The village welcomes you.
Imagine the women and men of a thousand-year-old Tuscan hilltown inviting you into their kitchens to teach you their family’s home cooking secrets and gardening wisdom. Il Campo Cooking School of Radicondoli, tucked away in a hidden gem of a village west of Siena, offers lessons from the village’s most celebrated cooks. Here you can experience a way of life long forgotten in the bustling tourist centers of Italy, and learn the rhythms and nuances of the age-old Tuscan art of simple abundance.

We are in the midst of creating a unique culinary immersion experience, and invite you to be a part of an advisory group trip to Tuscany for a full week of behind-the-scenes tours of Radicondoli’s kitchens and gardens along with excursions to neighboring villages, including a wine tasting day in Montalcino and market day in Siena. We are seeking a group of 8-10 open-minded, travel-savvy people to hike, cook, taste and explore with us. We’ll arrange all the details for the week, including ground transportation, lodging, meals, cooking classes and excursions for a one-time discounted price a third less than our projected standard rate.

We invite you to come with us on a reconnaissance tour of our village, where you can be the first to partake in a new and innovative travel experience. What we ask of you in exchange for this opportunity is your impressions and suggestions before we formally launch. This advisory test of Il Campo Cooking School will take you into five different village kitchens, where you will learn to make delicious meals with simple ingredients, such as handmade tortelli with ragu, zuppa di pane, or wild herb flan, as well as more exotic fare such as pappardelle with wild boar ragu, tagliatelle with nettle sauce, or gnudi with butter and sage. We will identify wild herbs in field and forest, visit pecorino cheese farms and wineries and sample olive oil from Radicondoli’s small makers. In addition, we will eat in dining rooms throughout the countryside, from a lodge in the forest to a roadhouse frequented by local workers, and learn to make pizza in a wood fired oven.

Below is a typical one-week itinerary, which will include seasonal sagras and festivals through the year, and can be customized for groups interested in yoga classes, massages, vegetarian menus, and theme excursions:

Day 1 – Friday
Pickup at Rome Fiumicino Airport, transfer to Il Bel Canto B & B. Relax, freshen-up, unpack, explore the grounds.
6:00-10:00 Welcoming aperitivo and dinner at La Pergola.

Day 2 – Saturday
8:00-10:00 Buffet breakfast.
10:00-12:00 Explore Radicondoli streets and shops.
12:00-2:30 Tour of Anqua, a villa with winery and cheese factory; wine, cheese and salami tasting.
4:00 Hike (20-30 minutes) or ride in the van to cooking class with Clizia at Podere Giogliano, dinner following; ride home.

Day 3 – Sunday
8:00-10:00 Buffet breakfast
10:00-12:00: Hike the fields and visit a garden in Radicondoli, identifying wild herbs and plants.
12:30-2:30 Lunch and cheese tasting at Podere Paugnano, an artisan cheese maker on a lovely farm on the edge of the village.
4:00 Cooking Class with Bruna followed by dinner at Il Bel Canto.

Day 4 – Monday
8:00-10:00: Buffet breakfast
10:00-11:00 Wine tasting tour in Casole d’Elsa.
11:00-3:00: Visit ancient mill in Gracciano followed by lunch at La Fornace, a family-run roadhouse specializing in grilled meats and good down home cooking.
4:00 Hike off lunch or ride in the van to cooking class with master pizzaiolo Tommaso at La Pergola for a pizza making lesson followed by aperitivos and
pizza dinner.

Day 5 – Tuesday
Buffet Breakfast 8:00-9:00
9:00 – 4:00 Spend the day in Montalcino. Tour the streets and shops, enjoy lunch in a local trattoria and a tasting of Brunello di Montalcino wines. Return to Il Bel Canto by 7:00.
8:00 Dinner at Bar Nazionale.

Day 6 – Wednesday
7:00-8:00 Buffet breakfast
8:00-2:30 Morning in Siena, market day, lunch at Papei Ristorante.
4:00 Short hike to cooking class including garden and cantina tour with Manuela at Podere La Fonte, followed by dinner.

Day 7 – Thursday
9:00-12:30 Morning free to shop in the village and pack.
1:00-3:00 Lunch at La Speranza, a country trattoria.
7:00 Cooking class and farewell dinner with Marilena at Il Bel Canto.

Day 8 – Friday
Buffet breakfast & airport transfers.

Advisory Group discounted price of $2,550 per person (double occupancy; see note below) includes welcoming basket with locally made salami, cheese and wine; three meals each day Saturday through Thursday; dinner on arrival night and breakfast on departure morning, local wines served at lunch and dinner, excursions; five cooking classes; and ground transportation with pick-up and drop-off at Rome Fiumicino airport. This package will be priced at $3800 when the school officially opens.

The first 10 participants to sign up will be accepted at the Advisory Group Discounted rate for the May 6 and May 28 trips. THE FIRST GROUP IS FULL. RSVP no later than May 7 for the second group. Apartment and room selections will be on a first come, first served basis.

Note: Our home base is just below the village in a beautiful restored farmhouse which has several very comfortable, tastefully furnished 1 and 2-bedroom apartments with shared bath. We will assist the group in selecting bedrooms appropriate to their needs and roommate choices and may place some guests in nearby properties of equal quality. Single room supplement in a shared apartment is $500. Single apartment supplement is $700.