Villa Lucia - A private Italian cooking school

From the moment you enter the large iron gates, passing through the pathway of pine trees, you feel you have just arrived to visit your lost Italian relative. Dogs are playing, bikes are parked on the side, and the Gardner is picking fresh organic cherries from the tree.

Villa Lucia is a private estate, situated in a typical Tuscan village near Lucca. It used to be a hunting lodge and was beautifully restored. The large rooms have original terracotta floors, Italian bath and BVLGRI products. As part of the cooking school experience, the staff will take you to visit, the weekly market in the town of Pistoia, interesting cultural excursions, and unique food shops and wineries. In the evening we were sitting outside eating a candle-lighted dinner, which made it magical.

Watching a cooking show on TV is more interesting then reading instructions from a cook book but imagine you cooking with a chef, hand in hand, asking questions and getting tips for life. Add to that wine and laughter and you have lifetime memories.

Click to learn about : The art of living the Italian villa style.

Passport to Provence

Rene Berard has a Michelin star restaurant. He also won numerous awards, but his true loves is to share his knowledge.
His son already follows his footsteps and was awarded as the youngest restaurateur in France. The curriculum is feast for the senses, which sends the guests to pick up wild thyme from the hills or going early in the morning to the fish market to buy fresh produce. It also includes visiting a goat cheese farm and olive oil mill. The romantic set up of the cooking school is in a large private land, the Bastide, belongs to the Berard family and used exclusively for the cooking lessons and weddings. It’s a 19 century country house amid vines and olive trees, arches of roses, vegetables, herbs and fruit trees. What I like about Berard is that after the cooking lesson we were seating together by the table on the terrace, having an everyday conversation like I’m talking to my dad. For more info:The art of Fine cuisine in Provence

Wine and Family--a Love Story

"Wine" and "family" are both very strong words. "Wine", because of the passion it grows in people from the quest for the perfect sip to the love affair with a chianti or a pinot blanc and "family" because of the values, the devotion, and the sense of belonging it implies.

Nowhere else would one see them as beautifully intertwined as in this very special family, this "gem" we discovered in Burgundy, France. The daughter is continuing the family tradition of wine making, a continuation that, almost unbelievably, is rare in France. For them, wine in itself is a culture and the family is the expression of it. The vinous landscape of Burgundy, with hundreds of acres of vineyards, is enchanted by the smell of values and tradition. With some of the best crus of Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaunne, and Cote Chalonnaise fine wines this family's wine house is famous in Burgundy.

Everywhere you go, you see further evidence of the generational family gift: a contemporary yet luxurious Bed & Breakfast compliments the winery. Located on top of the cave, it dates back to 11th and 14th century. Charming and surprising suites offer unforgettable moments to be experienced here: designer furnishings, modern and regional materials, warm atmosphere--the perfect match of the traditional and the latest in daring, modern design and decoration. Amazing vaulted cellars, a beautifully renovated cuverie and Salle du Triporteur room and the guest pavilion with its three lounges beautifully complement the establishment.


Located in the very heart of famous Burgundy vineyards, the family winery is just 2 ½ hours from Paris by fast train. There, a chauffer – local wine specialist--is there to take the guests to wineries' tastings and dine and the best local restaurants. You cannot go to Burgundy and not have Tete de veau rotie or escargots. Of course, you would end the nights savoring a beautiful wine and hearing the stories, oh the family stories of grapes and adventures passed on generation through generation.


Ultimately, this tribute to the art of wine and the beauty of family traditions is a unique place. 32 hectares of love and passion that is a must see and a must feel.

Food N Wine Vacations wine tour presentation.