We have managed to literally bring Italy to your home! Well, almost… This is what we propose but we could be near your place, anywhere. We are to able to provide beautiful  locations all over Europe, where you can experience a  full immersion in Italian wine, food and culture.  A weekend with our top chefs and sommeliers, in order to learn how to cook and how to taste wine professionaly. You will find that we can simply think and cook “Italian” anywhere in the world.  We shall go more deeply  into the topic of Italian wine. We will taste some incredible wines straight from Italy, brought to us by the experience and professionalism of some of the best producers in the country. From Prosecco to Classic Method Spumante, to the noblest red wines, the most refined white, but also rosé and dessert wines. Our sommelier will guide us through the multi-sensorial experiences of tasting, you will receive all the information about the wines themselves and the best possible matches with food, combinations that we will test ourselves during lunch, dinner or aperitif.

As an example of what we are able to do, here is the description of one of our recent events In Belgium. We have organized four days full of  activities for true lovers of Italian food and the culture of wine. We enjoyed the conviviality of being together in a stunning building as we learned how to cook, taste and enjoy the recipes that our top chef Paolo Trippini  introduced, using local ingredients.

Wine tour in Ardennes

We are in the heart of the most beautiful region of Belgium, Namur.  You are just 5 minutes from the Molignée Valley, 10 minutes from the Manoir de Thozée, home of Felicien Rops, the famous nineteenth century artist, and 20 minutes from one of the most picturesque towns in the whole country, Dinant. La Classe – the name they have chosen for the old village school which has been transformed into a luxurious residence, is exceptional in every way. Exceptional in the quality of the materials used, the wonderful use of space, the choice of designer furniture, the highest standard of facilities and equipment.  Both architects, landscape architects, and environmental sociologists all agree that La Classe is different, “different” in several ways. All the ingredients that create a special atmosphere are there. The residence offers a wide range of possibilities to spend your free time, to relax or be active in many different ways. From watching a movie in the cinema room, equipped with a wide screen with Dolby Surround, a digital beamer and a DVD player, to playing table football or ping pong, you can listen to music, hang out in the large garden, take on a basketball challenge or take a walk and chat. If time and weather permit we can also do a morning jog , and can  plan some visits to the main attractions of the beautiful area that surrounds us. The long weekends at La Classe promise to be absolutely unforgettable and a real “must” for those living in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, or in general for anyone living within 200-300km of Dinant.

Day 1

In the afternoon you will be welcomed by us with an aperitif and snacks. Then you can admire the beautiful house, which will be your home for the next four days. You will immediately meet our top chef Paolo Trippini and his staff, who will prepare our dinner and announce the program for the following days. The dishes will be combined with our selected wines directly from Italy. Once we have enjoyed our meal, we can go to our cinema to watch an Italian film with Dutch (or English) subtitles,  the first from a selection chosen by an Italian film expert who writes about films for the main Italian magazines and newspapers.

Day 2

After a continental breakfast, based on espresso, cappuccino, pastries, but also fresh lemon or orange juice, cereals and yogurt for those who want to keep an eye on  calories, we immediately start the first cooking class. We will start at 9:00 AM arranging the mise en place for today’s lunch and dinner menus,  we will then be busy choosing the right ingredients, preparing the sauces, stocks, chopping the vegetables and finally the way to cook  the meat and/or the fish. After this of this we will start cooking our own lunch under the guidance of Paolo and his staff. In the afternoon, after some hours of relaxation or for those who would like a small excursion near our residence, we will start  the first wine tasting session, dedicated to sparkling and white wines. The wine tasting will end with an aperitif prepared by ourselves, again led by our chef and his staff. After the aperitif it’s time to get back to work in the kitchen, because we’re going to prepare our own dinner! Using the mise-en-place that we have already prepared during the morning lesson, we will prepare our own gourmet dinner, and we will get back to work  with Paolo and his staff. It will then be time to enjoy another Italian film from the prestigious selection that we have been given, unless some people would like to enjoy themselves otherwise.

Day 3

As before, breakfast will be served between 8:00 and  9:00 am, then we will be busy with our second cooking class. A new menu, a new mise-en-place, new techniques, ingredients and recipes. After the preparation and once we have enjoyed our own lunch, we can leave for Dinant for a walk in this beautiful city that lies at the gates of the Ardennes (weather permitting). Once back, we will continue with  wine tasting, this time dedicated to  rosé and red wines. After the traditional aperitif, we shall start preparing our own dinner, based on the menu arranged by our top chef Paolo Trippini during the culinary morning session. After each dinner we are free to enjoy a large selection of Italian dessert wines and grappas, always accompanied by our sommelier.  We can then choose our late night activity, watchng one of our Italian movies or one of the many other activities.

Day 4

After our last breakfast in La Classe, we will attend the third cooking class. Another new menu, new mise-en-place, but this time only for lunch, which will be richer than what we are used. Inspired by the Italian tradition of Sunday lunch, the opportunity for the whole family to get together to share quality time together, for us this will be our farewell to La Classe and the wonderful four days we have spent together. There can be no doubt that your stay here will change your outlook on life. The hardest part will be to leave, but we can take comfort in the feeling that this has only been the first time. Because you will definitely miss this long weekend at La Classe and sooner or later you will manage to come back.