LUXURY GASTRO COOKING EXPERIENCES WITH PASSION IN PIEMONTE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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You will receive a payment receipt by return email. The booking confirmation document will follow shortly afterwards.
- Soaps, shampoos, conditioners, body lotion, make-up remover etc.
- Bathroom towels.
- Swimming pool towels.
- Bathrobes.
- Slippers.
- Hair dryers
Aprons are provided for the cookery lessons.
A chambermaid service is provided each day except for Sundays.
Recommended clothing includes: lightweight trousers, shorts, polo shirts, lightweight blouses. A cardigan or sweater for the evenings is often useful. Lightweight, short outdoor coats are useful in the spring and autumn periods.
Our rates are fully inclusive of:
- Accommodation.
- Airport transfers, from and return to Malpensa, Linate or Turin airports, or rail stations.
- Cookery lessons, according to the course you select.
- 1 x Italian bread and pizza making Masterclass, for 5 and 8 day courses.
- 1 x Yoga session, for 5 and 8 day courses.
- All breakfasts, lunches, dinners.
- Unlimited quality wines and spirits, beers, soft drinks, coffee, tea etc.
- 1 – 3 Wine tasting excursions, according to the course you select.
- 1 – 3 Food excursions, according to the course you select.
- 1 or 2 visits to local restaurants, according to the course you select.
There are no hidden extras, you need only account for your air fares, travel insurance and personal expenditure.
Malpensa has the most flights at reasonable prices. It is about 1 hour 15 minutes from the Castello.
Linate has a more limited selection of European flights only. It is about 1 hour 30 minutes from the Castello.
Turin has a limited selection of European flights but is very comfortable to check in and get straight to the gate in less than 5 minutes. It is about 1 hour from the Castello.
Bergamo is not recommended, and should be avoided. It lies on a very busy east -west motorway system, often choked with traffic, and can take up to 3 hours to reach. We do not offer transfers from Bergamo.
Malpensa has the most frequent inter-continental flights. It is about 1 hour 15 minutes from the Castello.
During your stay with us, you are unlikely to need a hire car. Our rates include airport, or rail, transfers. All excursions from the Castello are provided with our own vehicles and drivers.
For onward travel through Italy by car, we can provide transfers to a local Hertz rental station, about 25 minutes from the Castello.
The booking deposit is returnable in full if your booking is cancelled before 60 days of the arrival date. Balance payments are due 60 days prior to arrival and are not refundable.
We do offer guests, who wish to cancel after 60 days prior to arrival, the option of changing their booking dates to anytime within the booking year, or the following year, at no additional cost. Subject to availability.
We strongly recommend guests to take out appropriate travel insurance, once you have booked your vacation.
Our recipes for the classes, and for dinners, are carefully selected to include options for vegetarian preferences. Similarly, we can accomodate other food preferences throughout the course. Our ‘Guest Pre-Arrival’ form provides a space to include food preferences, also for allergies. We take food allergies very seriously and will inform the chefs of these prior to your arrival. Please ensure to add these to the form, if required.
Generally not, but Italy has seen price increases in fuel, food, public transport, restaurants etc, in common with many other European countries since the covid pandemic, and the Ukraine war.
To a large extent, our guests are protected from price fluctuations with our ‘all-inclusive’ rates applying to our vacations. We do not increase our rates, once a booking is confirmed.
Yes. For guests not participating in the cookery classes but including the itinerary excursions, we can offer alternative activities to the classes, including cycling tours (escorted or solo), golf, horse riding, walking (escorted or solo).
Please request further details for non-participant activities.
Generally, the climate in this part of Italy is influenced by cool breezes from the Alps and warm winds from the Mediterranean, resulting in warm to hot weather patterns during 7-8 months of the year.
From late April to end of June, you can expect sunny and warm days, with temperatures reaching 25-28C From July to mid September, temperatures can reach 30-35C. August, particularly, can reach 35-38C.
It is recommended that guests bring, or purchase on arrival, suitable sun creams and/or blocks, particularly for the July and August periods. Sunglasses are advisable whilst outside. We provide panama hats for use during your stay. We also provide umbrellas, in the unlikely event of rain!
Yes. The 14.5m x 6.5m salt water pool is available for use between 06.00 and 21.30. There are ample sun loungers, parasols, tables and chairs around the pool area.
Pool towels are provided in the pool pack, found in each bedroom.
All courses arrive each Saturday. We can accomodate arrivals on alternative days, on request. Please enquire at hello@montalero.com
Most cookery classes are in the mornings, followed by lunch and a 1-2 hour break prior to afternoon activities. which usually finish around 18.30, leaving an hour or so free before dinner. Saturday is an arrival and departure day, with no activities in the itinerary.
There is a free afternoon each Wednesday, after lunch until dinner for the 5 and 8 day courses.
Breakfasts and lunches are very informal. Lunches are from the cookery lessons and usually taken in the large cookery kitchen, or outside on one of the terraces. Dinners are served mostly on the main terrace, weather permitting, and are 3 – 4 courses, with aperitivi served prior to dinner. Many guests tend to ‘dress-up’ slightly for dinner, but this is entirely up to each guest.
Informal throughout your stay. For dinners, many guests tend to ‘dress-up’ slightly, but this is entirely up to each guest.
Recommended clothing includes: lightweight trousers, shorts, polo shirts, lightweight blouses. A cardigan or sweater for the evenings is often useful. Lightweight, short outdoor coats are useful in the spring and autumn periods.
No. All of our wine tasting experiences are very relaxed and intended for those with little knowledge of how wine is made, and for those more familiar with wine making processes. They are great fun, always informative and add to the gastronomic discoveries experienced on our courses.
The cooking classes are all inside the Castello cookery kitchen, which is spacious and comfortable with stools and sofas available for guests to relax between cooking activities. There is also a collection of recipe and wine books in the kitchen sitting area for guests’ use.
There are no long or strenuous walks or access difficulties at the wine tastings, food producer visits or restaurants. All of our wine, food and restaurant excursions are accompanied by an experienced driver and guide. Our vehicles are modern minibuses with ample space and seating for good access. Our drivers and guides are always on hand to assist guests entering and exiting the minibus and the excursion venues.
You do not have to take part in all, or any of the excursions, if you prefer not to. We have a 14.5m x 6.5m salt water pool for relaxing beside and extensive garden areas to walk and rest in. There are large sitting rooms for guests’ use, including a modest library.
We have 2 large bedroom suites at ground floor level, if a guest prefers a room without the need to climb stairs.
If you choose to not take part in the excursions, there are always staff at the Castello to take care of your needs with refreshments, or any other assistance.
There are robust handrails fitted throughout the Castello.
We can offer assistance with incoming or onward travel before, or after your vacation with us. We do not organize tours but can help you with recommendations for hotels, rail journeys, car hire etc. Please enquire at: chris@montalero.com
Check-out is before 12.00 on departure day.
We have no upper age limit. Our lower age limit is 12 years.
Yes.The courses and the language at the Castello are in English. Our teaching chefs speak fluent English. Housekeeping and gardening staff speak only Italian, so there are opportunities to speak to them and practice the language, if guests wish to. English is not widely spoken in Italy, so there are many other opportunities to engage in conversation in Italian during excursions and market visits etc.
Our excursions and activities are escorted by our own personnel, who all speak fluent Italian.
There are no problems with your allergies to mushrooms and truffles. These ingredients can be easily excluded from the dishes served to you. We have quite many guests with similar allergies.
May we assure you that we do not cancel courses, nor have we ever done so in 4 years of operation. In any event, we have a large number of bookings for all weeks throughout the season.
