If you love to treat yourself with excellent food, you know that Italy is a paradise for gourmets. We´ll take you to some of the most beautiful places of this paradise, and we promise: You´ll be ascended to culinary heaven!

Save your spot NOW before the gates to the culinary paradise are closed again. Click Here to book!

Do you want to know more about the Culinary Week and talk to us personally?

Full immersion culinary week in Umbria and Tuscany

Enjoy Italian food and wine in Italy !

Click here to book right now

Tuscany and Umbria are famous for their culinary treasures and their exquisite cuisine but also for their wealth of culture.

Of course you can try to find all these hidden treasures on your own.

But wouldn ’t it be much easier if someone helps you, takes you by the hand and shows you places the average tourist hardly ever will find?

With our help you have the unique chance to really get to know land and  people and the secrets of authentic Tuscan and Umbrian cooking.

You will experience the fun of authentic hands-on cooking classes as well as guided sightseeing and shopping tours and meals in celebrated restaurants.

We know where to go and thus will be your reliable guides on your quest for excellent food and the feeling of real Italian Dolce Vita.

But don’ t take just our word for it. See what our guests say!

Guest comments

"My stay at La Rogaia was a wonderful experience in every way." 

"Ornella and the cooking classes were enjoyable and educational.  Our tours of Cortona, Perugia, Siena and Assisi including tasting the excellent local food and wine were made so interesting by sharing your knowledge of the history and culture of the area. 

I would most definitely return and have recommended La Rogaia to friends and family."
Connie Dattilo, Pittsburgh

"I already looked at our pictures countless times and I want to go back right away, to the culinary week at La Rogaia."

"The moment I read the travel description, I knew: That will be perfect. But my expectations were exceeded by far!

Every minute was well organized by Annette and Wolfgang. 12 hours a day, from stunningly beautiful places to the best restaurants and the most amazing sights. They did not lose patience for a minute, although the six of us constantly asked questions.

The evenings with our chef Ornella were absolutely awesome: We cooked together and had lots of fun. And although we were tired every day, I would not want to miss a single minute!

Dear Annette and Wolfgang, thank you for this unique experience. We'll be back for sure!

Warm greetings from Vienna." Silvia and Hermann, Vienna

Of course this are not the only comments. Want to read more? Click here!

By the way, you can give away a culinary holiday as a present. If you wish we will provide a nicely crafted gift voucher for free.

Secure your spot in the culinary week now. Click here!

Programme of our culinary weeks

Day 1 (day of arrival): We will start the culinary week with a dinner at a typical Umbrian restaurant where we will get to know each other and Mamma Ornella during a lush meal with local wine. You will get a first impression of the culinary delicacies and the Italian "Dolce Vita" awaiting you during the week to come.

Day 2: Enjoy a full day guided tour to Southern Tuscany. We will drive through the famous "Crete" landscape and the pittoresque Val d’Orcia, where we will visit Bagno Vignoni and Pienza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Make sure to bring your camera because here we are in the famous postcard part of Tuscany’s countryside.
We will have lunch and dinner in typical Tuscan restaurants. So bring also lots of appetite!

Day 3: In the morning you will discover the beauty of Lake Trasimeno, the biggest Italian lake south of the alps and an important European natural park. We will visit a renowned winery at Magione and let us treat with a rustic lunch or picnic.
2016: In the afternoon you will have your first cooking class with Mamma Ornella.
2017: In the afternoon we will enjoy a sensory wine tasting with the wine expert Esther Mercedes Jürgens, VinoVistas. She will come to La Rogaia with quite a few bottles of Montalcino wines and introduce our palates to the world of wine tasting, to be followed by a dinner at La Rogaia.

Day 4: Fortified by a hearty and healthy breakfast we will explore Assisi Umbria’ s spiritual capital enjoying the special atmosphere of the home town of Saint Francis.
We have the possibility to visit the hermitage of Saint Francis nestled to the slopes of mount Subasio overlooking the town, a truly magical place.

