Cooking week · Tuscany
Cooking, Culture & Countryside in Tuscany
WhereTuscany, Italy
Length9 nights
Next departureFeb 14–23, 2027
Price$4,349 shared · $5,029 private room, per person
GroupMicro group, 12 or fewer
StyleCooking week
Run byRoad Scholar
A small-group, hotel-based program in Lucca that pairs four hands-on cooking classes with walking tours of the walled city and field trips into Tuscany's marble country. It is run by Road Scholar, so the learning side (history, craft, producers) matters as much as the cooking. Note this is a hotel stay, not a villa.
Ask us about this trip →Free to ask. We confirm dates, availability and price before you commit to anything.
What you will do
- Four hands-on classes, each producing a four-course meal, at a cooking academy in the Lucca area
- Market visit with the chef-instructor to see how locals shop
- Expert-led walks through Lucca from Roman remains to Renaissance ramparts and Puccini's legacy
- Private marble quarry visit at Carrara
- Lunch at a lardo producer in Colonnata, where the lardo is cured in marble basins
- Biodynamic farm and noble-villa winery with wine, cheese and olive oil tastings
- Artisan workshops and medieval centre of Pietrasanta
- Farewell dinner after a winery lunch in hilltop Montecarlo
Before you go
Eat the region first, then cook it. Everything here is free and saves to your trip.
Where to eat in FlorenceStarred tables, local favorites and the dishes to order, with a place to save each one to your trip.Cook it first: Pappa al pomodoroTuscan Pappa al Pomodoro. Make it at home before you taste it there.The Best 100One hundred restaurant dishes with a home version to cook this week.
Who leads it
Gianluca Pardini
Chef and founder, International Academy of Italian Cuisine
Featured chef-instructor for the hands-on classes; he holds a Master of Cooking and Executive Chef title (2004).
Road Scholar group leader
Trip leader
Handles orientation and logistics throughout; local experts such as Elena Benvenuti (Lucca specialist) lead specific sessions, subject to availability.
Day by day
- Day 1In transitOvernight flight to Italy.
- Day 2Arrive in LuccaCheck in at the hotel, attend an orientation with the group leader, then share a welcome drink and dinner at a local restaurant.
- Day 3Ancient Lucca and first classMorning walking tour from pre-Roman times to the Renaissance with a Roman-style lunch at the Domus Romana site. In the afternoon you cook a four-course meal and eat it for dinner.
- Day 4Renaissance to modern Lucca; second classAnother guided walk through later Lucca, lunch at a local restaurant, then an afternoon cooking class whose results become dinner.
- Day 5Market and third classCoach to a local food market, then on to the cooking school for a class and lunch. The afternoon and dinner are free.
- Day 6Biodynamic farm and Villa SardiVisit a farm producing biodynamic wine and oil, then walk to a 17th-century villa-turned-winery for tastings of wine, cheese and oil. Afternoon cooking class and dinner from it; lunch is on your own.
- Day 7Carrara and ColonnataLong coach day to a working marble quarry, then lunch and a tour at a lardo factory. Free evening, dinner on your own.
- Day 8PietrasantaWalking tour of the medieval centre and artists' workshops, lunch locally, free afternoon.
- Day 9MontecarloTour the medieval village, lunch at a winery, free time in Lucca, then a farewell dinner.
- Day 10DepartureBreakfast and check-out by 11:00.
Itineraries can shift with weather, season and host availability.
What is included
Included
- 9 nights at Hotel Palazzo Alexander, Lucca
- 19 meals: 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners including a welcome dinner
- 4 cooking classes and a market visit
- Expert-led walks and 8 field trips by motorcoach
- Free airport transfers if you book air through Road Scholar and arrive/leave on program dates
- Assurance plan coverage
Not included
- International airfare (unless booked via the operator)
- Dinners on days 5, 7 and 8, and lunch on day 6
- Personal expenses
- Tips
Practical details
- Where you base
- Lucca (Hotel Palazzo Alexander); day trips to Carrara, Colonnata, Pietrasanta, Montecarlo and the Lucca hills
- Where you stay
- Hotel Palazzo Alexander in Lucca for all nights; shared or single room options are priced separately.
- Group size
- Micro group, 12 or fewer
- Pace
- Moderate ('Keep the Pace'): about 1.5-2.5 miles of walking a day on cobbles and uneven ground, a steep climb at the Carrara quarry, and up to an hour standing per day. Some stairs lack handrails; not suitable for wheelchairs or scooters.
- Arrival and departure
- Lucca. Arrive on Day 2 (hotel check-in from 3 pm, 6 pm orientation); depart Day 10 by 11:00.
- Who it suits
- Curious, reasonably mobile travelers who want history, craft and food producers alongside cooking, in a hotel with no villa-style living.
Good to know
- Several departures from late 2026 through 2027; the program page lists many dates
- Experts may vary by date
- Long coach day (about 2 hours each way) to Carrara
- Deposit is small and final payment due 75 days before departure
- Ask the operator about dietary needs before booking.
Dates and prices
2026
2027
From $3,799 per person (earlier seasons $3,799-4,349). Ask the operator for current-year pricing. Deposit $250.
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See all upcoming tripsTrip details are compiled from the published information of Road Scholar, who runs this trip. Dates, prices and availability change; we reconfirm everything with you before you commit.
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