I've recently read on this board that the highly acclaimed Accidental Tourist company has not been providing the customer service it was once known for. I would love to participate in a cooking class at Accidental Tourist, but I fear that like others on this board, I'll be disappointed by a no-show or last minute cancellation by them. Does anyone have another recommendation for cooking classes in Tuscany? I'll be in Florence for four days and Radda for three. Thanks!

We did day trips a few years ago out of Radda with Luca Garapa of Hillsandroads.com. Since that time, I have read that he's added cooking classes at a private home in the area to his possible customized itineraries. You might want to check it out. Luca is a wonderful guy- a native of Siena, and quite knowledgeable about the area.

Thank you so much, Weadles! I shall check it out at once.

One possibility is to have the chef come to your own accommodation. No chance of a cancellation and you get to enjoy the products of your labours in the comfort of familiar surroundings (with as much wine as you want!). I know from personal experience that Elisa Berghi is a good cook and a good teacher: http://www.greve-in-chianti.com/elisa.htm

A friend of mine who is a culinary arts teacher reminded me that you should check out a website called ElizabethWholey.com. She is a British woman who works with a company called AMORE SAPORE that offers private cooking classes at a villa and/or catering in your villa in the Tuscany and Umbria area. I have no personal experience with this company, but it certainly looks interesting!

I have firsthand experience with Amore Sapore - it was excellent!!!! Elizabeth was very helpful in planning the menu with us. Elizabeth and Melchiorre bring all the food, then showed us how to prepare it. It was great fun and the food was wonderful. I think they were with us for about 6 hours - they even cleaned up the kitchen! We also had leftovers for the next day. I would definitely recommend to teach a cooking class. I believe Elizabeth has some tours that she offers also, but I have not done that.

Oops, meant to include the URL.

www.amoresapore.com

Thank you all for your advice. The only problem with hiring someone to come to my hotel to cook is that I'm not staying at a place with a kitchen. In Florence, I'll either be at the B&B Peterson or Academia House. In Radda, I'll be at La Bottega di Giovannino (rooms for rent). There's a chance that the young English-speaking woman at La Bottega will be able to assist me. I know she does winery tours, so perhaps she's my next call.

Nevertheless, thank you all again.

Hi nolenee,
I've also seen the recent post about Accidental Tourist & would just like to say that my DH and I just had a wonderful experience with them a few weeks ago in early May. Communication was great, pickup was as explained & it was probably the hightlight of our trip to Florence. The olive oil/winery tour was informative & fun, however hands down, the pasta making & enjoying a delicious meal with our hosts as well as our newly made friends exceeded our expectations! So I would give them a try.

Thank you, kaybee. I intend to use Accidental Tourist during my trip, but in case I have a problem, I thought I'd get some other recommendations. I pray that Accidental Tourist was just having a bad week or something because it's the highlight of my yet untaken trip!

Weadles - Hi !! Where did you read about those cooking classes through Luca? It is not mentioned on his web site. Thanks.

Ciao nolenee!

I hope that your tour with the Accidental Tourist was as much a success as was ours. We recently were in Florence 2 weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed our cooking class/winery tour with Enzo. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. There were two people who did not show, so it is clear that it is not always the fault of the Accidental Tourist. This worked to our advantage, though, as we were still given the tour with another couple from South Carolina. It was more intimate than it otherwise would have been. To anyone else contemplating a tour with the Accidental Tourist, perhaps plan an alternative, but don't let the possibility of a cancellation scare you away. This tour was WELL worth it and will live in your memory for a long time to come!

Buon Viaggio!
Scott