Culinary Institute of Bologna, Northern Italy:
Based in the Apennine mountains between Bologna and Florence in The Culinary Institute of Bologna (CIBO) offers year-round, private cooking classes and culinary vacations. Taught by English speaking, professional restaurant chefs, CIBO provides 3 day intensive customized cooking lessons, online interactive lessons and week long culinary vacations. Our classes are not demonstrations, but participants actively take part in all phases of the food preparation. Get ready for the ultimate Italian cooking and dining experience.
Sample 5 day Beginner to Advanced Level Private Cooking Courses:
Day 1: Arrival and pickup in Bologna or Florence
Private market tour
Lunch at a local trattoria
Check into your hotel in Balze
Wine tasting
Private cooking lesson
Dinner with your private chef
Day 2: Mastering Pasta and Bread
Begin your day at the local market
Learn how to make fresh pasta
Roll and cut your pasta into various shapes
Top your pasta with traditional sauces
Bake pizza in a stone oven
Rest after lunch
Return for dinner
Day 3: Meat and Poultry
Begin your day with a local butcher
Learn the secrets behind cured meats
Bone a chicken or rabbit
Grill in the backyard or on a fireplace
Rest after lunch
Return for dinner
Day 4: Vegetables, Cheese and Appetizers
Begin your day shopping in the local markets
Focus on preparing appetizers
Prepare a vegetarian lunch
Rest after lunch
Dinner with a local cheesemonger
Day 5: Return to Bologna or Florence
Stop along the way for lunch at a local trattoria
Stay for 7 days and take a break from cooking and visit the countryside:
The Sanctuary of La Verna founded by St. Francis of Assisi;
The frescoes of painter Piero della Francesca,
The Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, birthplace of Raphael
Picturesque villages like Sant’Agata Feltria, Sansepolcro and Arezzo
See the home of Michelangelo or Dante’s tomb in Ravenna
Hike in the mountains picnic near a waterfall
Meet with a winemaker and tour his winery