Day 5: This day will see us off for a full day trip to the Upper Tiber Valley, one of Italy’s most important truffle regions. In the morning we will accompany a truffle hunter and his dog to join them for a truffle hunt. After the truffle hunt we’re in for a real treat, a truffle tasting lunch. In the afternoon we will see some of the finest works of art in Città di Castello and its surroundings. In the evening on the way back to Villa La Rogaia we will have dinner at a restaurant to recover from the “toils” of the day.

Day 6: In the morning we will go to Perugia, Umbria’s capital, for a relaxed shopping tour. Be prepared for some pleasant surprises! In the afternoon Mamma Ornella will surprise us with more of her delicious recipes.

Day 7: In the spring culinary week we will go for a little walk around La Rogaia to find herbs, wild vegetables and asparagus. We will learn how to use them in the kitchen, the way people in the Italian countryside have done for centuries…
In the autumn culinary week we will participate in the olive harvest and an olive oil tasting. - We are also happy to tailor this last morning according to the group's wishes and organize an activity accordingly. - In the afternoon we will have our last cooking lesson with Mamma Ornella.

Day 8 (day of departure): After breakfast it is time to say good-bye...but we hope that this not the end of the story. Honestly we believe that you are bound to impress your family and friends at home with your newly acquired skills and knowledge and we would love to hear about it.

Secure your spot now. Click here!

Sample menu for an autumn cookery class

Menu 1

Carpaccio funghi e rucola (fresh edible boletus mushroom and rocchette carpaccio)
“How to make pasta”: Mezzalune con ricotta e spinaci (Mezzalune with ricotta and spinach)
Tagliatelle al sugo di porro e noci (Tagliatelle with leek and walnuts)
Arista con patate arroste (Roast porc with baked rosemary potatoes)
Frutta cotta (Baked fruits)

Menu 2

Antipasto Umbro con Torta di Formaggio (Mixed Umbrian appetizers)
Lenticchie in umido con mazzafegati (Lentil soup with Umbrian sausages)
Cinghiale agli aromi (Wild boar with herbs)
Carote cipolle in agrodolce (Carots and onions sweet and sour)
Tiramisu

Menu 3

Omelette al tartufo (truffle omelette)
Penne alla Norcina (Penne pasta with fresh edible boletus and sausage meat)
Coniglio di buonricordo (Roast rabbit)
Sformato di Gobbo (Baked chards)
Torcolo con Vin santo (Umbrian cake and sweet wine)

Menu 4

Tegamaccio (Trasimeno Lake fish soup)
Persico su letto di finocchi (Trasimeno Lake perch on bed of fennel)
Regina in porchetta (Trasimeno Lake carp porchetta style)
Verdure gratinate (baked vegetables)
Insalata pere e noci (Salad with pears and walnuts)
Sorbetto al limone (Lemon sorbet)

Rates for 8 days / 7 nights "Full immersion culinary week":

Full immersion culinary week

Basic rate: EUR 1.990 per person per week with lodging in double room with private facilities

The price includes

• Accommodation for 7 days in double room with private facilities for 7 nights at Villa La Rogaia
• Breakfast every morning of your stay (7 days)
• Three cooking classes with Ornella Carletti, including all cooking ingredients and selected wines from Umbria and Tuscany and one wine tasting seminar with VinoVistas
• Your personal cookbook with all recipes from the cooking class and a "La Rogaia" apron
• Translation into English
• 1 dinner at La Rogaia and 3 dinners in selected restaurants on the nights without cookery class, beverages included (Wine of the house, water, coffee)
• Lunch on 6 days, beverages included (Wine of the house, water, coffee)
• 1 Guided full day tour including truffle hunt, truffle tasting, Vin Santo tasting and sightseeing in the Upper Tiber Valley
• 1 Guided full day sightseeing and culinary tasting tour to Southern Tuscany
• 1 Guided half day sightseeing and culinary tasting tour to Assisi
• 1 Guided half day sightseeing and culinary tasting tour around Lake Trasimeno
• 1 Guided half day shopping tour in Perugia area with "Umbriafashionartour"
• 1 Guided half day participation in the olive harvest with olive oil tasting (during olive harvest time in autumn) or 1 guided tour about herbs and wild vegetables in spring
• Pickup transfer from Passignano sul Trasimeno train station

