Food grows in the dirt here. This 4-hour experience near Asti pairs a guided visit to Viviana’s sustainable farm with real foraging for wild herbs, then turns what you gather into a home-style cooking class. I love the hands-on ingredient hunt, and you’ll love how the cooking focuses on simple, family-recipes you can actually understand and repeat.

One catch: the home has no air conditioning, so you’ll want to dress for heat and plan for a bit of time outdoors during the farm portion.

Key highlights you’ll remember

• Meet Viviana (Vivi) on her hill farm in Piemonte and learn how she keeps a healthy ecosystem going
• See farm life up close: chickens, wild plants, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and even the geese
• Forage wild herbs with five senses so you can recognize plants by sight, smell, and touch
• Cook dishes built around the herbs you picked, not just pre-measured ingredients
• Eat your meal family-style with alcoholic beverages included (and yes, it’s a sit-down payoff)

Asti to Piemonte Hills: Where the Cooking Class Actually Lives

This experience is centered in the Piemonte countryside, with the meeting point at Agriturismo Serra dei Costa in Priocca (CN), then back to the same place. You’re not rolling into a commercial kitchen. You’re stepping into a real home and a real working farm, in the hills among vineyards and farms.

That setting matters for two reasons. First, it changes the pace. You’re walking, looking, and asking questions before anything hits the stove. Second, it makes the ingredients feel personal. Herbs and vegetables don’t arrive already washed in a basket. You find them, learn them, and then cook with purpose.

Viviana’s farm is described as sustainable, and she’ll show you what that looks like day-to-day. Think soil improvement through replanting, and creating conditions where plants can thrive. If you’ve ever wondered what sustainable farming means beyond a label, this is where the idea becomes practical.

Farm Tour First: Chickens, Gardens, and the “How” Behind Sustainable Soil

You start with Viviana hosting you on her property, surrounded by farm life and plant growth. You’ll get to see the animals (including chickens and geese), plus the garden setup and fruit trees like hazelnut and apricot. This part isn’t just scenic. It’s the foundation for the herbs you’ll later forage.

Viviana also explains the sustainable practices she uses. One specific example is replanting to enrich the soil. She’ll talk about building a healthy ecosystem that supports growth, rather than fighting nature. Even if you don’t care about farming theory, you’ll still benefit. When you understand how soil and plant health connect, you start tasting the difference.

A lot of people come for the food, but the farm portion is what makes this feel “local.” You’re learning how a Piedmont farm supplies its own kitchen, and how that changes what’s fresh and what’s worth using. If you’re traveling with kids, this is also where their attention usually locks on first—animals plus garden time beats another classroom table every time.

Foraging Wild Herbs with Five Senses (and Hands-On Dirt)

The foraging part is the heart of the day. You’ll forage wild herbs and vegetables together while Viviana explains the properties and traditional uses of the plants you’re finding. The big teaching angle here is recognition. She doesn’t just say which herb to pick. She teaches you how to recognize wild plants using all five senses.

That matters because wild herbs can be intimidating. If you’ve ever thought, I’d love to learn herbs, but I don’t know what’s safe, this format helps you build a real method. You’re learning visual cues, scent, texture, and how the plant behaves in the environment around you.

You will get dirty. One very practical tip from the experience itself: wear pants and a t-shirt. You may end up on your hands and knees plucking herbs straight from the ground. Closed-toe shoes are a smart idea for grip and comfort, especially on uneven farm paths.

Also, you’re not just collecting. You’re learning how to think about plants—what they might be used for, and how people traditionally worked with them. That’s the kind of skill you can bring home, even if your backyard isn’t on a Piemonte hillside.

Cooking Class on the Farm-to-Table Workflow: Pasta, Herbs, and Real Tasks

After foraging, you move into the cooking class phase where your ingredients become dinner. You’ll learn to make two to three Italian dishes from the host’s family’s recipes, with the dishes specifically highlighted around the wild herbs you picked.

What dishes? The sample menu points to homemade pasta alla chitarra or gnocchi, plus fresh vegetables and wild herbs. In the experience you might also see other herb-forward dishes appear depending on what’s in season and what you forage. Some classes include things like gnocchi paired with herb ingredients, and dessert such as tiramisu, plus dishes like veggie soup or herb and egg salad.

