A Family-Run Tuscan Cooking Class, 20 Minutes From Montepulciano
You’ve explored the wine cellars of Montepulciano. Then you’ve tasted Vino Nobile in the morning sun. Now imagine driving 20 minutes south, through cypress-lined roads, into a working agricultural estate.
Indeed, this is the place where the wheat for your pasta grows in the fields outside. Furthermore, the olive oil comes from trees you can walk among. Finally, the wine you’ll drink at lunch was made in the cellar next door.
In fact, this is the Nenci family farm in Chiusi, Tuscany. Moreover, this is what an authentic cooking class near Montepulciano really looks like.
At a Glance
Authentic cooking class 20 minutes from Montepulciano, hosted by the Nenci family on their working farm in Chiusi, Tuscany. Three menus available: Sapori Toscani (€100), Sapori Romani (€120), From the Field to the Table (€200). Includes hands-on cooking, full lunch, and tasting of 5 estate wines. Sessions in fluent English, both morning and afternoon. Booking required, 2 to 15 guests per class.
Why a Cooking Class Near Montepulciano Instead of in Town?
Most cooking classes in Montepulciano take place in restored kitchens within the historic center. Indeed, they’re charming. However, the ingredients arrive prepared from suppliers. Moreover, the recipes are rehearsed for tourists, and ultimately the connection to the land — the soul of Tuscan cooking — disappears.
Here, on our farm 20 minutes south of Montepulciano, the experience starts somewhere different.
You Cook With What We Grow
For example, the aglione (a sweet, ancient garlic native to the Val di Chiana) you’ll use in your sauce was harvested in our fields. Furthermore, the olive oil drizzled on your pasta won an award in Dubai as a world-class extra virgin.
In addition, the five wines you’ll taste at lunch were made in our cellar from grapes grown on the estate. In fact, nothing is sourced from a third party. Indeed, nothing is staged.
You Step Into a Real Working Farm
This isn’t a tourist showroom. Walk a few steps from the kitchen and you’re among the olive groves, the vineyards, the kitchen garden, the chicken coop.
Moreover, our family — the Nenci family — has been farming this land for generations. In fact, when you join us, you become a guest of the family, not a customer of an attraction.
You Learn Techniques You Can Take Home
We don’t hand you a printed recipe to copy. Instead, we show you the gestures.
For example, you’ll learn how to feel when the pasta dough is right. Furthermore, you’ll discover why aglione is added at this specific moment and not earlier. Finally, we’ll teach you how to roll pici (the local pasta of Montepulciano and Pienza) the way our grandmothers did. Indeed, you leave with skills, not souvenirs.
How to Get to Our Farm From Montepulciano
Our farm is located in Chiusi (province of Siena), in the heart of the Valdichiana, on the border between Tuscany and Umbria. We’re easily reachable from Montepulciano and the most visited towns of southern Tuscany.
Driving times to our farm
- From Montepulciano: 20 minutes
- From Pienza: 30 minutes through the Val d’Orcia
- From Cortona: 30 minutes
- From Montalcino: 50 minutes
- From Siena: 1 hour via SS2 or A1
- From Florence: 1 hour 30 minutes via A1
- From Rome: 1 hour 30 minutes via A1
The A1 highway exit Chiusi-Chianciano Terme is just minutes from our farm. Free parking available on site.
The Drive Itself Is Part of the Experience
Indeed, the drive itself is part of the experience. Moreover, you’ll wind through some of the most beautiful countryside in southern Tuscany, especially with views of vineyards, olive groves, and medieval villages perched on the hills.
A Perfect Day Combining Montepulciano and Our Cooking Class
Our most popular itinerary works like this. First, spend the morning exploring Piazza Grande in Montepulciano. Then visit one of the historic wine cellars (Contucci, Avignonesi, or Poliziano). After that, walk the medieval streets and have a quick lunch.
Finally, drive 20 minutes south for an afternoon cooking class with us, ending with estate wine tastings.
However, you can also reverse it. For example, join us for a morning cooking class, enjoy lunch on the farm, then head to Montepulciano in the late afternoon when the light turns golden and the day-trippers have left.
In fact, we offer both morning and afternoon sessions, so you choose the rhythm that fits your trip.
Arriving by Train
Indeed, the Chiusi-Chianciano Terme station is on the main Rome-Florence line, served by Intercity trains. Moreover, we can arrange a shuttle to pick you up directly at the station — just let us know when you book.
Three Cooking Class Menus to Choose From
Each cooking class lasts approximately 3 hours. Indeed, it ends with a long, leisurely lunch where you eat what you’ve made, paired with five wines from our estate. However, you choose the menu that speaks to you when you book.
Sapori Toscani — €100 per person
Indeed, this is the signature Tuscan menu, rooted in the cuisine of the Valdichiana and Val d’Orcia. For example, you’ll learn to make pici by hand (the local thick spaghetti from Montepulciano, Pienza, and Chiusi). Moreover, you’ll prepare a sauce with our estate-grown aglione, and finally bake a rustic crostata with our farm jams.
What you’ll cook:
- Fresh pici pasta, hand-rolled the traditional way (“appiciare”)
- Aglione sauce from the Val di Chiana (an officially recognized Italian heritage ingredient)
- Crostata with homemade jams from our orchard
What’s included in lunch:
- Local Tuscan charcuterie and cheese board
- The pici with aglione you made together
- The crostata you baked
- Tasting of 5 estate wines
Reduced price for guests under 18: €70 (without wine tasting).
Sapori Romani — €120 per person
Indeed, this is the perfect carbonara, taught with rigor. In fact, this menu draws from Roman tradition — fitting, since we’re only an hour from the Eternal City. However, if you’re traveling between Tuscany and Rome, this class teaches you the four-ingredient classic that the world has been butchering for decades.
