Hi. Meeting friend in Florence in September for 4-5 nights, checking out on a Tues am. I will be myself staying through rest of week and flying out of Rome on Sunday. I would like to spend 2-3 during weekdays at an agriturismo and then on to Rome for my last few days before flying home. I won't be renting car and have luggage so I don't want to be too difficult to access where expensive long taxi is only option. Interested in place where I can share in rustic farm to table food, learn how they make whatever it is they do, cooking class, market trips are a plus

Do you prefer an English speaking cooking class? Do you want the cooking class to be on the same premises as where you are staying, or would you be willing to go one nearby? While almost every agriturismo in Tuscany is located somewhere pretty, are you also looking to be in one of the picture-postcard areas, or is a charming rural farm setting enough? General budget for this?

English speaking yes. Class on premises or just to offer to participate in meal prep is good. Not adverse to offsite just if there is reasonable and safe way to get there and back to lodging. As I will be alone, I am cautious of being in less populated places after dark, especially as I do not speak the language. Something just outside a town with a train station is ideal so I can get me and my luggage to Rome when time to move on. Charming rural farm setting is good, but I do not want to rough it or sleep on hay bales. A decent bed and own bathroom if possible. Dont need coastal views or anything. Im more interested in fresh air, frsh artisnal food, nice people.

Perhaps around Siena. Could get there by train from Florence, would not mind reasonable taxi ride out to actual agriturismo where Ill stay but be able to come back into Siena to walk around. Upon check out can head back into Siena for train to Rome. Thoughts?

Yes, I think you are going to need to take a taxi out to an agriturismo. For this place, you would need to go one train stop beyond Siena, to Buoncovento, and then a taxi ride from there. Probably the agriturismo would arrange it for you. But they offer a cooking class onsite and it would appear you can arrange to have dinner there too:

http://www.poderesalicotto.com/en/activities/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...o_Tuscany.html

To get to Rome after staying there, the simplest thing would be to go back to Siena and take the 3-hour bus, or take a train from Buonconvento back to Florence and then switch to Rome (about the same amount of time as the bus). By the way, Buonconvento is a lovely tiny Tuscan town on the old pilgrim's route with an important museum about the farming history of the region.

Here is a very homey place that might work that is about 10 minutes outside of Chiusi, which is much further south on the train line between Florence and Rome. You can see that they offer a home-cooked dinner every night but you would need to ask if they would also give you a cooking lession or arrange one for you nearby (the attached review makes it seem likely to me they would do so). Chiusi is an excellent market town with an important Etruscan museum, and is just generally one of the sweeter towns in Tuscany because it totally overlooked by tourists.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ECK_RATES_CONT

http://www.badiola-caioalto.com/en/attivita.html

http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/agri...=1;type=total&

Finally, you can find more possibilities by doing google searches for things like "agriturismo cooking class Arezzo" and similar ones for the towns of San Gimignano, Siena, Cortona and Orvieto. To get to San Gimignano, you would need to take a bus from Florence (and then back again to get to Rome), but the other towns are near train stations. Like Chiusi, or Buonconvento, you can take a taxi from the train station about 15 minutes or so to an agriturismo. Without a car, you would most likely reliant on taxis for any other touring (or the kindness of strangers), but sometimes there is a bus or you are close enough to town to take a nice long walk in for the market.

Most of the time, a friendly agriturismo owner will help you arrange a cooking class even if they don't offer one. But if you are staying on an agriturismo without a car, it is best to stay in one that is willing to cook dinner for you or has a restaurant. Final tip is to avoid the weekends if possible, because many agriturismi host weddings.

Here is more about Buonconvento (which I inadvertantly misspelled above)

http://www.borghitalia.it/pg.base.ph...&cod_borgo=142

and more about Chiusi

https://offthebeatenstrada.wordpress...chiusi-market/

http://tuscany-travel.blogspot.it/20...ng-chiusi.html

You should double check before booking any place about the nearest important outdoor market and which day it is.

Thanks, I am considering Badiola. Any knowledge of this one

http://www.montecchino.it/en/prenota...ismo_siena.php

or any thoughts on their location. Closer to Siena while other is close to Chiusi. Again as this will be a midweek break between being in two big cities so dont need proximity to a lot of hustle and bustle but just will want to fill some daytime wandering around the local town. Im a fan of local, whole food and ingredients so farm markets and interacting with the farmer/proprietor is important to me rather than top shelf accomodations.

cmrey - if nothing else you will be enjoying something new:

At the restaurant you can enjoy gourmet hors d'oeuvres like toasts to the spleen,>>

Yum!

cmrey,

No personal knowledge but certainly looks like it would fit what you say you are looking for. I would flag clarifying the availaibility of the cooking class since the website indicates that there are private lessons, but it also seems to say the classes are for 4-12 people. So you will want the guarantee of being able to cook there even if you are the only person interested in doing so during your stay -- or you might be asked to join a larger class.

Spleen is the classic ingredient to make crostini in Tuscany. Many people think they are eating liver when they order it, but it is actually spleen.

Crostini di milza

http://tasteslikeatomato.blogspot.it...lians-eat.html

http://www.cooking-better.com/recipe.htm?q=6818

If you go wine tasting around Siena or Florence, you are very likely to be given crostini di milza to go with your red wine.

Thank you for all your help. I actually just booked Agriturismo La Badiola. Very excited, good price, 200 for the three nights with breakfast included. It seems on request the proprietor may pick you up at train which would be a plus, it's rustic but clean and modern, high reviews. Even if not actual cooking classes it seems there is a lot of individual attention from the proprietor and son and opportunity to learn from them about local ingredients and food. Also the farm makes it's own honey, wine and olive oil.

corey - it looks like a lovely place and should be very restful - do come back and tell us how you get on.

SL - thank you for the recipe. I had not appreciated that spleen is a popular topping for crostini, and should like to try it, but, to mis-quote Hannah Glass "first catch your spleen".

cmrey4,

That's great. Reading the reviews, I also go the impression the owners love what they do. If you have a chance, the town of Chiusi has wonderful, colorful Etruscan treasures. One of them is the historic wine cellar of the restaurant Zaira should you be in town at lunch time, but the Etruscan museum itself is compact with English labels and is one of the best in the world. Again, don't miss the basement of the museum if you go.

http://www.seeyouintuscany.com/tusca...si/chiusi.html

http://www.thetuscany.net/a-chiusi-s...senna/?lang=en

http://www.artistinitaly.com/EXPAGES/Chiusi.asp

http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/site...nna-in-Chiusi/



annhig,

Niente. (One of the rare times the spleen I spread has been appreciated.)

cmrey4,

What is the name of the place you've booked in La Badiola? Do you have other Agriturismo options which you can share.
Thanks!