Some experiences of our guests.
This cooking workshop week is highly recommended. Janos is a wonderful enthusiastic cook who serves us delicious Italian
learned to make dishes, we did that in the morning and during lunch we all ate it together, wine with it, delicious.
the surroundings are beautiful, we stayed in the old part of Bolsena between the Italians, what an atmosphere!
In the afternoon we swam in Lake Bolsena.
Mariët showed us many beautiful places, we walked in Tuscany where the Etruscans used to live.
in the evening we ate in a restaurant, or we ate at Mariët’s home in their cozy courtyard,
where Mariët cooked delicious vegetarian meals for us,
wine with it very cozy. a week for us to remember!
Thank you Mariët. See you soon sweet greetings Gladys and Ria

Dear Mariet
The culinary cooking week was great, especially Janos de Kok!
I learned a lot and saw a lot of the beautiful Italian nature.
What a wonderful week, I really enjoyed it
If a Mechanic is needed, I will hear it I am always up for a free trip to Italy
love Maartje

Hello Mariët
On holiday alone for the first time after the death of my partner. With a Volkswagen camper van to Italy.
Because I have a thing for “culinary” and appreciate Italian food, because of its simplicity and taste, I decided to cook in Italy.
I’m not Jamie Oliver, so a self-organized tour with culinary highlights through Italy was not an option (who knows, maybe next year?). On the internet you can find a number of organizations that offer culinary courses in Italy. None could convince me. Too expensive, too perfectionist, too stilted, etc. I am a “simple soul” myself and don’t want to make life more difficult than it is.
That’s how I met you and the website invited you to get in touch. I was late to register (2 weeks before the start date) but there was still room.
What a week. Full of surprises and special moments. Not a moment of boredom because of Mariët’s loose approach. The (apparent?) ease with which she quickly organizes something else in the event of an unexpected setback (an appointment at a cheese farm was canceled at the last minute) (1/2 hour later you are at a co-operative olive press) is striking. She is therefore not a “tour guide” but an enthusiast who wanted us to enjoy what she herself has enjoyed for a long time. Namely an authentic piece of Italy with a different pace of life and full of surprises.
I have been to Italy before (especially the north), but have now experienced that the true Italy only begins below Florence.
Besides what you would expect from a cooking course, making pizza, preparing dough for pastas, fillings and sauces, fish, meat dishes, etc., the cook was so enthusiastic that he took us to a wholesaler and involved his grandmother to give us some “bread products” and have sweets prepared.
Furthermore, that week there was a walking tour that I did not participate in because I was on vacation, right! Did some shopping that day, spent hours on a terrace talking about important and trivial matters and letting time do its thing: pass by.
Certainly not unpleasant in this environment.
I thought the second day, when we attended a concert and dinner in the courtyard of a castle, would already be the highlight of the week. But no, even more surprising things followed. A super enthusiastic cook / teacher. A boat trip around the former holiday resort of Pope X (four or five popes ago), which is located on an island in the middle of Lake Bolsena. Visit to a winery with 120 hectares of vineyard. In the evening, eat together at Mariët’s beautiful garden in the middle of Bolsena. Or eat by the water with a view of a red ball (the sun) sinking in the lake.
Mariët and chef Janos thank you. You have a big heart. Are wonderfully uncomplicated and inventive. The right ingredients to fill in an unforgettable week for me. And, oh yes, I certainly learned a thing or two about cooking
“Warning”:
Do you want a holiday with a tight schedule in which everything is determined exactly in advance and you can’t stand it when a day doesn’t go exactly as planned?
“Then this is not the travel organization you should go for”.
However, if you like surprises, are not afraid of changes and would like to have a holiday organized by a few interesting people who have two feet on Italian soil:
Feel free to book, you won’t regret it.
Greetings from a satisfied guest,

