Locanda Demetra & Montalcino Cooking School — Restaurant in Montalcino

Wow, this will be an experience my friends and I will be talking about for a very long time to come. We stumbled upon this restaurant and cooking school after searching for a place which had vegan options as I eat strictly vegan but my other two friends do not -- always trying to find something to appease everyone, we were pleasantly surprised when we called to confirm a table resveration (there are 5 tables in the restaurant) and they asked if there were any restrictions or allergies.. always a good sign the staff cares about your experience! When you arrive, the building is unassuming (looks like a home on the exterior, fear not you have arrived.) To our surprise, from the moment we walked in the door, the staff was more than ready, willing and prepared to make accommodations. Aside from the vegan note, importantly, the service was impeccable - attentive, detailed, extremely PASSIONATE and knowledgeable. A type that makes you feel like you are in the extension of your own home. And the food, OH MY the food.. with everything coming from the scratch kitchen and the garden on site or the next door neighbor, you can only imagine how fresh and artfully prepared the dishes were. So much flavor, we ended up sitting at our table for 3 hours - a true Tuscan experience. EAT AT THIS RESTAURANT, you will not regret it if you care about good service, great atmosphere, and AUTHENTIC incomparable dishes. I can only hope to find something so genuine and pure in the states when I return home. 19 month old bread dough people.. this is where I leave you.

From start to finish, every aspect of our experience was excellent. Marta responded promptly and thoroughly to my emails (in English!) The restaurant is easy to find and parking is free and right on site. The location is just outside of Montalcino proper, but still within walking distance if you're staying in the city. Our session started with espresso on the terrace, from which we could see parts of the city and of course, out over the countryside. Next was Alessandro's tour of the garden. It's evident that food cultivation and preparation aren't just a job for him, but a passion. After the tour, we moved into the kitchen to learn how to make pasta, eggplant (aubergine) parmesan, and tiramisu, all from scratch. Alessandro walked us through each step, explaining what he was doing while showing us, then let us try each step on our own. After all the prep was complete, we returned to the dining room to enjoy a bottle of the restaurant's own wine while the food cooked. We can honestly say this was some of the best food we ate while in Tuscany. The fact that we literally had a hand in the preparation made it even better! The family lovingly remodeled every inch of this building. Alessandro and Marta's mother is an artist and her work is displayed proudly on the walls. In addition to the wonderful paintings, the entire interior just feels comfortable, like everything was thought through; everything has a purpose. We loved everything about this restaurant, the cooking class, and the...

We attended a cooking class as a group of 4 in August 2022. It was our favorite part of our trip! Giovanni and his entire family were so kind and informative. We learned about the evolution of the property, farm and vineyard before going into our cooking class. The class allowed us to make fresh pasta and learn how to roll and cut it into 5 different shapes and styles. We also made a meat dish and dessert. Our instructor was so sweet and personable. We loved being in the kitchen and in a true, rustic and Tuscan style of cooking.

After we made the food, we sat outside on the terrace with wine and bread before the food was served to us. It was a beautiful setting where you could see the town and the rolling hills. The food was great and there is so much! They pack up leftovers for you to take with you.

Overall we loved the experience and authenticity and would recommend it to others. Note the drive up is a bit of a hill but as I learned most things in...