Trip to Tuscany (Oct 12-18, 2025) with Bob Ross

Six people will plan an exceptional trip to Tuscany together over the course of four class meetings between January and September. You’ll prepare and eat a simple, seasonal Italian recipe at each class, as you plan the details of your October 2025 Tuscan 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 October trip.
You'll be guided throughout by Bob 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 guide the class in planning the journey.

Details

• The week of the trip is firmly set for Oct. 12-18, 2025.
• 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 $2,200 - $2,700, including roundtrip airfare from Seattle, and will depend on the final itinerary created by the group.
• It’s strongly advised to consider adding an extension to the trip prior to or following the week we’ll be together. Options and ideas for places and experiences to explore for this time will be discussed during our meetings together.

Schedule of class meetings

Peposo Dell’Impruneta — Saturday, Jan. 18

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 middle of October. 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  — Saturday, March 22

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 1891and, 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, June 7

Our last class before blasting off and we’ll start fine-tuning each of our days in Tuscany. For those who are adding trips either before or after, we’ll discuss the many options one can plan for. This will include a discussion of the iconic train trip from Florence to Venice for a few days of exploring this remarkable and historic place. Not to be missed!  We’ll be joined via Zoom with Tommaso Becucci, a local Florence/Impruneta guide to discuss the Cinque Terra, Amalfi Coast, Lucca and Rome, all easily accessible from Florence.

Materials

Class Policies

Instructors or Guides