"The best potato gnocchi I've ever tasted!"

When my friend and I made online reservations to attend a cooking school in the region of Umbria in Italy (just outside Perugia), we couldn't know how fun it would be to spend a morning with Rafaella and Stefania learning how to cook a number of easonal Italian dishes. My favorite was the potato gnocchi (made with only potatoes and flour and without the addition of an egg that I had typically seen in the past), which were "pillow soft" and melted in your mouth. The ladies couldn't have been more friendly or patient, and I highly recommend their cooking class to anyone who will be traveling near the area.

from Trip Advisor

"An ideal way to enjoy the Umbrian countryside. We relaxed, ate great food and learned a lot"

The four days we spent at Raffaella's beautiful farm were a highlight of our holiday in Italy. Our apartment was comfortable and quiet, opening onto a lovely terrace with views over the valley and a fig tree outside laden with delicious figs. We enjoyed occasional visits from the five farm cats and the odd dog. In the mornings, Stefania shared her tremendous knowledge and down-to-earth philosophy of Italian cooking with us, and we were amazed at how easy it was to produce some wonderful dishes. We picked up numerous practical tips, and will be reproducing everything we learned at home. We also had a lot of fun, and appreciated the relaxed atmosphere and the good nature and hospitality of both Stafania and Raffaella and her family. Highly recommended.


from Trip Advisor

Happy little Travellers: Join us as we spend 2010 making our way around Europe.

Eating Abroad - The adventures of a traveling teacher

Cooking class Day 1
Cooking class Day 2
Cooking class Day 3
Cooking class Day 4

"Fabulous experience!"

Six friends and I went for the 4 day cooking school. The countryside was beautiful. We enjoyed tours of Assissi and 4 other historic towns, each breathtaking in their own way. Truffle hunting, visiting the Perugina chocolate factory, and a lovely winery were also included. Our driver and tour guide were fantastic. The highlight, of course, was making from scratch, using fresh foods from the farm, a four course meal each of the three days we cooked. I've been using what I learned there quite a bit. I would love to do it all over again!


from Trip Advisor

"A Hidden Gem In The Hills Of Umbria!"

This was my third visit with a group of American students to 'Let's Cook In Umbria'. As always, Raffaella was extremely accommodating to our large group of 20 people. She arranged for us a fabulous program that allowed our students to visit Montefalco, Bevagna, Gubbio, and Assisi. The students also had a private yoga session at the Casa Yog (just a short walk from 'Let's Cook In Umbria'! Raffaella provided us with a wonderful cooking lesson followed by a beautiful, candle-lit dinner on a warm October night infront of her home. The accommodations were wonderful and Raffaella took care of all of the planning for the group. The students raved about having a great, authentic Italian experience. I HIGHLY recommend 'Let's Cook In Umbria' to anyone visiting Perugia.


from Trip Advisor

"Great experience!"

we were in la volpe from 13th to 19th of september. the cooking programme was very detailed and excellent! raffa was very helpful and warm. she went out of the way to make our stay comfortable. i took the 7 day cooking programme the best part was the tours and excursions we did beside the cooking classes. we got to see the beautiful umbian towns with well explained history of the places , which otherwise the tourists would miss. stefania was an amazing teacher! food was not a problem because after the excursions the driver would stop at a supermarket where we could shop for dinner.
over all a very comfortable and a value for money stay:

from Trip Advisor

"We had fun and learned some great culinary secrets - this may be the best casual cooking class in Italy!"

We wanted to practice Italian cooking and have some fun while staying in a central location in Umbria.Lets Cook...was the perfect choice for us. Host Raphaella was incredibly helpful (from internet connections to restaurant suggestions) and Stephania is an excellent teacher. We would highly recommend it.

from Trip Advisor

"Cooking with Zest and Passion!"

Learning to cook with Stefanie was really fun, as I learnt how to cook all my favorite foods such as gnocchi and fettuccine, eggplant appetizers, mouthwatering deserts and we got to eat them after class with the wine made by Raffaela and family. Very warm hosts, very clean accommodation, great view and peaceful surroundings. There is a yoga school at the bottom of the hill. Highly recommended for those people who want the simple life!!! :)

from Trip Advisor

"One of our BEST experiences in Italy!"

This is the perfect cooking class experience--delicious, quality Umbrian food prepared in a friendly home. Raffaela is the perfect host and Stefana was a great instructor. We loved being in Raffa's kitchen and living room (decorated with family photos and souvenirs, her children's artwork) doing all the preparation and dining. It felt very relaxed and fun, rather than formal in a more sterile cooking classroom. The four course meal was fun to prepare and absolutely delicious. Handrolling the pasta was the highlight! The price was so reasonable, especially compared to any other Italian class, and you get the best quality in the people (Raffa & family) and cuisine. We have recommended Let's Cook In Umbria to all of our friends and family!

from Trip Advisor

"Lovely day learning, eating, exploring!"

