VILLA GAIA COOKING COURSES
You will be immersed in the countryside of Southern Tuscany
 
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MEET YOUR HOSTS
Villa Gaia is owned and operated by the Cannaviello family, Anna, and her two sons Francesco and Fabrizio. Originally from Naples, they gave up the busy city life for the peaceful, elegant Seggiano country side. Restoring this villa estate back to its original beauty and luxury, they have graciously agreed to open their doors to aspiring Italian chefs from all over the world. Warm, hospitable, and welcoming, the Cannaviello family personifies Italian fine living and traditional Italian hospitality.
Guided tours – Francesco and Fabrizio will offer warmth and assistance to their guests by accompanying them on daily tours to the beautiful and charming towns of Southern Tuscany.
Villa Gaia is a luxurious Italian Villa, nestled in organic olive groves, Sangiovese grape vineyards, and medieval forests; Villa Gaia represents Tuscany in the elegant, classical style of the Noble Etruscans. As our guest at Villa Gaia, we offer you an exclusive wine and culinary tour of our beloved Tuscany. The territory of Seggiano, where Villa Gaia is located, is rich with the well-preserved Italian culture and cuisine of generations of Tuscans. Geographically close to the cities of Rome and Florence, Seggiano is worlds away from the hectic pace of these urban areas. Here you will be immersed in a culture of gentle nobility; simple, understated elegance. Traditional Tuscan foods, and sublime Italian wines combine with a healthful country atmosphere to create a unique culinary and cultural tour experience you won’t soon forget. Delightful Italian wine flows at every meal, fresh, organically grown foods make every meal a culinary delight, and your hands-on cooking courses will prepare you to dazzle your dinner guests. Your guided excursions of the Italian countryside will immerse you in the culture and heartbeat of the Tuscan people.
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WHERE YOU WILL STAY
In the countryside of the Seggiano township (Province of Grosseto just a few kilometers from the border with the Province of Siena) – A charming storybook landscape of a lesser-known area that is considered by many Italians to be one of the most beautiful areas of Tuscany. It’s about 50 minutes away from the seaside, less than 1 hour South of Siena, about two hours from Florence, and two and a half hours north of Rome.
Villa Gaia lies sheltered by the rolling hills of Monte Amiata and cooled by the sea breezes of Castiglione della Pescaia. As yet un-exploited by tourism, this region, famous for it’s sublime Italian wines, delicious, smoky Pecorino cheeses, and award winning organic olive oils, remains true to its pure Italian culture, maintaining it’s traditional Tuscan flavors and style. The Villa Gaia estate lies next to the San Bernardino 15th century Franciscan monastery. It features frescoes painted by Italian artists Bernardino Gagliardi, Clemente Maioli, Giovanni de Vecchi, and Biagio Puccini. Villa Gaia is also located in the center of some very important Italian cultural locales, where we often take part in traditional Italian cultural and music festivals, Italian art exhibits, and theatre events during the spring and summer months. Villa Gaia reminds one of the country gentry, the noble Romans and Florentines who built their homes here, with simple, comfortable elegance.
At Villa Gaia, you will live with elegant Tuscan styled creature comforts, newly designed and renovated, amidst the rich fertile lands and countryside of perhaps the most beautiful, if we daresay such a thing, lesser known micro-region in Tuscany.
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Amiata Apartment |
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Rondini Apartment |
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WHERE YOU WILL SLEEP
Villa Gaia is comprised of a main house and a separate building. The separate building is called La Foresteria, which has four double rooms, each with its own en-suite bathroom. These rooms enjoy the use of a large common living room with fireplace, kitchen, laundry, storeroom, telephone and a large summer porch.
The main house has two apartments: Amiata on the first floor and Le Rondini on the second floor. Both Amiata and Le Rondini have their own separate private entrances. - Amiata has a large living room, kitchen, and a beautiful outdoor porch. Le Rondini has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room with a fireplace, kitchen and a 550 square foot panoramic terrace that has an external wood-burning stove.
The Foresteria is an independent cottage located at the back of the main villa. The cottage has four bedrooms with ensuite bathroom (two with twin beds and two with queen beds), a spacious kitchen and living room with fireplace, and a large outdoor porch.
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AMIATA BEDROOMS |
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RONDINI BEDROOMS |
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FORRESTERIA BEDROOMS
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COOKING COURSES AND WINE TASTING
The cooking courses are taught by your hostess, Anna Cannvaviello who will be bringing her own specialty to our kitchen and table and show us how to prepare hand-made pasta and who will fire up the Tenuta Villa Gaia’s wood-burning oven to show us how to make authentic Italian pizza. The courses are informal and taught in a large rustic kitchen.
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EXCURSIONS & ITINERARY
We will take you to discover the famous Southern Tuscan wine towns of Montalcino (Brunello wine & great shopping for ceramics) & Montepulciano (Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) as well as some of the charming villages of Monte Amiata: Santa Fiora, Abbadia San Salvatore & Arcidosso. We will also visit the beautiful medieval city of Siena and another town famous for being the ideal model of Renaissance architectural planning: Pienza. We will be following parts of the “Strada del Vino” (the celebrated ‘Road of Wine’ that is recognized by the Region of Tuscany Authority & Governing Body). Specifically, we will be visiting and tasting wines in the wine cellars of these different towns as much as possible
Experience the deep, red Italian wines; smoky; enticing Pecorino cheese; gourmet, organic, cold pressed olive oils; unspoiled vineyards and centuries-old olive groves. The pure, delicious flavors of Tuscan peasant cooking; fish fresh from the unspoiled sea, vegetables hand-picked from the Tuscan soil every morning, pasta hand-made by your chef’s nonna (grandmother). Wine tastings in ancient Italian wine cellars; the aroma of Italian breads baking in traditional stone ovens; meals enjoyed like a true Italian in authentic Tuscan trattorias (popular restaurants), shopping for groceries in an outdoor market that is hundreds of years old. These are just some of the exclusive cultural and culinary experiences you will enjoy as a welcome guest at Villa Gaia.
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VACATION OPTIONS
We created four exciting packages for you:
Upon request we can arrange your stay at Villa Gaia for fewer or more days with or without cooking courses.
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