SEMINAR OF TUSCAN GASTRONOMY
2 Weeks - 74hours

THE ART OF COOKING IN TUSCANY

Simplicity, moderation and naturalness are the main characteristics of Tuscan cooking, a cuisine whose dogmas are a sense of measure and an absolute respect for the ingredients and their natural flavors. It is a rustic but also refined cuisine, sensitive to the great cultural traditions of the region. Actually it is quite improper to define it TUSCAN CUISINE; it would be much more correct to call it the sum of each single town's cuisine.

Gastronomic Tuscany is immense, incredibly varied and variable. Sometimes just crossing a hill or a river is enough to find different cooking traditions. It is exactly this variety that makes up the richness of this land, an inexhaustible source of palatable titillations. For this reason, each seminar covers a specific field, from "Poor folks' cooking", to "Renaissance feasts", from "Crostini" to "Dishes of the ancient Etruscan civilization."

SYLLABUS
The Italian Language lessons will allow students to learn the terminology needed to fully understand recipes. Every day, during the Practical Gastronomy lessons, a full meal will be prepared, with a final tasting. The History of Table Dressing will introduce the customs and traditions of Tuscany. Students will also be able to try out Renaissance recipes for dishes which were present on the tables of the aristocrats in the days of the great Medici family.

GUIDED TOURS
During the seminar students will visit vineyards, where Chianti DOC is produced, and artisan workshops where crystal-ware for the table is still hand-made. They will also be able to admire wonderful linen fabrics, made with hand-operated looms, and lace-edged table-cloths.