Without a doubt, the highlight of our Italian vacation was a cooking lesson at Fonte de’ Medici in the hart of the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany.

The village of Fonte de’ Medici dates back to the 1400s and is surrounded by vineyards belonging to the famous wine-making Antinori Family.

The backdrop is absolutely stunning. Like something out of a movie! Just what you’d expect when you dream of visiting Tuscany.

Our day consisted of much more than a cooking class, but I will start there since that’s where we began! There were only six of us in the class that was led but the ultra charming and very Italian Chef Duccio.

Duccio was seriously the cutest and has my DREAM JOB! The teaching kitchen at Fonte de’ Medici is fully sponsored by Kitchenaid so it has every top-of-the-line cooking appliance and gadget you could ever imagine. I was most impressed by the blast chiller that chilled a bottle of wine to perfection in about 5 minutes flat. Yes, please!

Duccio taught us how to make pasta from scratch, pizza dough (that we drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, and tomatoes), and even Nutella. Yep- homemade Nutella.

We had the best time! Duccio was full of life and personality and took great care to explain not only the food, but the history and culture surrounding Italian cuisine.

After the lesson ended, the six of us made our way to nearby Badia a Passignano, a vineyard surrounding an ancient monastery that the Antinori family now rents from the monks and uses as a wine cellar and Michelin star restaurant.

Our guide walked us through the vineyards where the grapes were nearly ready to be harvested.

Leading up to the monastery was the most beautiful garden, overflowing with every herb and vegetable you could possibly think of.

Inside the monastery is where the winemakers store the barrels. The building itself is rich in history and even has WWII ties.

After our vineyard and cellar tour, it was time for my first-ever Michelin star meal at Osteria a Passignano.

Each of our six courses were expertly paired with wines from Tuscany. We began with an olive oil tasting and I was shocked by how different the oils can taste!

This tasting meal was such a treat. And, just as you’d expect in a Michelin star restaurant, the service was top-notch from beginning to end.

I cannot suggest this cooking class and winery tour enough. It is a bit of a splurge but it’s an incredible way to experience Tuscany. We rented a car and drove from Florence (it’s only about an hour away), but next time we want to stay in Tuscany for at least a few days and just relax among the vineyards.

We didn’t plan our meals very well in Venice, so by the time we arrived, most of the restaurants we wanted to try were booked. We did, however, find the BEST gelato and pizza of our entire vacation in Venice!

Antico Forno was so delicious that we went twice for lunch during our trip!

It’s nothing fancy- you can either order at the window or walk inside and eat at the tiny bar. There are lots of different pizzas to choose from and even different crusts like hand-tossed and a thicker option.

My favorite was the hand-tossed crust with Italian sausage, mushrooms, and crunchy radicchio. The combo of flavors was out of this world!

A glass of prosecco for me and an Italian beer for Jason and we were in heaven!

While we were eating pizza at Antico Forno (for the first time, haha), we looked up nearby gelato spots. We literally hit the gelato jackpot by stumbling upon Suso. GELATO PARADISE!

This was literally the best gelato (or ice cream of any kind) I have ever had.

We also visited Suso twice. My favorite flavors were Opera, which had a thick ribbon of Nutella running through it, and the strawberry cheesecake. It was perfectly creamy and tart. I can taste it now!

Suso and Antico Forno were certainly our most memorable dining experiences in Venice, but we also found other good eats.

Cichetti is really popular in Venice- they are essentialy small bites of Italian bar food that you can munch on while sipping a glass of wine and chatting with friends. We tried Osteria Ai Pugni for cichetti before dinner one evening and it was really fun! The place had a super cozy and chill bar vibe and the cichetti were fun to taste.

It was similar to bruschetta- slices of bread with different cured meats, veggies, and even smoked tuna. And of course a bottle of prosecco.

We ordered at least one bottle of prosecco at every meal during our time in Venice and I also had my fair share of my beloved Apperol Spritz.

Speaking of adult beverages, we checked out the world-famous Harry’s Bar on our very first day in town (I’m talking, straight off the airplane). Harry’s has a history of famous guests like Truman Capote, Ernest Hemingway, and, more recently, George Clooney. They are known for inventing the Bellini, so of course we had to try!

The bellinis were quite tasty, but we were all so tired that Harry’s was just meh for us. There are better spots in Venice for a drink, I’m sure.

My favorite dinner in Venice was Taverna Scalinetto. We were starving and tired after a day of exploring the Dolomites (the mountains at the Southern part of the Alps in Northern Italy!), so any meal would have sufficed, but we thoroughly enjoyed our experience!

The beef carpaccio was delicious, but I really loved the fried cheese bites on the side.

You know I’m a sucker for a cheese plate, and this did not disappoint! The cheeses were sharp and salty and paired perfectly with the sweet honey and preserves. The squid ink pasta was also a hit!

We definitely ate well in Venice, but Florence takes the cake in terms of food. Click HERE for everything we ate in Florence!