If you are trying to decide whether or not to go to Tartufo - do it!
We spent a week at Tartufo at the end of June this year and had the time of our lives. Leaving was so hard! From the moment of arrival it felt as if we were at one big happy house party where someone has carefully planned every aspect perfectly. The 16 guests from all around the world "bonded" instantly and it felt as if we spent the week with close friends we had known for years.
The villa is absolutely gorgeous with the most incredible views and a beautiful pool and you feel instantly at home. The kitchen is fantastic and becomes a buzzing hive of activity when lessons are in progress and the staff are amazing.
Your days are a perfect mix of busy activity and time to relax by the pool or walk in the beautiful surrounding hills. The organised day out is great and an enjoyable break in the middle of the week. And your day off gives you an opportunity to explore some of the beautiful Tuscan towns nearby.
The cooking lessons are just brilliant - you cook a huge range of things and the organisation and planning of the lessons is excellent. The hardworking team do loads of prep and finishing off for you and clearing up after you which enables you to create fantastic meals with a minimum of effort - although you will find on returning home that it's not as easy on your own! We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather and ate our meals out on the terrace every night under the sunset. We were generally still out there several hours later with music and drink flowing!
The chef Franco is wonderful - he entertains and instructs at the same time and somehow our group of novices managed to create umpteen incredible meals under his guidance. Franco (and Paola) thank you for making the week so wonderful. We're now cooking Italian several times a week - you would be proud of us!
We honestly had just about the best holiday we've ever had. Thank you to all of you at Tartufo - we still miss you and really hope we can come back one day.