Cooking In A Castle™

Prosecco and tiramisu!!! Tie on your apron with Executive Chef Donato for a food and Prosecco tour in the heart of Veneto preparing delectable cuisine paired with Prosecco!  Creamy risotto with Porcini mushrooms, rombo, sweet local white fish baked with potatoes, and of course of tiramisu, a layered cake with Italian cream, and a delicious Prosecco, are a sample of what you will prepare during your cooking classes experience.  Our hands-on cooking classes and pasta making immerse you into Venetian food while soaking up the local culture of Treviso, Vicenza, Verona, Padova and Venezia.

Executive Chef Donato leads you in hands-on cooking classes in his award-winning kitchen. This young and dynamic chef has already gained fame in some of the top kitchens in Italy and has settled in the beloved region of Veneto with a deep knowledge of Italian culinary traditions. Chef Donato’s cooking is amazing – simple, fresh and seasonal, preserving the qualities and the characteristics of the ingredients. His cooking classes include a great representation of foods from the five areas of Veneto, along with themed menus such as the Doge’s Table and Marco Polo – influences of the Orient in Venetian cuisine.  Settle into the Venetian countryside and get ready to prepare authentic regional foods, experience prized wine and the art and culture in this Nobile land of Veneto.

The property, a charming Relais and Chateaux, is set amongst the rolling green fields of this Venetian countryside and the nearby Alps.  Dreamy and royal, this private estate is the perfect location and close to Venice, Trevisio and Padua.

Veneto Cooking Classes

The hands-on cooking classes with Chef Donato feature recipes that represent a roundup of true Venetian cooking, and yet touch upon other parts of Italy, too  Our rising star chef is the perfect teacher and guide in showing you how to while sharing technique and explaining a food history.  His philosophy, above all is, the use of seasonal and local products and produce.  Food is his passion.  And, even after one cooking class, you will see why.  The cooking classes are hands-on, educational and fun – with questions welcomed along the way.  Following each class, lunch is served and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class with a toast of local wine included.

Veneto Cooking

Menus are Venetian and include such samples as:  risi e bisi – a rich and hearty rice and pea specialty or risotto nero, slow cooked rice made with fresh cuttlefish, or pennete con radicchio, small tube-shaped pasta tossed with sautéed radicchio, and lastly, bigoli, a local and healthy pasta served in a delicate anchovy and onion sauce.  Main courses include:  rombo con patate e funghi al forno, local flat fish oven baked with mushrooms and potatoes, or osso buco con riso e piselli, veal with rice and peas. And always, dessert – tiramisu, the classic creamy ladyfinger creation layered with mascapone and caffé, zaletti, polenta cookies with raisins and pine nuts, and scented with grappa.  There is also Sgropppino, a lemon chilled sorbet that includes Prosecco as a special ingredients.  Menus change with the seasons.

Venetian Alps

Our Cooking In A Castle experience welcomes you with the family, chef and professional staff.  The 17th century villa is surrounded by the picturesque landscapes of the Alps.  There is Asolo, Possagno, Treviso, Conegliano, Bassano del Grappa and Venice.  Asolo is known as the rare town where houses speak, because of the many beautiful and historical villas with enchanting gardens whose gardens are open for visits.  It is easy to see where the name Asolo, from the Latin Cooking In A Castle – translating to a peaceful village.  The land in Veneto invites guests to indulge, enjoy the Venetian lifestyle with exquisite food, wine and art.  There are museums with collections of work by the famed Antonio Canova, the enchanting Venetian Villas of Palladio, Villa Barbaro in Maser and Villa Emo Capodilista in Fanzolo di Vedelago~for art lovers.

The Prosecco Road

Veneto is home to Prosecco!  The Prosecco Road extends from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene where vineyards span along gentle hillsides peppered with abbeys and farmhouse.  You will sip and swirl the Prosecco Superiore di Cartizze while learning about its history, growing method, harvest and bottling.

Although Prosecco has always been present in the Treviso region, it grew in popularity during the fourteenth century thanks to Renaissance trade.  From Carlo V to Enrico III and leading up to today, guests enjoy Prosecco for all occassions.

Veneto Accommodations

The elegant Relais and Chateaux has fourteen exclusive suites along with several common areas and sitting rooms throughout.  Built in Liberty style, the property’s architect remains in original form.  Each room is decorated in classic Veneto style with Murano glass fixtures and Venetian lace bedding. Careful attention has been paid to every detail of every room – airy and spacious and with every modern comfort.  Each room has a private ensuite bathroom and shower, hairdryer.  Each room also has a minibar, telephone, Satellite TV, in-room safe and air conditioning. Some rooms have private terraces, while others have a view of the nearby monastery, and yet others have their own private flower garden.  Nestled in the beautiful hills of the Prosecco vineyards, the property is royal and noble.

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Itinerary: 4 Days, 3 Nights

Check in and start your program on any day of the week.

Day 1: Arrival & Welcome Dinner with Chef’s Tasting Menu

• Arrival at the villa.  Check in to your room and enjoy a welcome Prosecco.  Meet your hosts Signor Giovanni and Rosy.
• In the evening, enjoy your Welcome Dinner featuring a Chef’s tasting menu with a full course menu.  (Drinks not included).

Day 2: Country Excursion with Lunch & Cooking Class 1

• Breakfast is served.
• In the morning, stroll the property, relax in the sitting room or stroll through the the garden.
• Following lunch, join Chef Donato in the kitchen for your hands-on cooking class.  You will learn to prepare antipasto, pasta and fresh sauce, a main course and dessert.  Following the cooking class, everyone enjoys the food that was prepared in the cooking class.  (Wine and beverages not included).
• Relax and enjoy the evening.

Day 3: Prosecco Tasting & Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast is served.
• In the morning, meet your driver for an excursion to a precious wine maker, farmhouse and cantina. Enjoy the tour, with a visit to the cantina and Prosecco tasting is included.
• In the afternoon after lunch, return to the kitchen for your hands-on cooking class 2 with Chef Donato, featuring a seasonal menu with an antipasto, fresh pasta and sauce, a main course and dessert.
• Dinner follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class.  (Wine and beverages not included).

Day 4: Departure~

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