Francesco Grazzini

If you're looking to feel at home in middle of beautiful Tuscany while hand-kneading pasta, this is the class to take. Annamaria and Valentina are the kindest teachers you could ever ask for. They invited us into their home and let us meet their dog Muzo and cat Mia. Even though we didn't speak much Italian and they didn't speak much English, we still understood each other on a level that felt like family. Like our Italian aunts were teaching us the ways of our people (mind you, we're South Asian!). We learned how to hand knead pasta made out of semolina flour, we learned how to make fusilli by hand, and how to use a pasta machine to make tagliatelle. Once we finished that, they set up a lovely lunch for us including appetizers (or a first course) that they cooked themselves before we arrived. We begged them for the recipes because we can't live the rest of us without being able to make such deliciousness ourselves, even if it isn't as yummy as what they made. Then, Annamaria cooked our two pastas and we got to dine on what we made ourselves, with love. I'm not exaggerating, it was my favorite pasta during the whole trip! We traveled through Roma, Firenze, and Venezia, experiencing so much in such little time, and yet this class was my favorite by a long shot. It's something my friends and I will remember forever. We'll be 80 years old sitting beside each other in rocking chairs and asking, "Remember that pasta making class we took in Chianti? Remember Annamaria and Valentina? Remember Muzo?!" Thank you, Annamaria and Valentina, for one of the best experiences in our lifetime. We will always remember this, and Muzo, and Mia. But most especially, your kindness. If you're reading this, don't hesitate to take this class. You will never regret it.