Trip to Tuscany (May 3-9) with Bob Ross

Join longtime traveler to Tuscany, Robert Ross, and his group of local Italian friends to experience a deep, delicious, and warm dive into the food, gardens, and culture of a Tuscan spring. Six people will plan an exceptional trip to Tuscany together over the course of three monthly class meetings on February 7, March 8, April 4.

In each class, you’ll prepare and eat a simple, seasonal Italian recipe , as you plan a custom itinerary for your May 3-9 Tuscany adventure.

You’ll be joined by guest travel writers and photographers, including Florence-area garden and cultural guides who will provide insight and guidance during planning. In one session, you’ll be joined via Zoom by a Florence-area chef team that will host one of the cooking classes in their private residence during the May trip.

You'll be guided by Robert Ross, a landscape architect, thoughtful home cook, and a longtime traveler to Tuscany, where he is studying the Renaissance gardens of Florence and learning how to cook the traditional foods of central Italy. His Italian connections, friendships, and experiences will inform the class in planning the journey.

Details

The week of the trip is firmly set for May 3-9, 2026.

You’ll be responsible for your own travel to and from Italy and the costs for classes, guiding fees, accommodations, and food while there. Estimates of these costs can range from $2750 to $3000 including roundtrip airfare from Seattle and will depend on the final itinerary created by the group.

Our  accommodations will be at the Bellavista Hotel in Impruneta, Italy. which s located just a few miles on the outskirts of Florence.

Peposo dell’Impruneta, Saturday, February 7, 2026

We’ll prepare the celebrated Peposo dell’Impruneta, or Tuscan beef stew. This dish evolved with the furnace workers who baked the terracotta tiles and brick for Brunelleschi’s famous Duomo in Florence in the early 1400s. It remains a Tuscan favorite with deep roots in Italian lore.

We’ll take a deep look at the Tuscany part of Italy with a detailed presentation prepared that includes an overview of the cooking and garden visiting opportunities for the Tuscan spring. You'll be provided a map of Tuscany and a list of various activities with websites to explore for further discussion in following classes. We’ll start to brainstorm what the trip will look and feel like and begin to discuss key areas to visit, expectations, and transportation. Notes of our discussion will be forwarded to all so you can begin to think more specifically about trip dynamics.

Gnocchi alla Romana, Sunday, March 8, 2026

We’ll prepare another Tuscan traditional dish, Gnocchi alla Romana, a semolina flour-based pasta. This recipe is from Pellegrino Artusi’s famous Italian cookbook published in 1891 and, while not well-known, considered a cherished local delight especially with an added Italian-style béchamel sauce.

We’ll be joined by a Bainbridge Island travel writer who has hiked extensively in Italy and has written a popular guidebook. She'll share tips and insights on how to record key moments and experiences. We’ll also be joined by a local food photographer who will provide ideas about how to best take flattering images of the culinary creations made in our classes. She’ll have some thoughts regarding how to best use various systems for organizing photos of the experience.

Spaghetti alla Nerano, Saturday, April 4, 2026 

Although not strictly a Tuscan dish, Spaghetti alla Nerano is a simple, seasonal recipe well known in several variations throughout Italy. Most recently made popular by Stanley Tucci traveling the Amalfi Coast, it focuses on a primavera vegetable, pasta, and lots of Parmigiano Reggiano. A good Sangiovese wine will be served.

We’ll have a zoom discussion with a married chef couple in the Florence area, in whose home we'll be taking a  comprehensive pasta class. Mirella and Stefano provide unique cooking adventures in the home built by her grandfather and have strong cultural connections to Tuscan foods. And we’ll be joined for a brief Zoom session with an accomplished Florentine Renaissance garden guide who will suggest a few gardens we should consider visiting.

Materials

Class Policies

Instructors or Guides