Umbria Farm to Table Cooking Experience
Enjoy learning to cook authentic Italian dishes in the countryside with a local expert. Come back and show your friends [..]
There can’t be many countries in the world more suited to a cooking holiday than Italy – the home of incredible pasta, stunning seafood, amazing stews and authentic pizza. Wherever you decide to immerse yourself in Italian cuisine, whether in the hills of Umbria or on the shores of Naples, you’re sure to learn the art of crafting perfect Italian dishes.
Roll up your sleeves, don your apron, and get ready to cook with the locals, from Italian nonnas to professional chefs. Choose from our range of cooking holidays in Italy and you’ll be kneading pasta dough, flipping pizzas, and whipping up authentic regional dishes in no time. From Tuscany to Puglia, Rome to Venice, find the perfect cooking experience in Italy with us today.
Puglia is a southern region of Italy, making up the heel of the boot shape of the country. It’s primarily known for breath-taking towns perched on hills and stretches of unimaginable Mediterranean coastline. It’s also perfect for a foodie holiday, with traditional Puglian cuisine focused on hearty baked dishes and simple pasta plates.
Hearty stews, deep, rich red wines, incredible pasta dishes and thin, crisp pizzas, expect all of that and more in the incredibly atmospheric, romantic Rome. Wander the ancient lanes and stumble upon old tavernas and wine bars, sit back with a bottle of red, and realise that there's nowhere better for a cooking holiday.
Over the bay from its fiery neighbour Naples, Sorrento serves up a cuisine that centres around fresh seafood and fish dishes. Usually with lashings of olive oil and lemon from the groves on the surrounding hills, it's decadence and indulgence in real style, and a great place for an Italian cooking holiday with a difference.
Although it’s most famous for its landscapes, history, and artistic legacy, Tuscany is a pretty important part of Italy’s food scene, too. Tuscan cuisine is based on the idea of ‘cucina povera’, or ‘poor cooking’, and it’s as rustic and delicious as you’d expect. From traditional crositini to Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the region is perfect for a cooking holiday.
Serving up beautifully rich stews and meaty pasta dishes, the region of Umbria is a hidden gem when it comes to the culinary powerhouse that is Italy. With wild boar roaming the rolling hills and truffle in the atmospheric woods, everything is here in a land where savouring food and the experience that comes with it is of tantamount importance.
Italians embrace food as an essential way of life: something to savour and to spend hours revelling in alongside good company and fantastic views.
Italian food is so much more than rich gelato, hearty pastas and savoury pizzas (though those are great, too). A cooking holiday in Italy will draw you into the depths of Italian flavours and the complexity of the dishes – and likewise the culture – proving why Italian food is the most-copied cuisine in the world.
Our range of Italian cooking holidays allow you a deeper insight into authentic Italian cuisine. Rather than simply trying the food in Italy, you’ll understand the heritage of each dish, the work that goes into preparing it and come away with genuine expertise in Italian cuisine.
An Italian cooking holiday will help you to expand your knowledge of flavour combinations and allow your creativity to flourish. Get to understand the elements of local Italian ingredients and be daring and bold with them, and – most importantly – share stories and a glass of wine with other passionate cooks over a meal you’ve prepared together.
With local chefs, fourth-generation cooks and Italian artisans showing you the way around the kitchen, you’ll return with new skills and satisfied tastebuds.
You could combine your Italian cooking holiday with another hobby, to really make the most of this outstanding country to visit, by heading to Abruzzo for gorgeous walks in the hills, or to Florence to brush up on your Italian skills.
Explore one of Italy’s diverse regions in a pure cooking holiday or combine your Italian cooking classes with another hobby or passion like painting, horse riding, hiking, yoga or learning to speak Italian.
Cook carbonara with a stunning view of the Bay of Naples on an Italian cookery course in Sorrento or discover the seat of the ancient Roman Empire with one-day Italian cooking classes in Rome.
Find the freshest Italian ingredients in the enticing food markets of Bologna or create caprese salads near the canals of Venice or the stunning villages surrounding Lake Garda.
In Tuscany, let the sun-baked hills and local Tuscan flavours inspire your creations (and wander the romantic streets of Florence while you’re at it!) or head to charming Puglia or Umbria to discover serene settings, regional delicacies and palate-pleasing local vino.
Whatever your tastes, you can find a cookery holiday in Italy to indulge your inner chef and a group of like-minded people to experience it with. Never settle for an ordinary Italian holiday again.
Fervent foodies, beginners who struggle to roll fresh dough, lifelong chefs – everyone is welcome in the kitchens of our Italian cooking schools.
You’ll meet people of all ages and nationalities on cooking holidays in Italy, from solo travellers to couples to friends. Some love local, seasonal food, others are simply looking for a getaway that blends relaxation with life-enhancing activities (and excellent meals).
All that’s required is a passion for food, a love of learning and a refusal to be boxed in. Sound like you?
Thousands of people have already discovered that our eclectic mix of cooking holidays in Italy are as diverse as the people who go on them. Come and join them.
Looking for cooking holidays elsewhere? Want to see what else you can get up to during your time in Italy?
Take a look at our range of cooking holidays, or our full list of unique, local experiences in Italy to discover more.
We’re passionate about helping people find the most amazing experiences on their travels, through meeting local people, exploring new places, and discovering alternative activities that make holidays special. We do this by carefully selecting partners in countries around the world who are experts in their local area, sourcing interesting people who can guide you through immersive experiences.
We’ve got local partners all across Italy, from the Mediterranean coast to the country’s touristic centre – Rome. Choosing a Not In The Guidebooks holiday in Italy means you don’t have to choose between a beach holiday or an activity-filled break, you can get the best of both worlds with a unique trip.