The School | Italian Cuisine International School of Italian Cooking

Passing on the passion for cooking

Our Philosophy

Dedication, passion, willingness, internationality, and professionalism are the values that distinguish our daily work and make our school for over 30 years train Chefs from all over the world.

Enrolling in our school means having a unique experience: becoming a Chef in an internationally renowned school with an exclusive location in the heart of Lucca's historic center, supported by the best teachers in the food and wine scene.

International cooking school

Italian Cuisine

The school is in the historic center of the city of Lucca, which boasts a strategic location among the Tuscan hills. Our premises offer a kitchen divided into 3 areas: the kitchen room, where classes are held; the dining room, where meals are eaten after class; and the outdoor garden.

The origins of this building are lost in the centuries: it was the seat of the town mint, in the 1600s of a home for needy girls, and starting in 1826, thanks to Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon, it became the seat of the monastery of the Sisters of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, who lived there in seclusion for about 200 years until 2015.

In 2018 the place was reopened by adapting it as a Studentate while maintaining as much as possible the same spirit that animated the collective life of the place.
The young people staying at the facility are mostly aspiring artists from the worlds of music, film and acting who, by getting to know each other, have a way to complement each other.

The facility, in addition to comfortable rooms made out of the monastic cells, offers spacious study rooms, the cinema hall, spaces for musicians who need to practice, and a cloister-garden with centuries-old trees where they can exercise and relax.

Italian cooking school

Our school

Gianluca Pardini

Director and executive chef

Gianluca Pardini's professional career began in Tuscany, where from a young age he worked as a "piccino" in the kitchens: at 20 he worked at the Excelsior in Florence and then flew first to France and then to Japan, where he lived and trained for 4 years.

In 1986, when he returned to Italy, together with Paola, his lifelong partner, he successfully ran the restaurant Il Mecenate.
During the restaurant period he began his experience as a teacher, specializing in training Japanese chefs.

Since 1996 the school has been internationally recognized and has become a point of reference for young people who want to train in the field of Italian cuisine.
Various are the invitations at the international level for demonstrations and master classes of Italian cuisine: from Japan, to the United States, Russia, Lithuania, Ukraina and various others. During this time he has received various awards: Honorary Instructor of the College Of Du Page in Chicago, member of the Escoffier Association, and guest instructor in many Japanese cooking schools.
In 2004 he received the recognition of Master Chef and Executive Chef from the Italian Federation of Chefs.

Welcoming and professional growth

The Italian Cuisine team

Our staff has been working together for years to make the school a welcoming and comfortable place for growth and education.
Each person imparts their experience and passion on a daily basis, elements that distinguish Italian Cuisine.