Italian Cooking

Each region of Italy has it’s own style of cuisine but pasta is a staple everywhere, even if each region has its own varieties and shapes.. Apparently this wasn’t always the case for the poorest contadini farmers in the Niccone Valley, I’ve heard that, until a couple of generations ago, a lot of people survived on polenta and, for those living at higher altitudes above the valley, chestnut flour was the base ingredient .

Cooking Lessons In The Niccone Valley

There are two restaurants which offer cooking lessons in the Niccone Valley, Trattoria Mimmi is in the Tuscan village of Mercatale di Cortona and Ristorante da Gianna (Agriturismo L’Essecatoio) in the neighbouring Umbrian village of Lisciano Niccone.

Trattoria Mimmi, Mercatale di Cortona

You.will learn how to make Mimmi’s famous pasta fresca, and, of course, sit down to enjoy it at the end.

L’Essacatoio Agriturismo, Lisciano Niccone

Gianna, the owner and cook, will teach you first how to make fresh pasta. Then you’ll prepare a second course with both foraged ingredients and products grown on the agriturismo followed by a tiramisù for dessert.

Restaurants In The Niccone Valley

You can read more about Restaurants In The Niccone Valley if you click on this link which will take you to my blog. Since I wrote it, another restaurant has opened to the public at Castello di Reschio. The castle itself seems to get mixed reviews and the restaurant won’t be cheap!