Not included in the price:

• Extra charge for lodging in larger private apartments for 2 persons (with private bathroom and kitchenette):
  "La Pipo" or "I Cuccioli" EUR 120 per person per week (double occupancy)
  "La Grapo" EUR 150 per person per week (double occupancy)
  "La Nostalgia" or "Il Peperino" EUR 200 per person per week (double occupancy, also in 2 single rooms*)
  
  
• Extra charge for lodging in private apartment for 1 persons (with private bathroom and kitchenette):
  "La Mimosa" EUR 300 per person per week (single occupancy)
  "La Pipo" or "I Cuccioli" EUR 400 per person per week (single occupancy)
  "La Grapo" EUR 500 per person per week (single occupancy)

• Travel arrangement to and from La Rogaia. A detailled map and description how to get to La Rogaia and futher information about trains and flights you can find at how to get there.
• Transfer from and to Perugia airport or from any other train stations than Passignano sul Trasimeno. Transfer can be booked in advance at the following rates: Pickup transfer from Perugia airport to La Rogaia and back and pick up transfer from train station Perugia or train station Terontola-Cortona to La Rogaia and back. Rates upon request.
• Transfers  for the above mentioned tours - we arrange for private free car sharing in mini van
• Extra special beverages at the lunches and dinners
• Personal extras
• Travel insurance

Prices for Non-participants:

If your partner or travel companion is not interested in participating in the cookery classes but wants to join you at the culinary and sightseeing tours and of course at the dinners you have prepared in the cooking classes:
Price per person as above minus EUR 320.

Contact us about more details of the accomodation available and for more information about everything included in the price.

* Due to the conditions imposed by the COVID19 pandemic, only people who are "close to each other" can be accommodated together in an apartment, i.e. couples and families, but also friends.

Secure your spot now. Click here!

La Rogaia is a place to feel safe during your vacation

* Lots of space, lots of green, lots of privacy: each apartment has a separate entrance.
* Each apartment has its own terrace, garden and relaxation area.
* Pool: Since the pool is small (4 x 10 m, i.e. a maximum of 5 people at the same time), we plan daily time slots for each family / group.
* The accommodations will be disinfected and cleaned in accordance with the new regulations before a new guest is accepted.

* In our courses we have reduced the maximum number of participants by a third to a half in order to be able to keep the physical distance during the course activities.
* Of course, we comply with all hygiene requirements when preparing and serving food, and, if necessary, the distance rules at the dinner table.

Despite the requirement of physical distance, there will be no "social" distance:
Our guests are as welcome as ever and will feel at home at La Rogaia just as before!

Book a Holiday at Zero Risk

Of course, we cannot predict the development of the COVID19 pandemic and the associated travel restrictions. Nevertheless, we will offer our courses again in 2021 and are happy to take reservations or bookings.

In view of the special situation, we have adjusted our cancellation policy for all bookings for 2021:

- If a course cannot take place due to "force majeure" (e.g. the COVID19 pandemic) or if the participants cannot travel due to travel restrictions / travel warnings, we grant free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of the course. We will refund your full payment.

- If we have to cancel the course from our side (e.g. due to insufficient number of participants), you will of course receive your full payment back. We will inform you at least 1 month before the course starts whether the course can take place or not. However, unfortunately we cannot assume any costs for flight bookings or the like that have already been made. We therefore recommend that you wait with flight bookings etc. until we have finally confirmed a class.

For all other reasons for cancellation, our usual cancellation conditions apply, which you can find HERE