When eating the delicious dishes of the Maremma just isn’t enough, you should join a cooking class.

Like any region in Tuscany, the Maremma is strewn with cooking schools. Most are run by local chefs and housewives who are passionate about their food – the food that their ancestors have been cooking for centuries.

These schools are specifically designed for tourists, so they’re all in English, and are a chance for any intrepid traveller to get their hands dirty and truly experience Maremman food beyond what’s served up to them on a pretty white platter.

Depending on your class, you could be preparing pappardelle alla lepre (pappardelle pasta with an unctuous hare sauce) from scratch, cinghiale alla cacciatora con polenta (wild boar cacciatore with polenta), acquacotta (a delicious vegetable soup) or any other of the incredible dishes that define this region.

But it’s not just about cooking great food. When you join one of these classes, you learn the secrets of Italian cooking and usually get a healthy dose of the rich traditions of the families you’re learning from along with them.

Classes vary from two hour crash courses up to a full weekend immersions with trips to the local markets to buy fresh produce.

Some agriturismi actually run cooking classes on site, otherwise they’ll be more than happy to tell you where you can go.

And if you want to get in a bit of practice before you head off to the Maremma, visit my recipes page and recreate an Italian classic at home.