Convivio Rome offer Italian cooking holidays near Rome, where you can learn the secrets of Italian cuisine.
Convivio Rome is a small operator running Italian cooking courses in Toffia. If you’ve never of it – it’s a medieval hill town in Sabina, a beautiful and unspoilt area between Rome and Umbria. Run by Australian Sally and her Roman husband Guido, who is also the chef, the holidays don’t just give you the chance to learn how to cook delicious Italian food – they also give you a chance to discover a secret part of Italy, with orchards, olive groves – and few tourists. The idea is to meet local people, enjoy the local food – and get immersed in Italian life.
Courses last for a week or a long weekend, and accommodation is provided in the surrounding area - in restored Italian villas with swimming pools. The cooking lessons are conducted by a team of passionate local people, so you can really learn the secrets of Italian cuisine. Signora Lina teaches you how to make fresh pasta, while Guido, Convivio Rome’s bi-lingual head chef and food editor, guides you through a range of Roman and Tuscan recipes. You’ll learn how to use herbs and spices – and pick up tips passed on through generations of Guido’s family. Sessions are fun and relaxing – and importantly, recipes are easy to replicate at home.
The holiday won’t be spent entirely in the kitchen. You’ll also meet local olive growers Linnea and Valerio, who’ll give you a guided tour through their olive grove and teach you about the ancient art of olive oil making and olive oil tasting. The holidays give you a chance to get involved with local life – and you’ll spend an evening having a wine tasting, with a chance to sample regional food as well. You’ll also get a day trip to Rome, where the owners will guide you around the sites and take you to lunch at a 'hidden’ trattoria where only the locals go. There are also optional tours of the nearby medieval hilltop villages, including a visit to the once very powerful, 'Abbazzia di Farfa' (Monastery of Farfa). During your cooking holiday you’ll also have the chance to have shiatsu massage treatments, go walking or horse-riding, or just relax by the swimming pool.
Participants can come along by themselves, or with a friend or partner. You can also organise a small group - the maximum group size is 8. A complete program of Convivio Rome’s weekend, long weekend and week long holidays, costs, and details are on their web site.
