New luxe cookery courses in Tuscany

While designers including Armani, Lauren and Lagerfeld have all designed hotels, in 1993 the fashionable Ferragamo family took things to the next level by creating an entire holiday village on their privately owned medieval estate, Il Borro, in Tuscany’s Chianti hills. The 700-acre property (formerly inhabited by the Medicis and the Duke of Savoy-Aosta) features a 22-room hotel, plus three villas, swimming pools, an art gallery, tennis courts, a spa and biodynamic vineyards that produce award-winning wine.

This year Il Borro’s two restaurants have reopened after months of renovation. The Tuscan Bistrot promises a wonderfully casual vibe, but it is Osteria del Borro that is the culinary jewel in the village’s crown, serving contemporary interpretations of traditional Tuscan recipes devised by executive chef Andrea Campani. And with its reopening comes the launch of cookery workshops (€120 per person, for a minimum of four, running daily Monday to Saturday, including lunch with wine), where guests can learn the secrets of Tuscan traditions from Campani.

There is also the option of a pre-kitchen shopping jaunt that takes guests to nearby markets, dairies and local farms to select seasonal gems, followed by a morning and afternoon cooking session. For mini masterchefs, there are classes that will teach children how to cook simple traditional Italian food (€70 for those aged eight to 16 years). Even the under eights can join in; a babysitter will watch over them as they pound the pizza dough, while the chef deals with hobs and ovens (€15 extra).

Given the proximity to the vineyards, it would be a shame not to supplement the class with a visit to the Il Borro cellars or take a tour of Chianti wine country (from €25). Or during truffle-hunting season in October, guests can join in and master the questing art (€80). Away from culinary adventures, horse-riding tours (€18-€90) have launched this summer too; visitors can choose between countryside rides, trotting along the river, saddling up for sunset or a picnic ride.

For those visiting Tuscany, why not discover the joys of the under-the-radar Maremma area, or take insider tips from a local resident, designer Nigel Coates.