A cooking class in Montepulciano and the Val d'Orcia
from€100 per person
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One page for two valleys, and why
Montepulciano and the Val d'Orcia form one practical service area from the Siena base, including Pienza, San Quirico d'Orcia, Bagno Vignoni, Montichiello and Montalcino when the route falls within the published travel rule. The final approach can be slower than the town-to-town distance suggests, so timing is calculated from the villa's exact pin.
The kind of house we cook in around here
Two very different things carry the same name in the listings. The podere, a converted farmhouse standing alone on a ridge with a cypress drive and a pool, usually restored for the rental market with a kitchen to match. And the house inside the walls of Montepulciano, on a street that climbs steeply, where there is no vehicle access, the kitchen may be on an upper floor and everything arrives by hand. Both work. The second needs telling us a day in advance, and which one you have is confirmed before booking.
The ridge houses and the houses inside the walls ask for opposite things. A podere on its own has room, a kitchen redone for the rental market and a table outside, and the only thing to plan is the last kilometre of white road. A house in the town has none of that: the street climbs, the van stops where the street stops, and everything (boards, flour, pans, the shopping) goes up on foot, sometimes two floors of it. It works, and it works often. It needs a day’s notice rather than a conversation on the doorstep, and the kitchen at the top usually turns out better than it looked in the listing.
What this valley gives us that nowhere else does
Pecorino di Pienza, made close to most of these houses and available fresh, half-aged and aged: tasting the three side by side is a short lesson that explains a great deal about Italian cooking. Pici, the pasta of this valley, rolled by hand from flour and water. And the wine, Vino Nobile on the Montepulciano side and Brunello at Montalcino, neither of which we sell and both of which are close by. Anything named here is confirmed through the actual shopping rather than promised in advance.
The cheese first, because it is the reason to take the car out. Caseificio Cugusi, on the Montepulciano side, has been making pecorino since a Sardinian family moved here in 1962; Podere Il Casale, above Pienza, is organic, milks its own sheep and goats, and has sold to the public from its dairy since 2003. Both will let you taste before you buy, which is the whole lesson. For the pici, Mulino Val d’Orcia at Pienza grinds its flour on stone and makes the pasta from it. Thursday is market day in Montepulciano.
What guests wrote afterwards
These come from the Google listing. It does not record which house a review was written in, so we do not sort them by area and we do not claim they were left here.
★★★★★Angela Bereski · September 2026 · on Google
Roberto and Ilario were exceptional! It was a very fun evening of making pasta and dessert. Roberto is a great teacher and Ilario was a wonderful addition to the experience as he helped throughout every stage. The food was amazing and the experience was one to remember. We also walked away with new recipes to make at home. Highly recommend them for a cooking class in Tuscany!
★★★★★Melina Davis · September 2025 · on Google
We had such a wonderful evening learning from Chef Roberto and tasting his food (and ours) following the class. He came to our rented villa in Chianti and spent 5 hours with us teaching, laughing and savoring the incredible pastas and almond cantucci we asked to learn about! I think we all feel so much more confident about trying this at home and had such a fun time together! I can’t recommend Chef Roberto highly enough!
★★★★★Annie Lewis · September 2026 · on Google
Chef Roberto and Elario cooked for our group of four at the Tuscan villa we were staying at and it could not have been a more enjoyable evening! The cooking class portion of the night was fun, interactive and informative - Chef Roberto is definitely a master of traditional Italian cuisine, and he and Elario worked well together to guide us through the cooking process. The food we made was SO tasty and Chef Roberto and Elario were so genuine and personable, it made for a truly lovely experience. On top of everything, they left the dining area and kitchen spotless which was very appreciated. I cannot recommend Chef Roberto and Elario highly enough, it was a definite highlight of our trip!!
The questions we get about Montepulciano and the Val d'Orcia
We are staying in the Val d'Orcia, not in Montepulciano. Is that the same thing for you?
Our house is inside the walls, up a very steep street. Does that stop it?
Is an hour from Siena still inside the free travel?
What a class costs in this valley
The same as anywhere else we work: travel is included within 1.5 hours of Siena and calculated from the exact address under the published travel rule. Prices are per person, and everything is included: Roberto buys and brings all the ingredients for the lesson, and leaves the kitchen as he found it.
Pizza e Fuoco | from€100 per person |
Mani in Pasta | from€100 per person |
Dolci di Casa | from€100 per person |
Book a class in Montepulciano or the Val d'Orcia
Prefer a dinner? Private chef in Val d'Orcia
