We are delighted to offer our guests a unique hands-on Cooking Program giving you the chance to learn how to prepare dishes drawing on Brianza’s delicious regional tradition. Giovanna Passeri’s Scuola di Cucina and Agriturismo offers an extraordinary cooking experience in a traditional Italian family environment.

Lessons for children can be arranged, and include simple home-made pastas, tasty Italian desserts and other delectables, depending the childrens’ ages.

Small group cooking classes are conducted by this renowned local chef and assisted by her staff (and by Gretchen, who will help in translating!). You will prepare together authentic Italian dishes following the traditions passed down to Giovanna from her great grandmothers, grandmothers and mothers.

During her cooking classes Giovanna Passeri will share with you the methods and ingredients making up our local Brianza traditional cuisine, using key seasonal ingredients to make the fine and largely undiscovered dishes of this particular area of Italy. You will also learn many basic Italian cooking techniques including how to make perfect homemade pasta and many other Italian delicacies.

Lessons will take place in Chef Giovanna’s professional kitchen, in groups limited to 8.  The Agriturismo is just a 7-minute drive from Poggio Verde.  We can arrange from one to three 3 & 1/2-hour morning sessions to be held over the course of a week, including a delicious lunch you have prepared together which is enhanced by appropriate local wine pairings.  Back at the villa, our new fully equipped gourmet kitchen with spectacular views of the surrounding hills will be the unique setting for putting into practice your new-found culinary knowledge!

To learn more, write to me: poggioverdevilla@gmail.com or contact me on Skype  (gretchen_romig) until 10pm GMT (4pm EST).