I’m writing this on a calm early morning, before heading to the market to get ready for tonight’s cooking class. The doors of my cooking school have reopened for the season, bringing back all the hustle and bustle, and you’re always welcome here!

New guests are enjoying the two cozy apartments on the upper floor of our farmhouse. Each day is filled with the rhythm of cooking, sharing stories, meeting new people, and helping them discover our beautiful corner of Tuscany.

MaryAnne and her daughter came here for the fourth time, from Vermont. She first visited this part of Tuscany in 2016 with a group of cyclists, and since then we have become dear friends. She joined the cooking club in 2020, and for the opening of Season 20, she was right here by my side in my farmhouse kitchen in Bolgheri to cook our very first live class together!

Every time we are together, we always have so much to talk about and so much to learn from each other. It’s always very special to meet her again.

Christine and Dan spent a week in one of the apartments and visited all our favorite places. I don’t think they missed a single restaurant and we had a really lovely time with them. They are from Virginia and brought us a delicious Cabernet Franc produced in their area and a fine salty chocolate.

Chris and Kevin , from North Carolina, also came back and stayed nearby for almost a month. Chris has a very special role in our Cooking Club: she helps us edit and test recipes before each season begins. My team and I are very thankful, we can say that all the recipes are truly well tested!

On a sunny day, we cooked together with two other guests, Susan and Peter from Maine, and we enjoyed a beautiful lunch in the garden under a bright blue sky, with a lovely view of Castagneto Carducci.

May also brought back another special guest: Giuliano Hazan, son of the celebrated Marcella Hazan, the woman who first brought authentic Italian cuisine into so many American homes.

If you’d like to learn more about Marcella’s incredible life, you can watch the 2024 James Beard Award-winning documentary here: https://marcellafilm.com/watch/​

The film follows her journey from a scientist in Italy to becoming the “godmother of Italian cooking” in New York. It features stories from Jacques Pépin and Lidia Bastianich, while covering key moments in her personal life, like the childhood injury that affected her arm and her long partnership with her husband, Victor. It also explores how she found a mentor in Julia Child.

Four years ago, Giuliano came to Castagneto Carducci for two weeks and, by a lucky twist of fate, he and his wife Lael rented one of our apartments. We became instant friends, and since then, whenever Giuliano returns to the area for his cooking tours with Marisa Allegrini from Poggio al Tesoro, he stays with us.

During this last visit, Giuliano joined one of my live online classes, sitting quietly in my kitchen and listening to all my explanations… I must admit, I felt a little intimidated!

At the beginning of the class, I introduced him to everyone, and at the end of the lesson I invited him to taste my asparagus soup. Luckily for me, he thought it was excellent!

After the class ended, we improvised a simple dinner together and enjoyed the soup once again. It was also a big hit with all our Cooking Club members who cooked along with me that day.

Even from thousands of miles away, they created such beautiful asparagus soups during our live class. Moments like these remind me that food is never just about cooking: it’s about connection, friendship, and joy.

Here’s some of their beautiful pictures and notes about the recipe!

Thanks for reading this newsletter, and please feel free to reach out. Your feedback means so much to me. It encourages me to continue sharing these slices of Tuscan life with you.

With love,

Chicca

PS: We still have a few spots open for the October 2026 Food & Wine Trip​, and I’d love to cook with you here one day, whether you join a trip or come as an independent traveler to ​La Casa Toscana​, our farmhouse.