New Heart of Italy Food Tour May 2025

Shape ravioli under the Tuscan sun, sip award-winning wines in a fourteenth-century cellar, learn to make gelato from a master gelataio, discover how Prosciutto is made, and dine at Italy's best restaurants.

Sounds like a dream, but this will be the daily reality for participants on our Heart of Italy tour from May 11 to 17, 2025: this is a unique opportunity to explore three regions in central Italy, tasting the foods that have made Italy famous around the world, learning from local artisans and immersing yourself fully in the local culture. 

What's Included

Hassle-free, all-inclusive travel... Once you arrive at the Villa, everything is included:  every meal with wine, private transportation, tastings, daily hands-on cooking classes, and more. No need to worry about the stressful details that can make or break your vacation; we take care of it all.

• all breakfasts, all lunches, all dinners
• 6 nights stay at the villa
• private room with en-suite bathroom
• 6 hands-on cooking classes at the villa
• wine with all lunches and dinners
• wine tasting at an award-winning Tuscan estate
• olive oil tasting and visit of olive mill
• private gelato class with a master gelataio
• interactive pottery class
  
• all organized group activities
• transportation by private bus to towns such as  Frontino, Arezzo, Montepulciano, Spello, and more
• all cooking class recipes
• Rustico Cooking apron
• One-year Rustico Cooking Video Membership (a value of $120)

We design and curate our tours personally: from the moment you contact us to inquire about our tours to the moment you leave our small group, you'll be taken care of by Micol and Dino, a husband-and-wife team devoted to creating memorable experiences for people who want to enjoy culinary travel off the beaten path.

Unlike other  companies that want to catch a bigger slice of the travel market, we only offer tours to Italy because it's the country we know deeply: Micol is a Milan native, Dino is half Italian, and we live in Italy full time, so with us, you'll experience the insider's Italy.

Watch a brief video  to see what we have in store for you on our Heart of Italy tour and call us at 347 566 2212 or email micol@rusticocooking.com to book. We look forward to sharing our Italy with you!
Micol and Dino

Client Testimonial: Ron & Kathryn C. from WI

"We are still luxuriating in the recollections of our trip. It was a fantastic trip, exceeding all of our expectations. You put so much effort into ensuring that each member of the group was comfortable and as involved as they wanted to be. We so enjoyed the hands-on experiences and personal explanations of the establishments we visited. I think that the memories of the trip will remain with each of us for a long time. Again, it was marvelous." 

Tuscan Schiacciata

Schiacciata is Tuscany's take on focaccia; its name derives from the verb schiacciare, which means to press flat, as we are doing with our fingers in the photo above. Flat and dimpled, less oily than focaccia, the tastiest schiacciata is often made with a biga (yeast starter) to yield a crispier, airier texture with large holes and a wheaty aroma. The biga takes an extra 2 to 24 hours (you decide) to develop, so plan ahead. The recipe can be halved if you only want to bake one schiacciata, but remember: extras can be frozen for lazy days!

Makes two 17-inch schiacciate
For the biga:
130 grams (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose or bread flour 
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
½ cup warm (100 degree) water
For the dough:
520 grams (4 cups) unbleached all-purpose or bread flour, plus extra as needed
¾ teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 and ½ cups warm (100 degree) water, plus extra as needed
To bake:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup room-temperature water
½ teaspoon salt
1 rosemary sprig, leaves only, minced (optional)

1. Make the biga: Place the flour and yeast in a bowl. Add the water and stir with a  wooden spoon for 2 minutes; the mixture will be soft and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 2 to 24 hours (ideally 12 hours).
2. Make the dough: Combine the flour with the yeast and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the biga and enough warm water to form a soft dough that holds together and forms a mass around the wooden spoon.  
3. Knead vigorously for 8 minutes, or until smooth and supple and elastic, adding as little flour as possible. Shape into a ball. Place in a lightly floured bowl (or a lightly floured freezer bag), cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at cool room temperature for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. (You can also let the dough rise in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours, remembering to bring it to room temperature before shaping it and letting it rise a second time. I prefer to do this, since I find the slower rise makes for a more flavorful schiacciata: I usually make the dough in the morning , and pull it out of the refrigerator at night.)
4. Turn the dough out on a very lightly floured counter and knead for 1 minute. This redistributes the yeast throughout the dough and makes for a lighter schiacciata.
5. Return to the bowl (or freezer bag) and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at cool room temperature until doubled again, about 1 and ½ to 2 hours.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven with a baking stone in it to 425 degrees (preferably set on convection). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. To bake: Combine the olive oil, water, salt, and rosemary  in a bowl and mix well with a fork.
8. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Without deflating it, cut it into 2 pieces and place each on one of the prepared baking sheets. Working delicately so as to avoid deflating the air bubbles in the dough, flatten each piece of dough into an even rectangle. Dimple with your fingertips (this prevents excessive ballooning in the oven). Pour on the water-olive oil mixture, dimple again with your fingertips, and let rest for 20 minutes.
9. Place on of the baking sheets gently on the baking stone.
10. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the schiacciata is golden brown and crisp. Repeat with the second schiacciata, allowing the oen a few minutes to come back up to temperature after unloading the first schiacciata.
    
11. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, or freeze in plastic freezer bags and reheat for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.