 16 Jul 2023 by

The best vacation ever. It had everything, including the wonderful swimming pool. Read full review

Reviewed on 11 Jun 2023 by

If there were more than 5 stars, I would happily give them. Marina and Gianluca were the best of hosts and the cooking he prepared and helped us to learn to prepare was phenomenal! Read full review

Reviewed on 10 Jun 2023 by

Brilliant Read full review

Reviewed on 09 Jun 2023 by

Excellent. Varied, interesting and at times challenging. Warm welcome, comfortable and spacious accommodation in a lovely setting. Food was delicious and we learned a lot. Read full review

Reviewed on 30 May 2023 by

I really enjoyed my vacation with varied activities, great food and wine. A warm welcome and a very comfortable place to stay. All arrangements went well and Marina was especially good at support before the vacation and looking after her guests while they were there. Read full review

Reviewed on 29 Oct 2023 by

Please don’t book if you think there will be lots of instructive lessons. One day of mainly watching someone prepare food. Read full review

Reviewed on 10 Oct 2022 by

Marina had an amazing itinerary planned that kept us going at a lovely pace the entire time. The cooking and the side trips were fantastic... 10 out of 10! Read full review

Reviewed on 05 Oct 2022 by

We loved every minute of it, Marina and Gianluca were so generous not only with their time but the food and wine was plentiful and superb quality. I could have happily stayed much longer! Read full review

Reviewed on 18 Sep 2022 by

Prepare to relax, enjoy wonderful food, learn some new kitchen skills and enjoy local wineries and amazing hill towns. Read full review

Reviewed on 12 Sep 2022 by

Exceptional. I’ve traveled a lot and this was one of the best times I’ve ever had on a vacation. Read full review

Reviewed on 09 Sep 2022 by

Excellent. We read all the reviews and had a high expectation that was totally exceeded! We learnt so much in the kitchen and look forward to sharing with our friends and families. Read full review

Reviewed on 08 Sep 2022 by

Everything! I loved the whole trip. The house and setting are spectacular, the itinerary is well thought out. The cooking classes were exceptional. Marina is the most wonderful host you could wish for. It is heaven here. Read full review

Reviewed on 29 Aug 2022 by

I cannot recommend this vacation highly enough - it was really wonderful...I have so many wonderful things to say about the vacation Read full review

Reviewed on 26 Aug 2022 by

Every day was incredible. Highlights would have to be the idyllic setting of the farmhouse, the food, the wine, the people. Read full review

Reviewed on 04 Aug 2022 by

The whole vacation was just absolutely fantastic!...The setting is really stunning and the spectacular views of the Umbrian hills from our al fresco dining table will stay with me for a long time. Read full review

Reviewed on 04 Jul 2022 by

I love cooking and food and this trip was beyond my expectations. You will get a real experience of the food and culture of Umbria from this vacation. Read full review

Reviewed on 12 Jun 2022 by

Our hostess was an excellent tour guide and took such great care of us. Read full review

Reviewed on 31 May 2022 by

Wonderful...The food is fabulous as is the location and owners Read full review

Reviewed on 12 Jan 2020 by

Cooking lessons we're great! I loved all of the small towns we were able to visit and the hosts are spectacular! Read full review

Reviewed on 03 Sep 2019 by

The most memorable part of the vacation was the local team's dedication. Read full review

Reviewed on 17 Jul 2019 by

I wanted to get away from it all, relax, meet new people and do new things. Four ticks! Read full review

Reviewed on 25 Oct 2019 by

The most exciting part of the vacation was the different activities and excursions. Read full review

Reviewed on 29 Oct 2018 by

The whole package was full of interesting elements from the cooking to the trips out to stunning hilltop towns. The food was, as always in Italy, such a pleasure to enjoy along with the excellent wines. Read full review

Reviewed on 12 Sep 2018 by

It was a perfect vacation for me, It was restful but not too restful, provided great food, great site seeing, great company and the best hosts you could ever meet. Read full review

Reviewed on 29 May 2018 by

The wonderful hospitality that Marina gave us, and the unbelievable meals that Gianluca prepared, some with our help. It is really impossible to pick one thing. The whole week was absolutely wonderful. Read full review

Reviewed on 20 May 2018 by

Had a truly amazing time, in spite of the variable weather. Learning to cook lots of new dishes, amazing food, and meeting likeminded people from the USA and Europe. Such a fun yet relaxing trip. Read full review

