When we arrived, the chef seemed to be either stoned or had just woken up. When you are hosting people who have paid a lot of money for an experience, you should be personable and entertaining, he was neither. The food we prepared was ok, but probably cost $10 for all the ingredients, there should have been better dishes based on what we paid. It was one of the most anticipated parts of our trip and turned out to be the worst experience of the trip.

My husband and I loved our experience with Fabio and his wife! We had an amazing time learning more about them, their culture, and their love of food. They taught us how to make pasta and Florentine style dishes. Fabio picked us up and kindly drove us to their home. They were very welcoming and their property was stunning. We highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a private/more personal style cooking experience.

We had such an amazing time with this cooking experience. We felt very welcomed into their personal home and had an amazing dish at the end of the work in the kitchen. We learned so much and got some extra tips for our trip in Florence. Very personal and special memory! Highly recommend if you want a one on one experience.

Our cooking experience with Mirella and Stefano was the absolute HIGHLIGHT of me and my sisters visit to Florence! They are so welcoming, warm, and fun! We learned so many new cooking skills from the two of them and enjoyed their fabulous home. We couldn’t recommend this experience more!

What an amazing evening! Fabio and Christiane were so welcoming in their home and we had so much fun learning how to make pasta and creating the rest of our meal. We loved learning about the olives they harvested and, perhaps more than anything, just spending time with them and having wonderful conversation about their experiences. We were even able to recreate the pasta meal — making our pasta from scratch! — at home a couple weeks later. We would recommend this class 1000%! It was a highlight of our two-week trek across Italy!

My husband and I consider this part of our trip to Florence the absolute highlight of our honeymoon! Fabio and his lovely wife welcome you to their home to learn authentic recipes and cook together. From the moment we got there; it felt like we were having a dinner party with friends we had known forever. We drank wine, we laughed, we cooked, we ate. At one point, our dessert was cooling in their window while a rainstorm rolled through the countryside- it was surreal. The food was absolutely fantastic- like melt in your mouth good. (Fabio emails you this recipes after the experience too). The recipes were not hard to execute which made it more fun and no pressure. The ingredients were locally sourced- like olive oil from their olive trees- locally sourced. I cannot stress enough how amazing the entire experience is. We are already planning a trip back to Florence in under 2 years and I will definitely pay our new friends a visit again! 10/10, 5 stars, A+

A wonderful evening of cooking, sipping prosecco and socializing. Fabio communicated every detail leading up to the evening, from the pre-planned meals to a special fruit tarte for our son's birthday. Our family of four was picked up in Florence, and driven a short (30 min) trip up into the hills to Fabio's home. While some of us made pasta, others walked with Christiane in the orchard and picked fresh fruit under the setting Tuscan sun. Every aspect of the evening was memorable. When we returned to the US, we asked our family to each list the best part of our Italy trip - the answer for all was, "our evening with Fabio and Christiane in the Florence countryside". Thank you Fabio and Christiane for the wonderful experience, hospitality and friendship.

My wife and I completely enjoyed our cooking experience with Fabio! We left the evening feeling as if we had made new friendships over a wonderful meal. Fabio was excellent at communicating ahead of time via e-mail to discuss any special needs or desired cooking to try. He met us and transported us to his home before and after the class. We had a wonderful time and I learned how to cook octopus, something I always wanted to learn to do. Of course we also made pasta, and used locally sourced and even ingredients straight from their gardens. Everything was delicious, with plenty of time to talk and ask questions, about the cooking, and life! Fabio and his wife were very attentive and delightful to us throughout our visit. Their hospitality was extraordinary. They had considered every detail and it was wonderful. I learned some cooking techniques that were new to me, and it was a very pleasant experience. The fact that you get to do this in their countryside home is amazing. Our experience included homemade orecchiette pasta with fresh anchovies in a Sicilian style. Crispy Octopus with a vegetarian cream, and a Homemade Tiramisu. We also enjoyed an apertivo to break the ice and get know everyone. The wines with dinner were excellent accompaniments to the menu. They thought of everything and we enjoyed it all. I would most definitely go back for another class with Fabio on a future visit. Much more than a cooking class experience, it was time well spent with new friends learning, sharing, and experiencing life through food and culture.

This was truly one of the highlights of our trip. Booking was clear and easy to follow. Alessio provided the ingredients and skill to guide us in making a delicious dinner in his home. We made fresh pasta and used mushrooms that Alessio had personally foraged.. The conversation was engaging and we laughed! Highest recommendation.

An amazing hands-on experience for our family of 5 (age 10 - adults) in the private home of an expert. We made pasta from scratch, prepared a chicken dish, made panna cotta and enjoyed a beautiful meal together. Great memories!

We had a great evening with Alessio Vallini, aka Fungomaniac, at his apartment about a mile and a half from our hotel on the east side of Florence. Allessio had fresh mushrooms HE HAD HUNTED earlier that week! We prepared them in a delicious crostini. For our main course, Alessio taught us to make pasta ravioli (first time). We felt like we had a friend living in town. Everything was incredibly delicious! To cap things off, we had a wonderful orange shortbread with fresh whipped cream that was his grandmother’s recipe and was delightful. He also shared the recipes freely so we can try them when we are home. I would highly recommend a class and dinner with Allesio when you are in Florence. You will love it.

The evening of cooking and conversation with Fabio and Christina was definitely a trip highlight that I would higly recommend! They welcomed us into their home and together we cooked a delicious Tuscan meal. Fabio took great lengths to tailor the menu to what we wanted to cook, Parppadelle with wild boar sauce, Pollo alla Cacciatora, and Apple Tart, along with some local red wine- absolutely delicious!! We ate outside looking out onto olive trees and the beauty of the Tuscan hills and stayed for hours having great conversation- an evening in paradise with two amazing people!

We went to Italy to visit friends & family. We went to Rome, Sorrento, Amalfi, Florence and Lucca. It was fun, crowded, and busy. But the cooking class with Fabio and his lovely wife in their home above Florence was among the most memorable. He picked us up at about 4:30 and brought us to his home in the hills. There were 4 of us. Before our trip, he was very helpful in accommodating and planning a menu that would work for us. He was easy and flexible. He had the items ready to prepare. We made homemade Pappardelle Cinghiale (one of our favorites), Chicken Cacciatore, and an Apple tart. His manner was easy and fun, and his wife kept us on time. The meal was fun to make and even better to eat. We dined Al Fresco amidst the olive grove and had a wonderful evening. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, and I can't wait to practice making homemade pasta. I cannot recommend Fabio enough. I am the main cook at home, and he showed me how to be more relaxed and how to have more fun cooking.

My daughter and I spent a wonderful evening learning true Italian cooking at Fabio and Christiane’s incredible home. The entire evening - learning and sharing dinner together - was wonderful. Highly recommend

This experience was one of the highlights of our ten day Italy trip. Fabio picked us up from town and took us to his house where we met his wife Christiane. We spent the night learning about the Italian culture and cuisine with two of the best hosts we could have asked for. They were kind, informative, and funny -- just a joy to be around. It was very engaging and we happily participating in preparing the meal through Fabio's guidance. We would highly recommend this to anyone traveling from out of town!