Kela Hodgins of Dunowen House is running a week-long culinary and wine-tasting retreat, Tuscan Culinary Adventure, in the rolling hills of Tuscany from 27th October to 3rd November.
The trip includes seven nights in the historic 5-star Villa Burlamacchi, situated outside Lucca in central Italy, 1 hour from Pisa. Guests will visit award-winning vineyards and wineries carefully chosen to introduce the best wines of the region plus transfers to local towns to soak up authentic Italy.
In small groups and under the tutelage of Villa Burlamacchi’s resident Chef Attilio Petrella guests will learn how to make gnocchi, ravioli, wood-fired pizzas and a range of Italian sauces and desserts. Downtime will be spent relaxing by the villa pool and enjoying the two spa treatments that the experience also includes.
Villa Burlamacchi is owned and operated by Francesca Burlamacchi who connected with Kela on Instagram over their passion for running beautiful boutique country homes and their love of food. Kela said, “Villa Burlamacchi is located not far from Lucca and is an extraordinary property. It dates back to the 1500s and has been in Francesca’s family since then. She undertook a major renovation two years ago after deciding to open the property as a luxury exclusive hire business, hosting holidays, events and intimate weddings. In many ways, it’s the Tuscan version of Dunowen House, which is why we get on so well together – we have so much in common as businesswomen. ”
Kela visited Francesca in January of this year to learn how to make authentic pasta, she quickly fell in love with the region and the villa and is now organising the week-long Tuscan Culinary Adventure to Italy for guests and also weekend and day-long learning experiences in Dunowen House to recreate the experience.
She said “After my trip in January I instantly felt there was an opportunity to create a Tuscan Culinary Adventure for others to enjoy. We also decided to create mini versions of the experience back home in Clonakilty at Dunowen House at the end of November. So the choice now is a full week-long Tuscan adventure in Italy or weekend and one-day experiences in West Cork at the end of November and into early December. Whichever trip you book, there will be hands-on cookery classes, wine tastings and lots of fun”.
The trip is also open to non-cooking partners who can enjoy everything else the trip has to offer without getting their hands floury.
The all-inclusive Tuscan Culinary Adventure includes luxury private en-suite accommodation in the historic Villa Burlamacchi in Tuscany, daily room service, all meals prepared by the in-house chef, hands-on cooking classes, tastings at local vineyards, trips to explore the culture and history of neighbouring villages, Lucca and Florence and transfers to and from Pisa airport. Flights are not included.
Priced at €2,700 per person for double occupancy, €2,900 for single occupancy, and €2,000 for a non-participating guest. The trip is limited to a maximum of 14 fully participating guests.
Dates for the November and December experiences in Dunowen House are yet to be released. Anyone interested is encouraged to visit the Dunowen House website and email to register interest.
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