Reviewed on 26 Sep 2017 by

We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the cooking classes, delicious meals, the excellent tours of nearby villages and towns, the spacious and comfortable rooms and the beautiful rural setting in Umbria. Podere le Olle is a truly memorable experience. Read full review

Reviewed on 24 Sep 2017 by

The place as a relaxed elegance about it and many of the visitors had been there before. The meals were beautiful and the cooking lessons had the right balance of watching and participating. The visits to the local towns were relaxed and each place chosen was memorable. Read full review

Reviewed on 16 Jul 2017 by

Turn up and enjoy a very relaxed and interesting week. Read full review

Reviewed on 20 Jan 2017 by

The most memorable was the location and the kindest of attention shown. The service was so personalized which distinguishes this trip from many others I have had. Read full review

Reviewed on 25 Jun 2017 by

Most enjoyable. We were made to feel very welcome and Marina was an excellent host and guide during the visits. Our room was simple but perfectly comfortable. Read full review

Reviewed on 09 Oct 2016 by

There are a number of memorable things - the house and it's very peaceful location, Marina and Gianlucca's hospitality; perhaps extra special were the cooking lessons in their superb kitchen followed by some excellent meals with great company. Read full review

Reviewed on 26 Jun 2016 by

Do it. You will love it. Read full review

Reviewed on 19 May 2016 by

The cooking was great and we helped out with different parts such as frying courgette flowers in rice flour a delicacy and making ravioli Read full review

Reviewed on 20 May 2016 by

The cooking was fun and well balanced with other activities and visits to interesting places in the wider area. Read full review

Reviewed on 17 Apr 2015 by

This is foodie heaven. The cooking classes were fabulous came back with a lot of good ideas. This is vacation is run by a local couple on their own organic smallholding. As far as possible food is sourced from their own vegetable garden or local farmers and the vine from local vineyards. Read full review

Reviewed on 11 Feb 2015 by

The cookery course was fun and we made tasty but not too fiddly food, so what you learn you can put to use when you return home. Read full review

Reviewed on 07 Nov 2014 by

They were the perfect hosts! They always catered for our every need and went out of their way to make sure that our stay was an enjoyable one. We would not hesitate to book this vacation again! Read full review

Reviewed on 23 Mar 2014 by

The location is stunning, Marina and Gianluca make you feel welcome, and they work exceedingly hard to ensure that you have an enjoyable stay. We came to learn cookery, but Marina ensures you know about so much more. I can't wait to try some of the recipes we have been taught. Read full review

Reviewed on 23 Jan 2014 by

It was amazing. One of the best vacations I have ever had (& I am old...so have had a few!) I can honestly not praise this trip enough. It was FABULOUS. Read full review

Reviewed on 21 Aug 2014 by

A very special week filled with many memorable moments, that will always be cherished Read full review

Reviewed on 01 Apr 2014 by

The overall experience was memorable. The location is great and Marina and Jeancarlo are excellent hosts, they make you feel at home since the begining. When you realize you are relaxed, feeling energetic and sleeping like a baby after an excellent meal with nice wine and company. Read full review

Responsible Travel

As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) vacation so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.

Planet

Our aim is to preserve nature the way it is, that's why our farm is totally organic, and have banned all kind of chemical products. Also the products used for cleaning are all natural and don't affect the enviroment. We produce our own soap for the dishwasher just out of natural ingredients, We produce our own electricity and hot water through solar energy, we compost all the leftover from food which makes it a great fertilizer for our vegetable garden. Our dogs and cats eat natural food and not canned or ready food. All that nature provides is precious so nothing should be wasted, that's why we put reductors of water on all showers, and all our lights turn off automatically. Most of the food that people waste can be converted in good food for our pets, or our sheep and hens. We try to share this philosophy with our guests and it works!

People

Whatever we cannot grow we get it at the local market, we only buy regional products such as wine and beer. We only get eggs and meat from local suppliers and cheese is only bought directly from farmers. We love taking tourists to local wineries and food farm, and organizing food and wine tastings for them. We supports small productions as they may find it difficult to compete with the industrial production, so they need extra help to survive.
We always privilege these products which risk to disappear because they require too much work and high costs of production such as saffron and a few varieties of local beans.
All our guests are encouraged to attend the local market or the little shop, rather then go to the bigger supermarkets. We also invite them to go to those restaurants that share the same philosophy, and they make the effort, also because food there is better and healthier.
We always use products which we know can be found locally, if not we just change our plans, and cook something different!

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