5 Days Gourmet Cooking Course in Italy

Our complex has self-contained apartments and en-suite rooms with bed and breakfast, half and full board. La Mezzaluna has also 2 double bedrooms en-suite and one small studio flat.

Blue apartment - 1 double room with private bathroom, 1 double room and 1 twin room, a bathroom, small kitchen dining area, spacious outside area with table, benches, gazebo and bbq. Services: satellite TV, iron, electric hob, fridge, microwave, small electric oven, free Wi-Fi.

Green apartment - 1 double, 1 twin, 1 large bathroom, kitchen, large terrace with gazebo, table and benches for dining outdoors. Services: satellite TV, gas cooker with electric oven, fridge, microwave, barbecue, free Wi-Fi.

Red apartment - 1 double room en-suite (room with fireplace), small kitchen dining area, terrace with magnificent panorama. Services: satellite TV, electric hob, fridge, microwave, small electric oven, free Wi-Fi.

Day 1 - Arrival

• After your arrival, you will transfer to your residence.
• A welcome buffet will be waiting for you. Now, you have the chance to talk about the weeks activities.
• Later today, we will visit Alex's local wine cellar for some wine tasting.
• Dinner at La Mezzaluna.

Day 2 - Excursion, cooking class

• Breakfast.
• Morning visit to the medieval village of Barga, where you can admire its ancient streets and the cathedral. Barga offers picturesque views of the Serchio valley.
• Light lunch at La Mezzaluna.
• Cooking lesson which lasts about 3-4 hours.
• Take some time to relax.
• Dinner on dishes prepared during the class.

Day 3 - Excursion

• Breakfast.
• Visit Lucca - wander round the shops, admiring the various cathedrals and squares.
• Take time for lunch in Lucca.
• Midafternoon, we return to La Mezzaluna.
• Dinner at La Mezzaluna.

Day 4 - Cooking class

• Breakfast.
• Visit the local market to buy all our fresh vegetables for our afternoon cookery course.
• Light lunch will be served at the residence.
• At 14:00, our second cooking lesson will begin and it will last for about 3-4 hours.
• Take some time to relax on the veranda.
• In the evening, we will be having dinner on dishes prepared during class and Alex will entertain us with live music.

Day 5 - Departure

• Breakfast.
• Transfer to Pisa.
• Ciao!

Barga

At the border of the Garfagnana region, Barga, has been recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, and has been given recognition by both the Bandiera Aranicone Touring Club (Orange flag touring club) and by the Citt Slow (Slow City) movement. The adopted home of Giovanni Pascoli, Barga is a medieval village of rare beauty, from its Duomo, to the ancient aqueduct and the museum that was once home to Giovanni Pascoli.

Lucca

The large circular wall which borders the town is still accessible today, and you can walk or cycle there. Once inside the walls you can visit innumerable churches, surrounded by piazzas, courts, medieval towers, buildings and gardens. Among them is La cattedrale di San Martino which is particularly worth a visit. At the heart of the town is via Fillungo, offering numerous shops and small boutiques rich with typical produce from the area, il Buccellato (a sweet Tuscan bread), cured meats and honey, for example. Finally theres the Piazza dellAnfiteatro, a famous circular piazza which in ancient times was the marketplace.

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  Rita Lucherini

  During Rita's informative years, she gradually immersed herself in the culture, customs, and traditions of her parents and grandparents, and, in particular, their culinary cultures. Rita studied the ancient secrets and techniques of the traditional Tuscan cooking and kept alive certain recipes that lost. She has been in Barga for almost 30 years running her bed and breakfast apartments together with her children, and she has now opened her cooking school.

La Mezzaluna is situated on the edge of La Garfagnana in northern Tuscany, Italy.

Nearby places

• Barga village - 4 kilometers
• Grotta del vento (cave of winds)
• Lucca city - 36 kilometers
• Parco avventura Selva del Buffardello (an adventure park)
• Parco del Levigliese
• Pisa - 1 hour drive
• Riserve naturali dell'Orecchiella (the Orecchiella nature reserve)

Our menu includes local cuisine with homemade pasta, fish based meals, mixed grills and steaks and pizza cooked in log oven. We will learn the basics sauces such as ragu, salsa di pomodoro, zuppa di farro (farro soup, a grain similar to spelt typical of the Garfagnana area ), homemade pasta, cheese and spinach filled ravioli, gnocchi, antipasti made with farro, bruschetta, scaloppina, sformati (vegetable or potato pie) and cakes, tiramis or torta di ricotta.

• Garfagnana Golf Club and the Il Ciocco Sports Village, both providing excellent sporting facilities.
• Grotta del vento (cave of winds), an underground karst landscape made up of stalactites and stalagmites, lakes and watercourses.
• Lucca Quad, a chance to cross the streams and paths on four wheels!
• Parco avventura Selva del Buffardello (an adventure park) with picnic areas and games for children.
• Parco del Levigliese, a park surrounded by the Apuan Alps, great for hiking, climbing, caving and cannoning course for the little ones.
• Visit Castelnuovo Garfagnana. A medieval center beside the Serchio river, Castelnuovo Garfagnanas historical heart is encircled by an ancient fortress. It's rich in local artisans and restorers and a place where you can taste the true traditional dishes of Garfagnana. Not to be missed is the path of Ariosto: a beautiful walk leading to the Fortezza di Montalfonso where the views are spectacular.
• Visit Pisa. Pisa is famous the world over for its Leaning Tower, and the magnificent Piazza dei Miracoli.

• 2 hands-on cooking classes
• 3 daily meals including wine and soft drinks
• 4 nights accommodation
• Excursions to Barga and Lucca
• Free Wi-Fi
• Live entertainment with Alex
• Local market visit
• Local transfers
• Transfers to and from the airport
• Wine tasting

• Activities not mentioned in the program
• Meals and drinks not mentioned above

Driving directions from Pisa

• Take the motorway (green signs) A12 north, direction Genova
• Join the A11 direction Firenze (1st exit)
• Exit at Lucca Est
• Follow signs for Castelnuovo Garfagnana
• Continue round the Circular Road, the City Walls are on your right
• Keep following for Castelnuovo up the Serchio valley for about 35 kilometers
• When you come to the sign Welcome to Gallicano, turn right direction Barga after 1 kilometer you arrive in Mologno
• Continue up to the crossroads, turn left, you will see our sign "La Mezzaluna or La Luna del West after about 100 meters.

Arrival by airplane

Arrive at Pisa international airport (PSA). La Mezzaluna will pick you up from the airport. The pick-up is included in the price.

Arrival by train

Take the train from either Pisa Aeroporto or Pisa Centrale. Pisa Centrale is a 5 minutes taxi ride from the airport, so it is often easier to do this. The train route you need is Pisa - (Lucca) - Barga - Gallicano. Some trains are direct, some you have to change at Lucca.

Distances

• Barga - 4 kilometers
• Lucca - 36 kilometers
• Pisa - 1 hour
• Train station - 230 meters