Imagine Your Dream Vacation in Tuscany, Umbria and the rest of Italy...

Our Italian Cooking Vacations through Tuscany, Umbria and the rest of Italy are not just about what you see, but how you see it. They are all about fun, laughter and a sense of family. We reject mass tourism in favor of discovering the real Italy. After all, it's about so much more than just the sights you see, so we integrate you into the warm and friendly Italian culture at every opportunity. You will discover Italy among the Italians, rather than being wrapped in a crowd of other tourists. This wonderful and warm Italian experience is what makes it the trip of a lifetime. Look further and discover what makes us so special... and get ready to become a part of our extended family!
Guest Quote: "Your hospitality and open-hearted friendship have made this an unforgettable (too short) week" ... "I (we) could go on and on, but I'll start crying. I hate when camp is over!"
Gail & Arlene - New Jersey - USA (see full letter)

Our Cooking, Wine & Culinary Vacations in Italy

Cooking, Wine, Culinary & Cultural Experience Vacations in Italy

  • Cooking at Villa Eddarella

    All-Inclusive Tuscany and Umbria Cooking & Culinary Vacations

    In Italy, life is all about food, family and friends, and that is what we are all about. Join us on one of our popular small-group weeks in which we bring you a balance of cooking classes, culinary outings, and excursions to major sightseeing destinations, as well as some of Italy's most wonderful hidden treasures. We'll get wrist-deep in dough and laugh together as we make homemade fettuccine, lasagna & gnocchi from scratch. We'll make our own limoncello, biscotti & gelato, and even country wood-fired pizza. When we are not cooking, our excursions take us to the most stunning Tuscan wineries, cheese factories & olive mills. We visit royalty in Umbria, the sights of Tuscany & Umbria, plus so much more.

    Our Tuscan cooking vacations really get you off the beaten path... as hoards of tourists flock to Italy, so much of the real beauty and culture that originally drew them there has become lost.  Much of Tuscany and Umbria have turned into giant tourist traps.  But our home base of Soriano nel Cimino is still true.  It is one of the few places in the Tuscany, Umbria and Rome area that has been able to maintain everything that makes Central Italy so special.  Soriano boasts amazing restaurants and pizzerias, adorable cafes, and stunning postcard-perfect scenery. It embodies that vision you have when you close your eyes and think of a Tuscan village... only here it is still unspoiled by mass tourism.

    If you want to explore beautiful Tuscany and Umbria while eating amazing food and laughing with new friends in relaxed cooking classes, we are sure you will love our vacations!


    Click here to learn more about our Italian Cooking Vacations
  • Group photo in Montepulciano Tuscany

    Take The Ultimate 16 Day Culinary Tour of Italy

    We now offer a truly incredible and comprehensive 16 day tour of Italy with small groups of less than 28 people!

    This is an exclusive first-class coach vacation that begins at The Amalfi Coast and ends in Venice. In between, we visitRome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, Pompeii, San Gimignano, Deruta, Assisi, Siena, Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Modena, Murano, Burano, and more. In fact,we visit more than a dozen UNESCO World Heritage Sites!

    Along the way we will have cooking classes, plus visits to three wineries, a mozzarella factory, a Parmiggiano Reggiano facotry, a Prosciutto factory, a Balsamic Vinegar factory, an Olive Mill, a Murano Glass Factory, The Ferrari Museum & Test Track, a private tour of the Lamborghini factory & test track, visits to outlets, and much more.

    This is a very unique experience, completely unlike other tours of Italy. All along the way we will introduce you to the best of the best as you will discover Italy in a way other tours don't. We'll be like family for 16 days, and tour Italy like Italians

    Click here to learn more about our 16 Day Culinary Tour of Italy

The Culture Discovery Vacations Blog

Insights from our adventures in cooking & touring Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio - Italy
Oct 07
2008

Recession-proof your vacation with Culture Discovery Vacations

Posted by: admin

Tagged in: travel tips , tours

With so much uncertainty ahead with the economy, skyrocketing fuel prices, and the drastic drop of the Dollar against the Euro over the past couple years; many people have been concerned about planning travel.  In fact, during the 2008 season, most of Europe has seen a sharp drop in tourism for these very reasons. 

We at Culture Discovery haven’t felt the negative impact. To the contrary, while many in the industry have reported a 60% or more decline in business, we sold out our entire 2008 season.  As the dollar weakened and the economy in the states became less certain, our bookings sharply increased.

Our guests repeatedly tell us that they chose us because we offer so much at such a fair price, because our pricing is all-inclusive, and because we protect our guests from currency fluctuations.  In a nutshell, while travel-related costs have been skyrocketing and the world economies have slowed, we have found a working formula to keep the prices low compared to others and guarantee that our guests will pay the price they are quoted, no matter what.