Casa Bellavista

I had the pleasure of staying at Casa Bellavista for six nights in October 2013, and I must say it was a world class experience. Simonette was a wonderful host from the moment we met her. I remember my mouth salivating when she began describing the dinners that we would have an opportunity to prepare during her cooking classes. My mom and I had two cooking classes where we learned to prepare duck, ravioli, gnocchi, foccacia, eggplant flan, chocolate cake, lemon cake, ragu, and pork chops, all with a Tuscan flare. The accommodations were comfortable, luxurious, and affordable. I would highly recommend anyone and EVERYONE to stay at Casa Bellavista. It is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. Her restaurant/​activities recommendations were spot on.

The location of our cooking classes took place here. Simonetta runs this place and gets help from her husband Guido, friend Marika, and their four legged children named Dante and Trili. Our first day just consisted of meeting each other and talking about our menu for the next two days. This conversation took place with some coffee and some home made cookies. Our first night, Simonetta had a fine meal prepared for us. We met downstairs in the dining room around 7pm. We were served a four course meal by Guido and we bought a bottle of merlot to drink the next 3 nights we would be there. (BTW, they have a pretty good wine list for you to choose from).
The foods we picked to learn how to cook are the following items:
Ragu*
Potato Gnocchi*
Chicken Florentine
Chocolate Cake
Vegetable Pastry
Stuffed Squid*
Zucchini Flowers stuffed with Ricotta*
Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne
Bonet*
Pizza
and Focacce with aromatic herbs and spices
We would start our cooking classes around 3:30pm to prep everything and start cooking. We typically finish around 5:30 — 6:00pm and then head back upstairs to our room to rest and get ready for dinner. Dinner is served by Guido. who also makes sure romantic music is playing in the background and that the lights are dimmed to give you that romantic vibe.
The husband and wife team definitely complements each other and make you feel like family. I definitely recommend this place. Their villa is about 300 years old. so there’s alot of history but it is well kept. Beautiful scenery and good food every day. No complaints, plus they let you ride their Vespa for free!
*MY FAVES