Seasonal Culinary Workshops in San Miniato
Join us for five days on an exploration of culinary, seasonal traditions of a small Tuscan village of food artisans: the century old Slow Food butcher family, the local winemaker, the truffle hunter, the brothers who grow their own ancient grain wheat and bake bread in their handmade woodfired oven…
We will go hunting for truffles in the woods — we are lucky enough to live in an area where there are different varieties of truffles in different seasons: black summer truffles, autumn white truffles and spring bianchetto truffles all grow locally to San Miniato. We cook together, taste wine together, you'll get your hands covered in flour, learning about local traditions on the way. We eat and drink together, tasting natural wines chosen by Marco and visiting our favourite trattoria in the countryside for a long Italian lunch to give you the full Tuscan experience.
Spring Artichoke Workshop: 29 March - 2 April, 2027
Midsummer Workshop: 21-25 June, 2027
Summer Harvest Workshop: 5-9 July, 2027
White Truffle Workshop: 22-26 Nov
Day 1
Arrival day. After you’ve had a chance to arrive and settle in to San Miniato, we meet in the late afternoon for a leisurely walk around town to get your bearings and hear about the history and landscape of this hilltop town. This is followed by an early, casual “aperi-cena” (aperitivo-dinner) with natural wines in Enoteca Marilu.
Day 2
This morning we visit the local market for fresh produce and cheese, then head to the Slow Food butcher for fennel-studded finocchiona or some of their famous sausages. Afterwards, we head into the kitchen to cook a seasonal, multiple course meal together which we will enjoy with natural wines at our long table.
Day 3
Today we head to the woods for a truffle hunt. Different varieties of truffles are in season all year round; black truffles in summer, white truffles in autumn and bianchetto in the spring. After the truffle hunt, we will cook with truffles and enjoy the dishes with paired wines which Marco will tell us all about.
Day 4
This morning is our seasonal wild card! It might start with a walk to experience some of San Miniato’s countryside, followed by a visit from a local artisan who will guide us through a relaxed morning workshop of basket weaving, or we may go on a trip to visit a favourite winery or farmer. Then we sit down for a family-style lunch, prepared by Emiko, and Marco’s epic Italian wine lesson.
Day 5
We visit two brothers, farmers turned bakers, who grow their own ancient grains and bake their sourdough loaves in their woodfired oven. We’ll get to taste their freshly baked breads with natural wine. We’ll then visit a centuries old farmhouse for a long and leisurely lunch at a favourite trattoria for a classic Tuscan experience before we say goodbye.
Highlights
Hands-on cooking classes
Natural wine lesson with a sommelier
Authentic truffle hunt in the woods
Winery and producer visits
Tour of San Miniato
Lunch every day
An exclusive welcome meal at Enoteca Marilu
Transport for all the activities
Flowing, delicious natural wine and organic, seasonal ingredients
Meet Your Host
Your host for these seasonal culinary workshops is sommelier Marco Lami. Born and raised in San Miniato, Tuscany, Marco is an AIS and WSET qualified sommelier. Having worked in hospitality for the past 25 years, you will be in very good hands — Marco will keep you well fed and watered (wined). Having spent years behind the scenes of fine dining restaurants and the cookbooks of his wife, Emiko Davies, and his knowledge of food and wine is immense. He was head sommelier of the iconic Florentine restaurant group, Cibreo, and Pellicano resort in Tuscany, and was the sommelier of the Four Season Florence’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Palagio, for six years. Thanks to several years work in Australia as the sommelier for Neil Perry’s Rosetta restaurant, Andrew McConnell’s Builder’s Arms and George Calombaris’ The Press Club, his English is also perfect.
A Celebration of the Seasons
April and May is a celebration of spring and its delicious produce, from fresh peas and broad beans to artichokes, June is full of Midsummer traditions from nocino (walnut liqueur) to San Giovanni celebrations around the bonfire. July is for making granita and tomato sauce, or hunting in the shady woods for summer truffles. October and November is the time for white truffles. In fact, November is when San Miniato celebrates its annual White Truffle Festival; the city comes alive with food stalls and the scent of white truffle in the air.
We have designed this intimate workshop for an intimate group of maximum 8 curious and interested people. It will run from morning to late afternoon, giving you free time in the evenings to explore, rest or sample one of the great restaurants in town. We are based in the heart of San Miniato, next to the main piazza, everything is within walking distance and there are plenty of options for accommodation in town (see suggestions here). You won’t need a car in San Miniato unless you want to go exploring further afield.
The details
Price: The cost of the workshops does not include accommodation or flights.
Accommodation: San Miniato has a wide range of different places to stay for all budgets, many of them walking distance to the Enoteca. We can suggest some places to stay in the area.
Schedule: We usually begin each day sometime around 9-10am and finish by around 4pm. Every evening, other than our first welcome evening, you are independent.
Getting to San Miniato: The closest airport is Pisa, which is only 30 minutes away by train or car; Bologna is 90 minutes away and Florence is 40 minutes away by train or car. The San Miniato-Fucecchio train station is on the regional line between Florence and Pisa.
To book: To confirm your place, we require a 30% deposit, the remainder to be paid before the workshop. The deposit is non-refundable, but we understand that plans can change, we can accept someone to take your place or honour it until the end of the following year. We reserve the right to cancel a workshop (with plenty of advance notice) and in this case deposits will be fully refunded.
To find out more or register your interest, please email us.