At least that's the plan. Over recent evenings we've become accustomed to wrapping up our long, lovely days of Tuscan sightseeing with delicious, relaxing dinners in the verdant, cypress-studded hills of this ravishingly scenic region. This is the first time we've lifted our fingers to help with the cooking, though.

The venue of our culinary class-cum-wining-and-dining session is Villaggio Albergo San Lorenzo e Santa Caterina, an agriturismo (rural holiday retreat) sprawled over two converted 17th-century paper mills just outside Pescia. This is "Pinocchio Country" - Carlo Collodi's tales about the naughty, pine-wood marionette were written and set here - and I'd be lying if I claimed to be a doyen of Italian cuisine (unless we're talking tuna pasta bake, a dish I mastered while at university).

Claudio and Oriela are encouraging teachers, however, and one of the managers, Diego, who is bilingual, doesn't mind rolling up his shirt sleeves and mucking in either. While Claudio impresses our apron-clad gang by chopping locally-plucked herbs and vegetables with blurring efficiency (with an eye on preparing classic tomato bruschetta and marinating two hefty chunks of pork loin), Oriela shows us how to make fresh pasta like grandma's.

For those more familiar with the dried packet stuff from supermarkets (me!), this is a welcome eye-opener.  We take it in turns kneading, rolling and slicing the dough into little strips, layering them on a huge wooden tray paddle. Then we get cracking on a giant tiramisu - a fragrant fusion of eggs, sugar, butter, mascarpone, coffee, cocoa and little cookies. It's not all hard graft. We sip a local tipple, Vigna del Greppo Montecarlo Rosso, as we work, and we don't have to worry about actually cooking anything (Oriela and Claudio disappear into the kitchen with the ingredients, along with some other stuff they'd prepared earlier). About half-an-hour later, waitresses deliver the fruits of our combined labour. Savouring the pasta, dressed in a bolognese-like sauce, some of us swear to give up that supermarket stuff and make it from scratch from now on (I can almost feel my nose getting longer as we speak). Served with greens, the pork loin is flavoursome and wonderfully tender. And the tiramisu? More-ishly good. Our mood is further heightened by post-dinner limoncellos. This is traditionally a Sicilian or Neapolitan liqueur rather than Tuscan one, but who cares? Certainly not my fellow travellers, who on the coach journey home belie their senior years - they're mostly aged 50-70 - with a gusto-filled rendition of Gloria (the 1982 cover version by Laura Branigan, rather than the 1979 Italian original).

On our week-long trip - Collette's Spotlight on Tuscany tour - we have ample opportunity to sample, and sing the praises of the regional food and drink. Sometimes multi-course meals and activities are included (with Marta, our Polish-American, Italian-speaking tour manager, present to bridge any language barriers); much of the time, however, we're left to our own devices, pit stopping whenever and wherever we fancy. Getting lost in the stone-paved streets of Florence, Lucca and Siena - just a few of the historic Tuscan destinations on our itinerary - is highly recommended. The architecture (both medieval and Renaissance) and the people-watching is first-class, and foodie sights and smells are everywhere. Overpowering the fumes from scooter exhausts and leather shops are the scents of espresso drifting from pavement cafes, freshly-made bread from pizzerias and panificios (bakeries), and pungent cheese, cured meats and garlic from well-stocked market stalls, butchers and delis. In Florence, trattorias and ristorantes have long drawn carnivores with the promise of bistecca alla fiorentina. I had this colossal T-bone steak - served darkly seared on the outside, bloody rare on the inside (as local custom dictates) - on a previous visit.

This time, I roam Mercato Centrale. Housed in a striking 19th century iron-and-glass structure in the vibrant backstreets of the San Lorenzo district, it's a long-time favourite for fresh produce-hunting Florentines. Since a 2014 facelift, it's also emerged as one of the city's hippest foodie hang-outs, a place where students and lecturers, financiers and fashionistas rub shoulders with, and munch beside, tourists from across the world. While the maze-like ground-floor hasn't changed much - dozens of fruit, veg, spice and seafood traders vie for business alongside stalwart food stands like Da Nerbone, which plies punters with Tuscan staples, such as trippa alla fiorentina (tripe and tomato stew), lampredotto (tripe rolls) and panini con bollito (boiled-beef buns) - the upper level is sleek and stylish with a 'street food' vibe and a tattooed replica of Michelangelo's David lording over the communal dining area.

You'll find artisan vendors rustling up everything from lean, vegan burgers to carb-heavy classics (in Italy, you can almost never go wrong with home-made lasagne). There are colourful cakes, Tuscan truffles and abundant liquid refreshment (including smoothies, craft beers and that iconic Tuscan tipple, Chianti). Cooking classes, demonstrations and sampling tours add to the market's appeal. It's not just the big venues - or the elaborate meals - that leave an impression. Throughout the week, I stumble across copious charming little joints. Ambling round Siena, in the alleys fanning out from Piazza del Campo - the sloping epicentre of the city's famous Il Palio horse race - I'm caught in an autumnal downpour, as luck would have it, just outside Toscana Golosa, a tiny, but inviting hole-in-the-wall (Via della Sapienza, 35).

