If you are passionate about Italian food and wine, love learning new skills and exploring new places with a local guide read on!
Last week I was reminded of how incredible homemade, authentic and fresh Italian food tastes during an Italian culinary workshop hosted by Bookings For You.
Bookings For You are a villa rental company who offer 350+ hand-picked villas in 8 regions of Italy and (new for this year), France and Croatia. Owner Jo Mackay, has recently teamed up with Palazzo Tronconi, an 18th Century boutique hotel and vineyard, to offer exclusive tailor-made Italian package holidays focusing on delicious organic food, fine biodynamic wines and guided tours to handpicked places of interest.
I was delighted to be invited to attend the launch of the collaboration as I feel being part of an intimate group, learning how to prepare and cook authentic recipes by a local chef, is the perfect way to learn about a country’s culture and traditions. It’s also a great opportunity to chat to locals, try out the local lingo, pick up a few cooking tips and of course taste authentic food!
Our cooking workshop, (held at the rather lovely Surrey HQ of Booking for You but not unfortunately in the stunning Roman countryside as shown above!) was lead Marco Marocco, oenologist and owner of Palazzo Tronconi. He was joined by his executive chef, Leonardo Grimaldi, and Giuseppe Marcuccilli, an award-winning pizza maker and baker.
Marco, who translated the session, began by explaining that the beauty of Italian cooking is its simplicity, where the quality of the few ingredients used are able to shine.
The team had demonstrated the great lengths they would go to recreate authentic Italian dishes in the UK. They flew from Rome with bulging suitcases carefully packed with local produce including potatoes, olive oil, a local delicacy – black pig and free range goose eggs… which unbelievably arrived intact!
We started our Italian feast with antipasto of creamed cod fishcakes which was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. Next we tried a classic carbonara of rigatoni made with goose eggs and pig jowl, (which put my very unauthentic carbonara made with ham and cream to shame!) Our main course (secondo piatto) was a black pig stew cooked in Zitore wine, which melted in the mouth and literally caused the room to fall silent for a few minutes!
Details: Tailor made Italian holidays at Palazzo Tronconi
If the photos above have whet your appetite for an Italian culinary short break check out www.bookingsforyou.com/palazzo-tronconi
Two day packages start from a very reasonable 170 euros per person through to five-day cookery and wine experiences, including choice of three cultural day trips, which are just 850 euros per person (excluding flights). Palazzo Tronconi has five double bedrooms and offers the perfect accommodation for an adults only break or fun family holiday.
Disclaimer – I was invited as a guest of Bookings For You to experience a taste (literally!) of the exclusive tailor made Italian package holidays they offer. All opinions are, as always, my own.
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It looks absolutely fabulous I adore cooking lessons and did some in Italy once it was great fun #MondayEscapes
What a fabulous experience. I can’t believe they brought everything with them for your wonderful dinner. I’d love to go on one of these holiday and maybe leave the kids at home :) #MondayEscapes
Ooh it looks amazing, i love cooking lessons there is nothing better than learning from a master x
This sounds perfect indeed. I can almost smell Italy just from reading your post. I’d love to do something like this one day #mondayescapes
That looks so dreamy and perfect, something to remember when we have a chance for a few days away alone. #mondayescapes
I’d love to do a class with Marco on our trip to Italy. Any idea what the minimum age is for kids to participate?
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I’ll contact Jo and Marco and find out for you!
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Melissa, I’ve just contacted Jo, the owner at Bookings For You. She has said the best thing to do is get in touch with her via info@bookingsforyou.com All of the packages and classes are bespoke so she can organise something perfect for you and your family;)
What a fun experience! I’ve always wanted to take an Italian cooking class as well as start learning Italian! #MondayEscapes
I’ve often travelled to Italy:) and the food is so…ohh…divine:) #mondayescapes
What a fantastic experience learning about cooking Italian food from an expert! #mondayescapes
What a fabulous experience – I could do with learning some of these skills! And what a beautiful place to learn… #mondayescapes
I really need to start earning some money so I can take my family abroad! Italy is high on my list of places to go to. Sarah #MondayEscapes
Italy is a foodie holiday heaven – looks like your class was great fun #mondayescapes
OMG This looks absolutely amazing! It is my dream to stay for a week in Italy with my besties at one of the old villas overlooking gorgeous rolling hills covered with vineyards, learning how to cook authentic Italian food while sipping on great wine.
Mmmm there is nothing like Italian food. I love that they flew the goose eggs in too.
This sounds like my kind of holiday. I love authentic Italian food and would love to know more about how to prepare it. I’m a bit of a fan of their wine too :)
Ah, this is bringing it all back! The food was extraordinarily good…..
Love the idea of incorporating cooking lessons into a family holiday
I can’t even begin to convey how much our family love Italy. The food, the people, the country… all so wonderful and the reason why we spend a month or two a year out there each year! Beautiful country.