Ten days after the stay in beautiful Bolsena just a reaction.
Together with three enthusiastic students, I participated in Janos’ Italian cooking course.
It was amazing. First of all, the reception by Mariet.
We were taken by car every day to Castel Giorgio, into the interior of Lazio. In Castel Giorgio we were welcomed by our chef Janos with many bottles of cool water and delicious coffee. It was around 34 degrees every day!
What he taught and presented us in four days, in combination with the enthusiasm with which he does so, is great. After all the work in the kitchen, it is then fun to taste the dishes together.
We also did a wine and olive oil tasting and he took us to a wholesaler for kitchen supplies. An Eldorado for novice chefs!
In the afternoon a nice dip in Lake Bolsena and then in the evening something to eat and talk with each other.
The next day it is up early again for new cooking experiences. Janos is creative and inexhaustible, and luckily he speaks English well!
It was a wonderful week, too short, a few days of reminiscing about the beautiful Bolsena and its beautiful surroundings is definitely recommended!
Thanks to our hostess Mariet! Joke Pels

The next morning, after another delicious breakfast, we go to the restaurant Il Rovere where our teacher Janos receives us with a cup of coffee and soon we start making pasta, ravioli, risotto, pasta sauce, gnocchi, etc. . What a joy to do and then we can eat everything! We can not eat any more food and beg Janos to downsize the portions a bit because we fear that we will gain pounds. After the well-deserved siesta and a lovely dip in the lake, Mariët again provided a delicious light meal and provided us with all the information and necessities that come in handy during the holiday week, such as, the best places to swim, drink coffee or fruit and buy wine. Great welcoming and helpful and great food in the garden or picnic by the lake every night. The days fly by with the lessons of Janos, who very enthusiastically and patiently transfers his knowledge and recipes to us and lets us enjoy all facets of Italian cuisine. And the lesson with the 82-year-old grandmother for making the delicious focaccia and sandwiches was unforgettable! The photos speak volumes and the dishes really taste as delicious as they look! Saying goodbye to Janos and his kitchen is difficult for us, unfortunately you cannot take the sun that you taste in the ingredients and dishes in Italy with you in your suitcase…. The kitchen utensils we bought in the great warehouse and the olive oil from the olive farmer from Bolsena, that brings back the memories a bit. And after the last excursion to the winery and the beautifully situated Civita di Bagnoregio, it is almost time to go her home and immediately resolve to come back here. What a great holiday: the best of Italy was united in this cooking week in beautiful Bolsena and surroundings. And the more than hospitable reception and guidance by Mariët is a very important factor, they radiate their love for Italy on all sides and convey it to the guests. Activa Bolsena is a must in every way! Margret Leferink

What a wonderful cooking week I had in Bolsena! The weather was good, the apartment was fine and was close to the lake. The cooking classes were educational and fun and the dishes were delicious. I have learned so much From simple to more complicated dishes. And all kinds of useful tips to put a quick Italian ‘impress your friends’ meal on the table. Everything was possible and Janos was up for anything, really enjoyed it! The surroundings are beautiful and the atmosphere relaxed. Especially the small scale of your travels, Mariët, is what really appeals to me. Nice and ordinary, personal and no fuss. I enjoyed your company and the commitment to make us feel at home. In short; a holiday that really couldn’t be faulted in my opinion. I will definitely be back next year, you have a fan!
Saluti e ci vediamo! Monique

Dinxperlo,
Our cooking holiday in Bolsena. Last October, my brother and I came up with the idea of going on a cooking holiday. After wandering around on the internet for a long time, we finally came to follow the red shoes.
What attracted us to the cooking week they organized was the accommodation; the holidaymakers were housed in houses in the old center “in the middle of the Italians”, which was exactly what we wanted, and it was. We had a house on a square and lived for a week next to the Italians in the old town of Bolsena.
Our organizers have accompanied us from arrival to departure. We were met on arrival with a drink on a terrace and from that moment onwards, there was daily consultation about the planning for the coming day. Our days were filled not only with cooking, but with visits to towns, markets, wine and oil tasting and a wine festival.
We are also invited by Mariët for dinner in the garden, complete with palm and lane trees, a cozy fire, tasty snacks and all this accompanied by guitar music.

Our chef Janos contributed greatly to making our vacation a success. He made us feel comfortable in his kitchen and he responded to any question or suggestion from our side. After that it was of course a pleasure every day to eat our home-made meal together at the end of the afternoon.

We fully enjoyed this week, thanks to the creativity and commitment of Mariët, the cooking skills of Janos and of course the delicious wine that flowed in abundance. We are already homesick for Bolsena, so hopefully see you next year!