Lovely day in Perugia doing what we like best, cooking, eating and exploring new places! Raffa welcomed us into her home for our cooking class, which Stefania conducted flawlessly. We enjoyed learning how to prepare a wonderful meal, not to mention that we ate it with gusto. We have already prepared the same meal here at home! The afternoon visiting the chocolate shop and winery was a great way to end the day.

from Trip Advisor

"Our wonderful and unique experience in Umbria"

Our cooking instructor, Stephania, made cooking Italian dishes seem easy and gave us important pointers to make the dishes taste better. The dishes tasted very good like those from a restaurant! In fact, our own cooked lunches were some of the best meals we had in our trip!

Raffa was very warm and welcoming and made us feel at home instantly the moment we met her. She also ensured that all our needs were met eg. transport arrangements, where to go, what to do etc.

The whole experience was great and the tours to Assisi and Valnerina after the cooking session were very special and enjoyable too.

from Trip Advisor

A Wonderful Experience

We stayed for 4 days at the farm.
We had such a great and memorable time! Raffaella was a mostgracious and efficient hostess who took the time more than once to assist us in any way we needed it. "Raf" did this earnestly and we so appreciated all her extra help. We cooked 2 fabulous dinners and 1 delicous lunch -

Stefania was such a warm and knowledgeable chef who moved with ease to show and expertly explain every aspect of putting the wonderful meals together. We took the option of visiting (touring) the sites of Umbria, which neither one of us will ever forget - Such beautiful conutryside - Friendly people who made you feel so very welcome.

Raffaella provided us with a wonderful guide Fabio, who led us theough the beautiful Bevagna, Gubbio and Assisi. This was truely a wonderful and beautiful experience!

from Trip Advisor

Let's Cook In Umbria was everything and more than was listed on line.

Stephania and Raffella made me and my new friends from England feel right at home. Cooking together was a fun hands on experience. I learned some new techniques, ate great food and best of all had a wonderful day. Traveling to this area? Do yourself a favro and take part in Let's cook in Umbria. You'll be happy you did.

I'll be back next year...

from Trip Advisor

We stayed for a week at La Volpe e L'Uva, an Umbrian farmhouse which has been developed to include a series of rented apartments within the outbuildings. The apartments were nicely decorated with antique furniture and met all our needs.
There was a lovely view over the swimming pool, looking further towards the local valley of orchards, olive groves and farmland.
The family was very welcoming and helped us to settle in by advising about local places to visit and amenities, shops etc.
Our cooking lessons were carried out in the family kitchen, used wonderful local ingredients and we were given lots of really useful hints and tips in the preparation of dishes by a very helpful and skilful chef.
There are plenty of interesting places to visit in the region and, as the weather was not particularly good when we were there, we took advantage of this by sightseeing as far as southern Tuscany in one direction and, to the east, the border with Le Marche.
Although the immediate area around Perugia is quite developed, it takes only 20 minutes or so by car, until you are deep in the Umbrian countryside.
Recommended places to visit are: Perugia (for the medieval guildhalls and 'Bacci'!), Assisi, Gubbio, Norcia and the Piano Grande, Montepulciano (west of Lake Trasimeno).
Chaterine

from Trip Advisor

Fabulous day trip outside of Rome......

This cooking class was exactly what we needed to get out of Rome and enjoy beautiful countryside of Perugia. Raffealla was so helpful when we were arranging the class- she sent train information so we could figure out how to get there from Rome and checked in with us to see what kind of food we might want to cook.

My friend and I were the only ones there cooking which made the time intimate and like we were just joining friends to cook in their home. We made some great food- homemade pasta, tiramisu, a pizza type dish and turkey with fresh herbs. After all the cooking, we were able to sit out and enjoy the peaceful countryside while sipping on wine they had made right there at the farm.

I would definitely recommend this to others- the only thing I might change is I would want to stay a few days at the beautiful farm!

A delightful morning topped by a fabulous lunch !

The accommodations were excellent and the scenery beautiful. Rafaella made us feel very welcome. The highlight was our morning cooking with Stephania.
She helped us create a beautiful, simple meal that we can re-create for our friends.

Raffa, Thank you for welcoming and sharing your home with us.
Cooking together with you and Stefania was a wonderful experience and we had a great time in beautiful Perugia.
We really appreciate all that you do for us and your kindness.

Ti ringraziamo tanto