Check into a fairytale 15th-century castle and be a king and queen during your stay! Traditional Veronese cuisine prepared by Chef Michele paired with fine wine from the Veneto region are the key ingredients in this luxurious cooking tour. During your stay, enjoy the lush green gardens flowering with fragrant sage, lavender and rosemary and a peacefulness that sets the mood. Chef Michele’s masterful cooking lessons, guided with care, will have you preparing exquisite food of the land featuring farm-to-table produce and products. Join us in the countryside of Verona where Shakespeare called it, “Fair Verona.”
Verona Cooking Classes
Under master Chef Michele’s expert guidance, you’ll learn hands-on how to create a complete menu – antipasti,fresh pasta or risotto, main course and dessert. Michele’s style marries traditional recipes of Veneto with modern touches, using local and traditional products including sweet Montagnana ham, renowned Fassona Piemontesebeef, and tastasale, traditional salami.
During your Verona hands-on cooking classes, you’ll prepare Risotto alla Veneta, risotto made with pork and a cinnamon sauce and Baccalà alla Vicentina, salted cod with Verona polenta. Learn about the tradition of fresh fish with a simple and sublime preparation of sea bass in foil paired with wine of region such as Valpolicella or Bardolino. Prepare antipasti, using seasonal farm-to-table ingredients – think asparagus, sweet peas and beans along with salumi and prosciutto. Discover local artisanal cheeses including robust Grana Padano, full-flavored and Brie, Bastardo del Grappa, nutty and piquant, Monte Veronese, and Il Brillo di Treviso, aged in red wine. Desserts are endless with torta di rose, rose cake, Italian jam tart pie or panna cotta with mint and chocolate. Everyone enjoys the foods that were prepared in the cooking class following – in the castle or in the garden dining areas.
Exploring Verona
After a day to in the castle, discover world-famous viniculture districts of Soave Classico and Valpolicella. Visit a local winery that has been run by the same family for more than a century. Meet your driver who will take you to this award-winning winery where you will visit an eno-museum and learn how this family cultivated Corvina, Cornivone and Rondinella grapes that make up the fresh, fruity Soaves and fragrant Valpolicella wine. You’ll tour and taste a variety of the wine from dry to the sweet.
Visit Verona and experience the romantic Piazza Bra, with caffès and restaurants and shops – stroll the square, soak in the ornate Veronese architecture or visit the pink stone Verona Arena. Visit the bustling market at Piazza delle Erbe and view the 14th-century Madonna Verona fountain. Visit the Casa di Giulietta, Romeo and Gulietta’s castle, and take a photo on the ornate stone balcony. See a panoramic landscape of Verona from San Pietro Castle and visit the Church of San Zeno Maggiore, a stunning 9th-century basilica.
Verona Accommodations
Check into the gorgeous 14th-century castle. Feel like royalty in your your spacious Junior suite overlooking the gardens – with a dreamy canopy bed. Luxurious furnishings and modern comforts with gorgeous linens and beautiful bedding and a private ensuite bath with magnificent hand-painted clawfoot tub, make your stay comfortable and relaxing. Daily breakfast is included with espresso, cappuccino or tea, and fresh baked cornetti, farm-fresh eggs, cakes and breads along with fresh fruits, jams and biscotti.
The castle was built in 1336 by Signor Guglielmo. At the time, it was surrounded by a wide moat and three rings of fortified walls joined by a drawbridge and had both defensive and state functions. Set between Padua and Verona, 5 km from Montagnana, the castle and property are set on 25,000 square meters of land in the countryside of Verona. Lush flower gardens are at your every turn, a beautiful outdoor dining area and endless green fields. Agriculturally rich farmlands and valleys provide local chefs and artisan bakers with pure and fresh fruits of the land making it an ideal location for excellent cuisine and wine.
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Itinerary ~ 3 Days, 2 Nights
Day 1: Arrival & Cooking Class
- Arrival and Check in.
- Later in the afternoon, tie on your apron for your first cooking class with Chef Michele preparing a full course traditional dinner.
- Dinner follows and includes the foods that were prepared in the class with a toast of local wine
Day 2: Wine Tour & Tasting
- Breakfast is served.
- Following breakfast, meet your driver for a visit to famous wine producer of Verona with tour and wine tastings included.
- Return to the property to relax or venture into Verona for an afternoon visit on your own.
- Dinner on your own
Day Three ~ Ciao!
- Breakfast is served.
- Following breakfast, check-out and arrivederci! A presto!
Program Includes:
- 3 days and 2 nights in Junior Suite with private bath.
- Daily breakfast.
- Hands-on cooking class preparing an antipasto, fresh pasta and sauce, main course and dessert. Dinner follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class with local wine and water included
- Excursion to a winery and vineyard, with a visit to the cantina with a wine tastings included.
- Cooking Vacations Welcome Bag with chef’s apron, Prosecco and recipe book.
Program Prices:
$995 per person, based on 2 guests.
For Single Guests: If you are traveling on your own, please call us for the best group price. We are happy to welcome you into an already scheduled group.
2024 Dates: This program is available throughout the year. Check in and start your program on any day of the week. Rates are subject to change based on currency exchange. Call for updated rates. Airfare not included. Group transfers for any cooking tour or tours that include transfers, are for the group and are not private. Transfers before, after or to another destination outside of your cooking tour are not included in the program price. If you would like to add on a private transfer or transfers, let us know and we will send you pricing.
