Badia a Coltibuono | Tuscany Address

Live out your dreamy Italian escape with a cooking class inside a thousand-year-old monastery, paired with tasteful Chianti Classicos.

Of all the ancient castellos and expansive wineries in Tuscany, Badia a Coltibuono is most likely the utmost historic where travelers can simultaneously fulfill a pasta-making dream.

Perched on the hills of Chianti, Badia a Coltibuono’s past stretches all the way back to 1051 by Vallombrosan monks that deeply respected nature and agriculture, particularly olive trees and vines. Natural wine movement might be somewhat of an innovative concept today, this organic Chianti Classico winery has always practiced a natural winemaking process since early on. Today, it’s owned by the Stucchi Prinetti family, whose ancestors, the Giutini family, bought the property in 1846.

 

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The elegant tasting rooms display intricate, original fresco paintings on the walls, even a hole where monks placed salt whenever one of them passed away. Wandering through the dark and ample cellar was a mystic though educational experience, as it’s home to some of the world’s best Sangiovese wines. 

After walking through a cloister and a romantic Italian-style garden, the most unforgettable experience awaited: cooking class with Linda, who spoke impeccable English and began our class with making biscotti, then focaccia bread adorned with various toppings: rosemary, tomatoes and herbs.

The highlight dish was Spaghetti alla Chitarra, created by using a special tool known as “the guitar,” made up of a rectangular wooden frame with thin metal strings. Throughout the process, Linda was delightfully patient, didactic yet full of wit. A dream it was, to witness the fruits of our labor, then to taste it, paired with Badia a Coltibuono’s various renowned wines. 

Indeed, Badia a Coltibuono means “Abbey of the Good Harvest,” the legendary Tuscan winery traces back a thousand years of history, through the hands and minds of forward-thinking monks. For travelers that have daydreamed about rolling doughs and cooking pastas in Italy, then Badia a Coltibuono is where to be.