What you’ll cook:
- Hand-made tonnarelli pasta
- Authentic carbonara with guanciale, pecorino romano, and black pepper
- Classic tiramisù
What’s included in lunch:
- Local Tuscan charcuterie and cheese board
- The tonnarelli alla carbonara you made
- The tiramisù you assembled
- Tasting of 5 estate wines
Reduced price for guests under 18: €90 (without wine tasting).
From the Field to the Table — €200 per person
Indeed, this is our most immersive experience. However, this isn’t a cooking class with a fixed menu. Instead, it’s a meal built from whatever the farm offers that day.
First, we start in the chicken coop, gathering eggs. Then we walk through the garden, picking herbs and seasonal vegetables. Finally, we cook with what we’ve collected.
What you’ll do:
- Gather fresh eggs directly from the coop
- Tour the kitchen garden, harvest herbs and vegetables of the day
- Taste our award-winning estate olive oil (Dubai world excellence award)
- Cook with what the farm offers: fresh eggs, seasonal herbs, our jams and oils
- Hand-make fresh pasta with a seasonal sauce
- Bake a rustic dessert together with our farm jams
What’s included in lunch:
- Local charcuterie and cheese board
- The pasta you prepared with seasonal ingredients
- The dessert you baked with Nenci jams
- Tasting of 5 estate wines
- Our award-winning estate olive oil at the table
A gift to take home: at the end of the experience, you’ll receive a Nenci product to enjoy at home — a ready-to-warm ribollita or pappa al pomodoro, or a jar of our homemade jam.
Reduced price for guests under 18: €170 (without wine tasting).
About the Nenci Family Farm
The Azienda Agricola Nenci is a family farm in Chiusi, in the province of Siena, at the southern edge of Tuscany where the region meets Umbria.
Indeed, we grow grapes, olives, ancient grains, vegetables, and the rare aglione of the Val di Chiana. Moreover, we make wine, cold-press olive oil, and produce jams and traditional Tuscan dishes that we ship internationally.
In fact, this isn’t a hotel that hosts cooking classes. Instead, it’s a working agricultural estate where one of the things we love to do is welcome guests into our kitchen.
Our Credentials
- Estate olive oil awarded as world excellence in Dubai
- Aglione della Val di Chiana, an officially recognized Italian Traditional Agri-food Product (PAT)
- Five estate wines included in the tasting at every cooking class
- Generations of farming tradition in the Valdichiana
- 4.9 stars on Google with over 100 reviews
👉 Internal link a our family story e sustainability philosophy
What International Guests Say
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is the cooking class from Montepulciano?
Our farm is 20 minutes by car from Montepulciano historic center. Take the SP146 road south, following signs for Chiusi. Free parking on site.
Do I need a car to reach you from Montepulciano?
A car is the easiest option. If you arrive by train at Chiusi-Chianciano Terme station (on the main Rome-Florence line), we can arrange a shuttle to pick you up directly at the station — just let us know when you book. Taxi service from Montepulciano is also available but limited.
Can I combine the cooking class with wine tasting in Montepulciano?
Absolutely — many guests do exactly this. A common itinerary is wine tasting at Montepulciano cellars in the morning, then a 20-minute drive south for an afternoon cooking class with us, ending with a long lunch and our own estate wines. The class lasts approximately 3 hours including the meal.
Is the class taught in English?
Yes. All cooking classes are conducted in fluent English by a member of the Nenci family. Italian and basic Spanish are also available on request.
Do I need cooking experience?
Not at all. Whether you’ve never made pasta by hand or you cook every day, the class is designed to be accessible and enjoyable for everyone. We adapt the rhythm to the group.
Can you accommodate dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free)?
Yes. With advance notice at booking, we adapt the menus for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free guests. Please mention any dietary needs when you book.
Can I book a private session for my family or group?
Yes. We host private sessions for couples, families, anniversaries, hen and stag parties, and corporate team-building events, up to 15 guests. Contact us at +39 334 254 2417 for availability and a personalized quote.
How far in advance should I book?
We recommend booking at least one week in advance, especially during high season (May through September). For peak weeks (Easter, August, autumn truffle season), two to three weeks ahead is safer. Last-minute bookings are sometimes possible — feel free to call us.
Book Your Cooking Class
Indeed, cooking classes are available year-round on request, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 15 guests per session.
However, we recommend booking at least one week in advance, especially in high season (May through September).
Moreover, you can book through the form below, or contact us directly:
2 risposte
Good afternoon,
In September I will be visiting Montepulciano together with my girlfriend, and we would like to request your availability for a cooking class on the morning of either September 10 or September 11. We prefer the Tuscany cooking class.
I would love to hear from you.
Kind regards,
Steyn
Good afternoon Steyn,
thank you very much for getting in touch with us. We would be delighted to welcome you and your girlfriend to our farm during your stay in Tuscany.
Our Tuscan Cooking Class – “Sapori Toscani” is a complete experience dedicated to the traditional cuisine of our region.
During the class, we will prepare together:
* traditional handmade pici pasta;
* the typical Aglione della Valdichiana sauce;
* a homemade Italian crostata.
At the end of the class, we will sit down together and enjoy everything we have prepared, accompanied by a tasting of our own wines, produced here at our family-run farm.
The experience costs €100 per person and includes the cooking class, all ingredients, lunch, wine tasting, and the opportunity to discover more about our local food traditions, our wines, and the story of our farm.
For the morning of September 10 or September 11, you can check availability and book directly through our website here:
https://www.aziendaagricolanenci.com/cooking-class-tuscany/
Booking online is the best way to secure your preferred date.
We would be very happy to welcome you both and share an authentic Tuscan experience together.
Warm regards from Tuscany,
Paolo Nenci
Azienda Agricola Nenci