Faced with shelves of lovingly-wrapped, Tuscan-produced jams, wines, olives and soaps, and a drool-worthy spread of hams and cheeses, I feel like a kid in a sweet shop, albeit one that's tongue-tied. Thankfully, the affable young staff speak excellent English. You can order all sorts of charcuterie-style platters, or create your own panino from the bevy of ingredients. Wishing to leave room for tonight's gluttonous meal, but wanting something to tide me over till the rain stops, I go for a plump prosciutto and gorgonzola roll, with sun-dried tomatoes and a glass of smooth house red. Simple, but yummy. I don't usually drink with every meal, but it becomes a habit on this trip. As in Bordeaux or La Rioja, wine is simply always there in Tuscany. If it's not being poured for you, it's begging to be taken away as a souvenir (shop windows and street displays invariably flaunt bottles of Chianti, or other local varieties, such as the crisp, white Vernaccia from San Gimignano). Cantinas (cellars), osterias (taverns) and enotecas (wine bars) tempt with in-depth tastings and indulgent vino-fuelled degustations. Outside the urban centres you'll rarely see a landscape that isn't crawling with vines (some of Tuscany's vineyards date back to ancient Roman times). Not that I'm complaining. One of our most pleasant afternoons is spent at Tenuta San Vito, a secluded hilltop winery, olive oil producer and agriturismo on Florence's wooded outskirts.

A whiff of freshly-crushed grapes hits us as we exit the coach and we spend an intoxicating hour or so exploring an estate that's been in the same family for three generations, and, in 1985, obtained the area's first official organic cultivation certification. "We don't use chemicals - only natural products - and everything is manually picked," says San Vito's manager, Neri Gazulli, who talks us through the labour-intensive wine-making process, leading us past giant stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels, before plying us with glasses of wine (and extra virgin olive oil with bread). I like the fruity, refreshing Chardonnay and their intense, ruby-red Chianti (made with 100 per cent Sangiovese grapes, it accounts for 100,000 of the 180,000 bottled at San Vito annually). I'm clearly not the only one who enjoys the tasting. Most of my friends are either filling out shipping forms or hauling bottles and boxes back onto the coach. I don't blame them. It's impossible to visit Tuscany without wanting to bring a slice of it home with you. 

FIVE OTHER TASTES OF TUSCANY

CAVALLUCCI

These almond and walnut biscuits, tinged with honey, are a traditional Christmas treat but can be bought year-round. Try Panificio Il Magnifico, one of Siena's most revered bakeries; ilmagnifico.siena.it

LA ZUPPA DI FARRO ALLA LUCCHESE

The people of Lucca have been reared on this wheat and bean soup. You'll find it on many menu del giornos (lunch-time menus). Enjoy a postprandial stroll on the city's 4km-long Renaissance-era walls. 

PAPPARDELLE AL RAGU DI CINGHIALE

Wild boar roam rural Tuscany and their heads loom over many a restaurant doorway. This fresh pasta dish, served with a sauce of wild boar and tomatoes, is very, very tasty.

IL BOSCHETTO AL TARTUFO

Shavings of prized white truffles infuse this mild, semi-soft cheese, which blends cow's and sheep's milk. Savour it during aperitivo (the after-work, pre-dinner drinks with snacks ritual ingrained in Italian culture). 

CREATIVE GELATO

Dolceamaro (cream with aromatic herbs) and Vernaccia sorbet are among the eclectic offerings at Gelateria Dondoli, an artisanal ice cream maker on the main piazza of pretty San Gimignano. Its owner is a ex-gelato world champion; gelateriadondoli.com 

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

italia.it/en

gocollette.com 

GETTING THERE

Emirates and Qantas fly from Sydney and Melbourne to Florence via Rome and Dubai.

TOURING THERE

Collette's Spotlight on Tuscany tour - which includes day trips to Florence, Siena, Lucca, Pisa and San Gimignano - is priced from AU$1689 per person.You spend seven nights in the spa resort town of Montecatini Terme, which rose to fame in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when well-to-do Italians - like Giuseppe Verdi - flocked here for its mineral-rich springs, opulent theatres and distinguished restaurants. While it's lost some of its pizzazz over the years, Montecatini is still an elegant base, with a slew of fine places in which to eat and drink. One top spot is La Cascina, a stylish venue edging the town's leafy, picnic-friendly park. It serves innovative Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine, although you could just go for cocktails in its trendy alfresco lounge bar. For a caffeine hit - and to watch the world go by - grab a table outside Cafe New York which  fronts onto Corso Roma, one of the town's liveliest thoroughfares. And fossick for pastries and sweet treats in Giovannini, a lauded pasticceria (patisserie) on Corso Giacomo Matteotti.

Steve McKenna was a guest of Collette