Italian cooking vacation, small group
Highlights
Cooking lessons | Buffalo mozzarella farm tour and cheese tasting | Organic Tuscan rice farm tour | Fishing trip | Pecorino farm tour | Cycle tour to vineyard | Wine tasting | Gourmet feasts | Rural setting in southern Tuscany | Accommodation in apartments | Pool
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this vacation or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
Toll free 1-866-821-6866 Calling from outside the US? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your vacation will help support conservation and local people.
We are passionate about connecting people with the source of their food, emphasising the importance of respecting ingredients and the environment that creates them. We only promote businesses who are at minimum organic or preferably use green energy and/or sustainable innovation. Our producers not only make magnificent food, but respect nature, innovate with clean energy, and put quality and integrity above profit margins. Our courses include meeting fishermen who are fighting the destruction caused to the marine environment by trawler fisherman, mozzarella farmers making biofuel from their own buffalos' waste, olive oil producers using the stones of the used olives to power their factory, rice growers who use only ancient techniques, and beer brewers who power themselves from the earth's geothermal energy.
We use more or less only local products for our cookery lessons and the meals we cook for the guests and stick to the seasons so as to keep food miles low.
We have a very low footprint, are completely paperless and avoid air travel where possible.
The Impacts of this Trip
In our day to day operations in southern Tuscany, we provide business and exposure for small, sustainable and responsible businesses who are operating in an economically challenging environment.
Young people are abandoning this area due to a lack of opportunities, and we hope we can help combat this difficult local situation.
Our aim is that our guests have a memorable experience, while we also drive business towards people who are doing business in a way that is sustainable and responsible.
Our profit-based business activities in Italy have their own social positive impact in terms of connecting people to positive and sustainable ways of producing, consuming, and understanding food. However we also aim to have an equally powerful positive nonprofit social impact.
Both founders Oli and Flo have worked in a number of capacities using food as a force for good, including running food programmes in refugee camps in France and running healthy food cooking classes for children in deprived areas of London.
We aim to use this experience, and the reach we can develop through our business activities, to use food as a power for good working with, for example, refugees, children with disadvantaged backgrounds, people with learning disabilities, and ex convicts looking for social and economic reintegration.
We are passionate about connecting people with the source of their food, emphasising the importance of respecting ingredients and the environment that creates them. We only promote businesses who are at minimum organic or preferably use green energy and/or sustainable innovation. Our producers not only make magnificent food, but respect nature, innovate with clean energy, and put quality and integrity above profit margins. Our courses include meeting fishermen who are fighting the destruction caused to the marine environment by trawler fisherman, mozzarella farmers making biofuel from their own buffalos' waste, olive oil producers using the stones of the used olives to power their factory, rice growers who use only ancient techniques, and beer brewers who power themselves from the earth's geothermal energy.
We use more or less only local products for our cookery lessons and the meals we cook for the guests and stick to the seasons so as to keep food miles low.
We have a very low footprint, are completely paperless and avoid air travel where possible.
The Impacts of this Trip
In our day to day operations in southern Tuscany, we provide business and exposure for small, sustainable and responsible businesses who are operating in an economically challenging environment.
Young people are abandoning this area due to a lack of opportunities, and we hope we can help combat this difficult local situation.
Our aim is that our guests have a memorable experience, while we also drive business towards people who are doing business in a way that is sustainable and responsible.
Our profit-based business activities in Italy have their own social positive impact in terms of connecting people to positive and sustainable ways of producing, consuming, and understanding food. However we also aim to have an equally powerful positive nonprofit social impact.
Both founders Oli and Flo have worked in a number of capacities using food as a force for good, including running food programmes in refugee camps in France and running healthy food cooking classes for children in deprived areas of London.
We aim to use this experience, and the reach we can develop through our business activities, to use food as a power for good working with, for example, refugees, children with disadvantaged backgrounds, people with learning disabilities, and ex convicts looking for social and economic reintegration.
2 Reviews of Italian cooking vacation, small group
Reviewed on 09 Sep 2018 by Anita Stubbs
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Learning to make filled pasta outside in the garden under Oli’s excellent tutelage.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
To get the most out of this vacation, go prepared to have a hands on experience. We did, and came away with lots of practical tips and a real insight into the beautiful simplicity of Italian cooking.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. Oli and Flo are committed to using local produce, working with local people and showcasing several local enterprises that are environmentally and ecologically friendly.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent! We went with high expectations and were not disappointed.
Reviewed on 04 Jul 2018 by Ed Erl
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Seeing a quiet and unspoiled part of Tuscany. Meeting the local food producers who are passionate about their work and their commitment to sustainable production.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Oli and Flo are very knowledgeable and
flexible with the itinerary
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. It also taught us about sustainability.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent! A very relaxed yet busy itinerary. Very knowledgeable people
who are passionate about the area and what they do.
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