Country Villa In Verona™

Join us in the kitchen for hands-on cooking in Valpolicella – in the wine country of Verona in the heart of Veneto.  Executive Chefs Massimiliano and Alessandro, welcome you to the 15^th century villa set in the lush green countryside of the Amarone vineyards. Learn about local the local cuisine, farm-to-table sourcing and extraordinary local wine while participating in hands-on cooking classes that immerse you into treasured family recipes. The villa is conveniently located a few minutes from Verona!

In the kitchen learn to transform seasonal produce into delicious artful healthy food.  Careful attention goes into selecting naturally grown  products for each cooking class.  You will visit an artisan Gorgonzola and Gouda maker and sample beautifully  hand-crafted cheese, and enjoy a wine-tasting led by your Sommelier in the villa’s ancient Roman wine cellar.  You will taste, sip and swirl, the best way to learn about wine, while preparing treasured local recipes, followed by dining on exquisite cuisine!

While at the villa and when you are not cooking, relax and enjoy the beauty of their exotic gardens, fields and paths filled with fruits and flowers.  You can also visit the wine cellar which stocks over 1,200 different bottles of hand-selected wines.

The Veneto countryside offers archeological parks – from beautiful Lake Garda to the charming city of Verona.  Spend an entire day in downtown Verona exploring the Piazza dei Signori, Lamberti Tower, Romeo and Giulietta’s house and balcony; Roman Theater and Archeological Museum; Duomo di Verona – the Cathedral Complex, and Castelvecchio – the Castle and  Roman Arena.

Verona Cooking Classes

Chef Massimiliano and Alessandro’s cooking classes teach the skills and technique needed based on each guests’ level.  Passion and creativity blend in the kitchen where they use farm-to-table produce and products.  Learn their cooking secrets to create antipasti, fresh handmade pasta, main courses, fragrant bread and delicious desserts that you will be able to recreate in your own kitchen.  Lessons are approximately two hours and everyone enjoys the foods that were made in the class following each class.

Chef Massimilano explains, “I love light and modern cuisine, respectful of Italian tradition – though I’m not insensitive to exotic suggestions, as long as they are not exaggerated. After a period of bold experimentation, I wanted to return to the roots of Italian tradition, which is both the foundation and the future of cooking excellence. It is exciting for me to reinterpret the most typical recipes of our great culinary heritage, but without excesses, according to the rules of simplicity and lightness. I prefer short cooking times since they preserve the qualities and the characteristics of the ingredients, but also because they are the ultimate test of the chef’s skill.” 

Verona

Famous throughout the world for its the love story of Romeo and Guilietta, Verona offer visitors countless attractions. In Verona’s historic center, you’ll find the wonderful Roman Arena, where each the city hosts its summer open-air operas, as well as Piazza delle Erbe, Ponte Scaligero and the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore.  In the countryside, there are many stately Palladian villas you can visit, countless wineries – think Bardolino, Valpolicella, and Suave, and of course Lake Garda with its pretty towns of Peschiera del Garda and Sirmione.  From the villa, you can opt to take a bike ride along pretty paths that meander between the provinces of Verona and Mantova through the quiet country landscape of the Mincio Natural Park, past farms, villas and villages.

Verona Accommodations

Check in, relax and meet the family.  Our family for the week, welcome you to the villa and property which they restored to its original splendor, respecting the original structure and charm.  Dating back to the 14^th century, each guest room is exquisitely decorated in Empire style, complete with 18th-century mirrors and commodes with many featuring antique art.  Antique wooden ceilings adorn each room along with each ensuite bathroom completely finished in Italian marble.  Each room spills out to the property’s beautiful gardens and outdoor pool.  A daily buffet breakfast is served in the breakfast room with views looking out to the main garden, where you can enjoy breakfast including homemade cakes, artisan bread, biscotti, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, eggs, cappuccino, coffee and tea.

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Itinerary ~ 4 Days, 3 Nights

Day One: Arrival & Welcome

• Arrival and check in at the villa.  Review your welcome bag and enjoy your welcome Prosecco.
• A chef’s tasting dinner is served at the property.  Wine available at a surcharge.

Day Two: Cooking Class 1 & Visit To Local Cheese Artisan

• Breakfast is served.
• After breakfast, tie on your aprons for your first hands-on cooking class where you will learn the steps to making a selection of mouthwatering handmade pastas and sauces. Lunch follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class. Wine and beverages available at a surcharge.
• In the afternoon, meet your driver for a visit one of the area’s most skilled cheese artisans, with a visit to the ancient cellar, used for the maturing of his various cheeses.  Tasting included.
• Dinner is on your own.

Day Three: Cooking Class 2 & Wine Tasting

• Breakfast is served.
• After breakfast, head to the kitchen for your second cooking class. Today the subject is making bread and delicious desserts. Everyone will experience a hands-on baking class learning the techniques of preparing the prefect bread and desserts.  Lunch follows and includes the food that were prepared in the class. Wine and beverages available at a surcharge.
• Late afternoon, enjoy a wine tasting in the villa’s ancient  wine cellar, led by the house’s Sommelier.  The wine tasting takes you through a number of the area’s best-loved wines, accompanied by a selection of artisan cheeses, ham and salumi
• Dinner is on your own.

Day Four: Departure

• Breakfast is served.
• Check out and Arrivederci Verona!