Cooking Classes Le Caggiole

Hands-on Tuscan cooking and wine pairing with Chef & Sommelier Giacomo — at a historic organic farmhouse just outside Montepulciano Old Town, between Florence and Rome.

"The kitchen has always been the heart of this house, where my family has lived for at least seven generations — though the building itself is far older, documented before the year 1000.

I grew up surrounded by two worlds: the kitchen and the vineyard. My family produced Vino Nobile di Montepulciano until the mid-1980s, and we still tend the vines today. Wine has been part of my life since before I can remember.

In the kitchen, it was my grandmother who shaped everything. She cooked the dishes of the oldest Tuscan tradition — with few, simple, but extraordinary ingredients. I spent years at her side, and in the end I realised she had given me something bigger than recipes: she had passed on her philosophy of cooking.

From there, I studied seasonality, sustainable production, new techniques, the art of tasting — and over more than twenty years of cooking as Chef at our family agriturismo, I built my path. When I became a Sommelier, it felt less like a new beginning and more like arriving where I had always been heading.

Today, I share this journey with our guests. It is a path that is far from finished."

Giacomo

What makes Le Caggiole different

We have been running cooking classes since 2009. In over sixteen years, we have reshaped, rethought, and refined every detail — the menus, the format, the rhythm of each class — to arrive at two experiences that we believe truly work for everyone: a complete five-course class and a focused pasta class.

This is not a business we started yesterday. It is the result of years of listening to our guests, learning from every class, and never being satisfied with "good enough".

Giacomo, professional Chef and graded Sommelier, leads every class personally. His rigour with quality and tradition is matched only by his curiosity — he experiments with pairings, tests new ideas, and brings the same passion to every single class. Over twenty years of cooking as Chef at the family agriturismo, and a lifetime in the world of wine, are behind every dish and every pairing he teaches.

We select every ingredient with care — prioritising local, seasonal, and the highest quality we can find. Small groups only — maximum 8 guests — so that every participant receives genuine, personal attention.

A place with a Story

Podere Le Caggiole is not a venue. It is Giacomo's home — a historic farmhouse documented before the year 1000, where his family has lived for at least seven generations.

In the main hall, archaeological fragments found during restoration are displayed on the walls. Outside, antique farming tools tell the story of the land. The vineyards — once producing Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, now tended and harvested for the local wineries — surround the property.

When you come here, you are not visiting a cooking school. You are entering a family home, with its history, its rhythms, and its warmth. Giacomo's wife Cristiana is always part of the welcome and the class. When school is out, the children help too — carrying ingredients, taking photos. This is not a performance. It is simply how this family lives.

The farmhouse sits in the hills just outside Montepulciano Old Town, in the heart of Tuscany's most celebrated food and wine country — a convenient stop between Florence and Rome.

The Experience

Every class begins on the panoramic terrace, where Giacomo welcomes you and introduces the other guests — because the best meals are always shared.

Then into the kitchen. Before anything else, Giacomo introduces the ingredients: where they come from, why they were chosen, and what makes them special. This is the foundation of his cooking philosophy: if the ingredients are right, the dish will follow.

You cook. You taste. You learn. And at the end, you sit down together to enjoy what you have made — each dish paired with a selected local wine, explained by Giacomo with the knowledge of a Sommelier who grew up among the vines.

Two experiences to choose from — both shaped by sixteen years of refinement, both guided personally by Giacomo, both including wine tasting with food-wine pairing. The details, menus, and everything you need to know are on each experience page.

What our Guests Say

Nature, Food, Wine, Traditions — Sharing a Passion.