SPRING PLATES
food | nature | creativity
May 12 - 16, 2025
Join us for our first cooking workshop hosted in the humble Italian region of Le Marche. Located between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine Mountains on Italy’s east coast, Le Marche remains a hidden gem for many. Its diverse cuisine, medieval villages, rolling hills and daring beaches blend some of the most authentic elements of the Italian countryside; just without the crowds.
The focus of this workshop is to share hands-on lessons for regional Italian dishes with kitchen tips and tricks to help make you an even better home cook. Together, we will shop, chop, prep, cook, bake, dine, and wine while enjoying the beauty that Italy has to offer. Our bodies will be nourished by seasonal produce with a strong emphasis on local, Mediterranean ingredients and recipes.
Food is essential for our nourishment and provides us with opportunities for indulging and bonding with those around us. Our diverse cultures, habits, and traditions all influence the way we enjoy food, yet one thing is certain: with good techniques and quality produce you can’t go wrong. That’s what this experience is about.
Whilst food will be the focal point of this workshop, we will ensure that there is time to explore our new surroundings. There will be time for slow mornings, leisurely afternoons by the pool, walks in nature and visits to nearby towns to enjoy May’s sunshine.
Come along! We would be delighted to have you with us and share the joys of slow and peaceful countryside living.
TRIP DETAILS
DATES May 12 - 16, 2025
LOCATION Filottrano, Le Marche region, Italy
YOUR HOSTS
Allegra D’Agostini is a Canadian cook and food and lifestyle photographer. She has spent years working in restaurants and hotels in both Canada and Europe and allows the seasons and her environment to dictate how and what she cooks. She is inspired by the ability of both photography and food to attract our attention and connect us to the natural world and to one another.
Veronika Kriz is a travel planner focused on the Mediterranean. With a background in hospitality, lux hotels, and event curation, her decade of experiences has come to fruition by organising intimate, slow-paced, rural gatherings. Her approach to travelling is conscious and curious, yet she does not compromise on lavish escapades.
INCLUSIONS:
Four nights’ accommodation in a luxury countryside villa
All meals in the villa
Daily cooking workshops and demos
Produce shopping with the chef
Visit nearby towns & local markets
Optional hike & foraging walks
Tasting of local delicacies
Transport to/from activities
EXCLUSIONS: Airfare, travel & health insurance (highly recommended), arrival and departure transfer to/from accommodation, and expenses during free time.
SAMPLE ITINERARY
Day 1
7.30 am optional run
10 am brunch
12 pm cooking class
3 pm foraging walk with afternoon tea
7 pm dinner in town
Day 2
morning at leisure
9 am going to town for Italian breakfast
1 pm alfresco lunch
3 pm afternoon at the beach
6 pm aperitivo demo
THE PROPERTY
Our home for the trip will be a luxurious countryside villa surrounded by nature 360’. The villa offers six bedrooms, a spacious garden with a shaded terrace, multiple lounging corners, and a pool.
ROOMING OPTIONS: Please read below carefully and choose your desired room type at the time of booking. Kindly note that we won’t be assigning other participants to share the rooms with. This is for your utmost comfort and privacy; unless you are joining with a friend/partner and wish to share the room.
This retreat is limited to a maximum of 10 guests. All prices below are in EUR.
OPTION 1: Ground floor double room with direct access to the garden and private adjacent bathroom
Room to yourself (single occupancy) - EUR 2,100
Room for two (bring your friend/sibling/partner to share the room with) - EUR 2,500
OPTION 2: First-floor master double room with a bathtub, en-suite
Room to yourself (single occupancy) - EUR 2,100
Room for two (bring your friend/sibling/partner to share the room with) - EUR 2,500
OPTION 3: First-floor double room, en-suite
Room to yourself (single occupancy) - EUR 2,100
Room for two (bring your friend/sibling/partner to share the room with) - EUR 2,500
OPTION 4: Shared bedroom with three single beds (interconnecting with the mezzanine below, shared bathroom)
First single bed - EUR 1,375
Second single bed - EUR 1,375
Third single bed - EUR 1,375
OPTION 5: Mezzanine with Japanese-style bed (interconnecting with the room above, shared bathroom)
Mezzanine to yourself (single occupancy) - EUR 1,375
IMPORTANT NOTES
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It is designed for food lovers, aspiring cooks and anyone who wishes to live hands-on experience with a professional to elevate their home cooking. It is also perfectly suitable for individuals who wish to connect with new people, enjoy organized group trips and like travelling to new destinations. Beginners in cooking are most welcome. The idea is to share some quality time as a group while learning, preparing, cooking, dinning and chatting together. However, please note that all activities are optional - if you prefer reading a book in a quiet corner or relaxing by the pool it is totally fine and an equally wonderful way of enjoying the moment. All genders are welcome and past participants were between 25-40 years.
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To secure your spot, we require a EUR 500 deposit per person at the time of booking. The remaining balance must be settled two months before the trip, by 12th March 2025.
Reserve your spot by hitting the “book your stay” button and sending us an email specifying which room type you wish to book.
In case you need to cancel your spot, you may do so before 12th March 2025. Read the full T&C here.
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Our home for the trip will be a luxurious countryside villa just a stone's throw away from Filottrano village in the Le Marche region. There are 6 bedrooms with spacious outdoors and a pool. Please note there is no elevator and limited entertainment on site.
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This trip starts and ends in Filottrano, Italy.
To get here, consider the following airports:
Ancona: nearest airport to the villa, around a 30-minute drive.Rimini & San Marino: second closest airport which takes about 1h 30 min driving to reach the villa.
Bologna: well-connected and frequently used one. You can then drive to the villa (approx 2h 30 min) or take a fast train to Ancona (approx 1h 45 min).
Perugia: takes about 1h 15 min drive to reach the villa.
Should you arrive from another location or consider a different airport, feel free to contact us so we can better assist you in reaching the final destination.
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Tends to be pleasantly warm with temperatures around 22-25 degrees daytime filled with sunny days, first sea dips and overall ideal for spending time outdoors, hiking and enjoying the freshest produce that spring has to offer. A light jumper for early mornings/evenings and a swimming costume are recommended.
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Most meals will be served as a family-style sharing menu in the villa. If you have any allergies or food intolerances, please let us know when reserving your spot. Kindly note that during external activities we cannot guarantee cross-contamination. We will do our best to manage allergies with prior knowledge and cater for all diets.
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All activities are optional and subject to weather conditions. Should the weather prove challenging some excursions may be altered.
Please note there will be a photographer joining us on this retreat to document the whole experience. Whilst pictures will be taken, we respect if someone does not wish to be captured or have their faces visible.
If you have any questions about this retreat, please get in touch right here.