Your Italian cooking holiday in sunny and unspoilt Sabina, just north of Rome and near Umbria.
Your accommodation will be in the medieval hilltop village of Toffia, were we have selected a small number of restored historic terraced homes with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. They all have beautiful gardens or piazzas outside their front door, and sunny double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. Toffia is a picturesque and unspoilt village, one of the best preserved medieval hilltop villages in the Sabina region.
Step into authentic Italy from your first evening.
After a beautiful sunset in Sabina, we’ll welcome you over dinner, a feast of wonderful local food and wines. During this relaxed evening, held in our 1500's taverna, Sally will discuss the programme of events for your Italian cooking holiday.
Breakfast is served at the local cafe where you can enjoy a perfect cappuccino and fresh croissants, while sitting on their patio.
More than just a cooking holiday.
Our longer Italian cooking holidays also include a guided tour of an olive grove, and wine tasting sessions. Part of our Italian cooking weekly holiday programme is a free day trip to explore the winding streets of Toffia or take one of the many walks in the unspoilt and beautiful countryside. On your day free from Italian cooking lessons and classes you can also take the local bus to explore Rome or other nearby medieval villages in Sabina. We are happy to give you suggestions on where to go and what to see during your free day.
Fun and creative cooking lessons and lunches.
Week mornings will be dedicated to cooking wonderful traditional lunches, using the most popular recipes from Cucina Romana and Toscana, with an eye for contemporary presentation: all very easy to replicate at home. We only use the most flavoursome seasonal fresh ingredients sourced from local farmers. All levels of cooks are welcome in our relaxed cooking lessons, from absolute beginners to advanced. All our cooking lessons are held in our family home and during lunch, there are more opportunities to sample the unique wines from central Italy.
Afternoons at your leisure.
In the afternoons, tours of nearby villages and monasteries are also included in our cooking holiday programmes. Or if you wish, you can simply relax and enjoy the sunshine, or explore the winding cobble-stoned streets of Toffia to discover the little shops and cafes where you can stop for a glass of wine or aperitivo. If you are feeling a little more energetic, there are many walks available that wind through the valley and if you are a keen photographer or painter, the village and surrounding natural beauty are guaranteed to inspire you. In the evening, you are free to go to dinner at the local restaurant, relax in your own home, or participate in one of the local food and cultural festivals when they are on.
An Italian Cooking Holiday for fun!
Our Italian cooking holidays are designed to be just that - a real holiday. So apart from cooking, relaxing over freshly prepared meals and sampling local wines, there's plenty of time to yourself. For example, you can explore the Sabina area and its ancient castles and villages, such as Toffia, Fara Sabina and Farfa, travelling back in time to the middle ages. Or you can just unwind while you have a drink in our sunny gardens overlooking olive groves, waiting for the sunset. Sunsets in Sabina often display incredible shades of red, purple and orange.
Non-cooking companions will have plenty to do while you cook and are welcomed at all our events. For your accommodation, we have carefully selected a small number of restored medieval or renaissance homes and apartments with plenty of character and comfort.
Natural and sustainable Italian Cookery Holidays.
During your Italian cooking holiday you will discover the unique and incredible flavours of our seasonal and natural produce. The fruit and vegetables used as ingredients for our Italian cookery classes are supplied by specially selected, small local organic gardens and orchards. For instance, the fresh fruit sampled during Convivio Rome Italian cookery holidays might have a little organic roughness, but they are incredibly juicy, sweet and full of flavour. At Convivio Rome Italian Cooking Holidays we believe in the 'zero miles' idea of sourcing our ingredients, olive oil, wine and cheese from organic local farms and producers. This is a way to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum and to please our senses at the same time!
Cultural Events and Food Festivals
Toffia, Farfa and Fara Sabina, amongst other hilltop villages in the area, celebrate their local cultural and food by holding festivals all year. Toffia’s remarkable ‘festa del centro storico’ lasts for a week and includes live jazz, blues and traditional Italian music, theatre and of course plenty of food and wine. The olive oil harvest is enjoyed and celebrated during ‘andare per olio’ week.
Our little village of Toffia is the centre of many cultural events and music festivals. These activities are held outside in one of the many piazzas and inside the local theatre (where they have recently discovered a 1300's fresco on the old church wall), and are always followed by an amazing dinner with local foods and wines. If you are lucky enough to be here when there is a music concert, play, art exhibition, poetry reading or performance, we are are happy to take you along to join in the fun.
Italian cooking holidays
