Foodies cooking tour in the Castelli Romani hills and vineyards near Rome with famous local chefs

This wonderful cooking vacation in the Castelli Roman or Roman Hills is a shorter break version of the full Rome food and wine tour put together by In Italy Tours.

The emphsis is on learning to cook in the traditional way of the old Roman countryside. Participants will take part in hands-on cooking lessons in the comfort of a small group and receive individual attention.

Cooks and foodies of all levels are invited. Everyone prepares a range of antipasti, pasta, secondi dishes, including the famous “quinto quarto”, a combination of wild herbs, fresh seasonal vegetables and meats enjoyed since ancient times.

Your cooks are Maria and Sora Anna who share a passion for authentic Roman country cuisine.  

Maria lives on the edge of picturesque Nemi lake in the bucolic surroundings of her vineyard and vegetable gardens with her husband Carlo. Maria spent many years cooking in the family restaurant in Nemi, to great acclaim, feeding the hungry Romans who escape to the hills of a weekend. There’ll be plenty of Maria and Carlo’s own wines on hand during the lesson, along with her extra virgin olive oil, home-made liqueurs and her seasonal fruit conserves. Vegetable ingredients for Maria’s dishes are harvested from her own garden, ensuring you’ll always eat in-season.  

Sora Anna has be called the “Queen of the Matriciana” by Stefano Bonilli of Gambero Rosso, the “Queen of Roman cooking” by the great chef Heinz Beck and the “High Priestess of Authentic Traditional Roman Cooking” by Bob Noto. We’ll join her in the kitchen of her osteria in San Cesareo where she’ll reveal the subtleties and secrets of a culinary tradition which dates from the era of the Caesars. Anna’s extensive knowledge, internationally recognized culinary abilities and sheer passion for her vocation ensure a stimulating and extremely enjoyable learning experience. Afternoon excursions to historical and artistic points of interest are included in the itinerary.  

This tour starts every saturday and is available all year round.

castelli romani food tour summary

DAY ONE

Transfer to accomodation. Welcome dinner in the small, ancient town of Lanuvio. Choose from a list of traditional roman dishes, mouth-watering pizza or seafood, all accompanied by local DOC wines and enjoyed in a garden setting.

DAY TWO

Morning walking tour of Nemi. Try a prosecco with fresh strawberries while enjoying the views over the lake. Or stroll the center where you find many shops devoted to the gastronomic delicacies of the area, along with artisans workshops.

Lunch is in the town of Ariccia at a traditional “fraschetta”, or local eating house in a boisterous, yet relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.  You can choose from an array of antipasti – prosciutto, salami, cheeses, olives, seasoned and spiced vegetables, and porchetta - the roasted and seasoned pork which has made Ariccia famous throughout Italy. Robust local DOC wines and woodfired Genzano DOC bread are included. If you have any space left, try the pastas or polentas, or the secondi of meats.

After lunch a visit to Palazzo Chigi in the center of Ariccia. Designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini in the 16thcentury and occupied by a noble family until just over 20 years ago, it is one of the few examples in Italy of a palace with its original furnishings intact. A real glimpse into the opulence of the Papal aristocracy of Italy’s more recent past.

Dinner overlooking the lake of Albano in Castel Gandolfo, the site of the Pope’s summer palace. A noted restaurant with a refined ambience and an excellent selection of local DOC wines, and a menu encompassing all the major elements of the Roman cuisine.  

DAY THREE

Morning passeggiata in Genzano and a tour of the bakery producing the famous DOC bread. Then down to Nemi lakeside for our cooking lesson “al fresco” with Maria, among the vines. Along with the cooking, you’ll have an opportunity to walk among the fruit trees, olive grove and vegetable beds and to taste many of Maria’s home-made delicacies.

After lunch, there will be an opportunity to view the ruins of the temple of Diana, goddess of abundance and fertility, close by. And also the small museum dedicated to the 2 boats of the Emperor Caligula, who spent time on the lake and was a devotee of the goddess. Dinner at your own leisure.

DAY FOUR

Cooking class with Sora Anna in the kitchen of her osteria in San Cesareo. When not “performing delicious miracles”, in the words of one food critic, the larger than life Anna might regale you with stories of her most recent forays to HongKong, or Hollywood.     

Afternoon excursion to ancient Tusculum with its sweeping views and ruins of the villas of the Roman nobles. Then downhill to Frascati, famous for its Doc wines and the villas of the Papal aristocracy, where we’ll stop for and aperitivo.

Farewell dinner in Genzano, in the setting of a medieval cantina,  by which time you’ll be ordering like a local.

DAY FIVE

Transfer and end of services