The key is that you’re not watching from the sidelines. Viviana assigns tasks and expects participation. That can range from prep work to hands-on shaping and assembling. If you’re a novice cook, this style is usually friendly because the host is demonstrating and coaching while explaining what each ingredient is bringing to the dish.

And if you’re an experienced cook, you’ll still get value. Learning how someone else builds flavor with wild herbs is not about memorizing a recipe card. It’s about understanding a logic—how herbs work with pasta, vegetables, and sauces in this specific Piedmont/Liguria region of Italy.

What You’ll Actually Eat: Garden Vegetables, Wild Herbs, and a Proper Meal

By the end, you sit down and eat what you helped prepare. The sample menu includes homemade pasta alla chitarra or gnocchi made with natural, healthy ingredients, plus vegetables and wild herbs. You’ll also enjoy the meal with alcoholic beverages included.

This is where the experience earns its price. A lot of cooking classes stop at the making. Here, the meal is part of the teaching. When you taste the herbs you foraged moments earlier, the lesson lands in a very physical way.

The structure also keeps things grounded. You’re eating Italian home-style food, not fancy “performance plate” cuisine. You’ll taste pasta plus vegetables plus herbs together, which is exactly how many everyday Italian meals build satisfaction: starch, greens, and flavor from plants.

If you’re hoping to leave with a strong mental picture of how herbs fit into real cooking, this meal gives it to you. You’re not just learning names of plants. You’re learning how those plants behave in food.

Practicalities That Matter: Timing, Private Group, and What to Wear

This runs about 4 hours. It’s listed as a private tour/activity, so only your group participates. That’s a big deal in a home setting. You get more time to ask questions and more chances to actually do the work, instead of rotating through a crowded schedule.

Language is English, which makes the foraging instruction far more useful. Herb knowledge doesn’t help much if it’s explained in a way you can’t fully follow. Here, Viviana’s explanations are designed to teach you how to recognize and use plants.

There’s no hotel pickup and drop-off. You’ll need to make your own way to the meeting point at Agriturismo Serra dei Costa, then return there when the class ends. In rural Piemonte, that often means planning for your transportation ahead of time.

Service animals are allowed, and that’s worth noting if you travel with one. And again, plan for no air conditioning in the residence. If you’re sensitive to heat, dress accordingly and consider lighter layers you can manage during outdoor farm time.

Price and Value: Why $170 Feels Fair for This Kind of Day

At $170 per person for about 4 hours, you’re paying for more than a recipe lesson. You’re paying for a private farm-and-cooking session built around ingredients you collect yourself, with the host guiding you through sustainable practice, foraging recognition, cooking technique, and then sitting down to eat.

What’s included is also part of the value equation: the private tour and cooking class with Viviana, plus alcoholic beverages and gratuities. That removes a few common “surprise costs” that can show up later with other experiences.

The main reason this feels worth it is the skill transfer. You don’t just leave with a dish. You leave with herb-recognition habits using five senses, and you see how those herbs connect to pasta and vegetables. That’s harder to get from a standard cooking class where ingredients are already prepared and the “why” gets skipped.

Should You Book Viviana’s Sustainable Farm Cooking Class?

If you like countryside experiences, want hands-on learning, and enjoy Italian food with a garden-and-herb focus, you’ll probably love this. It’s also a great fit if you’re traveling with family or friends who don’t want another museum day. The animals, the garden time, the herb instruction, and the meal together make it feel like one long, useful afternoon.

Skip it or think carefully if you dislike outdoor activities or getting on the ground during foraging. And if heat will bother you, remember the home has no air conditioning.

My honest take: book this when you want more than dinner. Book it when you want to understand where the flavor comes from—and then eat the proof.

FAQ

Where is the meeting point?

You meet at Agriturismo Serra dei Costa, Strada Serra dei Costa, 2/A, 12040 Priocca CN, Italy. The activity ends back at the same meeting point.

How long does the experience last?

It lasts about 4 hours.

Is this tour private or shared with others?

It’s a private tour/activity, so only your group participates.

What language is the experience offered in?

The experience is offered in English.

What’s included in the price?

Included are the private tour in Viviana’s sustainable farm land and the cooking class, plus alcoholic beverages and gratuities.

Is hotel pickup or drop-off provided?

No. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included.

Is there air conditioning in the residence?

No. As is common in Italian homes, the residence does not have air conditioning.

Can I get a full refund if I cancel?

Yes. Free cancellation is available, and you can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.