Live Your Italian Dream Vacation!

What's your perfect vacation? 

Ours goes something like this: wake up in Italy to a leisurely breakfast, cook a couple of hours in a sun-filled kitchen, enjoy an outdoor lunch in good company, then spend the afternoon exploring small towns before a languid dinner with friends. Repeat.

Sounds like a dream, but this will be your daily reality if you join our Splendors of the Italian Riviera Tour  from September 13 to 19, 2026: seven glorious days finessing your culinary skills, discovering breathtaking locations, laughing with new friends, meeting local food artisans, savoring unbelievably delicious food. It's a culinary dream vacation, and best of all, it's hassle free, because we handle all the details to ensure you relax and enjoy each moment. 

Our Liguria tour touches on all the best things about this region from an insider’s perspective; we live here, so you'll get to experience Liguria with locals as your guides, tasting the foods that have made Italy famous around the world (think pesto, pasta, focaccia!), immersing yourself fully in the area's rich, varied culture. 

Don't wait too long to sign up--our May tour to Liguria is sold out and the September tour is already half full!
 

What's Included in The Tour?

• all breakfasts, all lunches, all dinners
• 6 nights stay at the hotel (upgrade to premium accommodations available)
• private room with en-suite bathroom
• daily hands-on cooking classes at the hotel
• wine with all lunches and dinners
• wine tasting at an award-winning winery in Cinque Terre
• olive oil tasting and visit of olive mill
• private gelato class with a master gelataio
• chocolate class with a world-class chocolatier
• all organized group activities
• transportation by private bus to towns such as Camogli, Santa Margherita, Chiavari, Rapallo, and more
• transportation by ferry to Portofino
• transportation by train to Cinque Terre
• all cooking class recipes
• 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 was born in Milan, Dino is half Italian, and we live in Liguria so with us, you'll experience the very best this unique region has to offer.

Watch a brief video to see what we have in store for you on our Splendors of the Italian Riviera Tour or email micol@rusticocooking.com  to book. We look forward to sharing our Italy with you!
Micol and Dino

Client Testimonial: John & Terri B., East Meadow, NY

"We can't even begin to thank you two for the most amazing and wonderful experience! An unbelievable and unforgettable way to celebrate Terri's birthday and our anniversary. This was beyond our wildest imagination! There are times when life is so sublime that there are no words to express the fullness of it all... this was one of those times! Grazie Mille!"

Liguria Animations by Dino

Get ready for an artistic adventure - Dive into a mesmerizing few minutes of pure visual delight. For an art exhibit called "Viaggi Leggeri" ("Light Travels") currently on in the Ligurian town of Camogli, Dino created short animations that bring to life paintings by artist Alberto Perini. Follow the adventures of a vintage orange FIAT 500 flying over Camogli, witness the sea go from serene to angry, watch as the images of the seaside town transform into brilliant, sometimes surrealistic animations set to original music crafted by Dino. People raved about the films at the opening! Click here  to play the videos and enjoy the chromatic choreography! (switch the language to ENGLISH at the very top of the page)

Chicken with Artichokes & Olives

The cooking of Liguria is delicate yet flavorful; adding the chili flakes brings a distinctly un-Ligurian level of heat, so omit if you prefer mild flavors. Veal chops or pork chops can be cooked in the same way as the chicken here; in fact, Ligurians often cook rabbit this way. Chicken thighs are best for this recipe, since they cook up juicy and moist after a long braise in the savory sauce; chicken breasts would dry out if cooked as long.

Serves 2 as a main course 

For the chicken:

• 4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs (350 grams or 12 ounces)​
• 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil​
• 15 grams (0.5 ounces) minced fresh herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, Italian parsley, etc.)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

• 30 milliliters (2 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
• 60 grams (2 ounces) minced yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 grams (0.5 ounces) minced fresh herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, Italian parsley, etc.)​
• 1 bay leaf
• 15 grams (0.5 ounces) pine nuts
• 12 pitted olives, chopped
• 115 grams (4 ounces) canned artichoke hearts, chopped (drained weight)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 15 grams (0.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 125 milliliters (½ cup) dry white wine
• 375 milliliters (1 and ½ cups) chicken stock
• 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) lemon juice

1. Make the chicken: In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the salt. Refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 48 hours. When you are ready to cook the chicken, season it with the salt.
2. Make the sauce: Heat 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) of the olive oil in a 12-inch (30-centimeter) pan until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken with the smooth (pretty) side down. Cook until browned on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once. Remove to a plate and wipe out the pan if the oil got dark.
3. Heat the remaining 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) of the olive oil ​in the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion softens and turns lightly golden, about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring once in a while. If the onion sticks to the pan, add a splash of water.
4. Add the herbs and bay leaf and cook a minute or so, until aromatic.
5. Add the pine nuts, olives, artichoke hearts, and cook 5 minutes, or until the artichokes smell rich and inviting.​ Season with the salt and pepper.
6. Add the flour and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
7. Deglaze with the wine, mixing well to avoid lumps.
8. When the wine loses its pungency, add the stock and bring to a boil, whisking to ensure a smooth sauce forms.
9. Return the chicken to the pan. Turn to coat with the sauce and nestle it in the sauce smooth (pretty) side up. Cover; simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. If the sauce is thin, reduce it, uncovered, for a few minutes.
10. Stir in the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, and serve hot.