The Ecology of Luxury: Enfleurage and the Essence of Tuscany with Mia LaRocca
The Ecology of Luxury: Enfleurage and the Essence of Tuscany.
This offering will usher us into a world of perfume, leather, truffles and the iconic bistecca fiorentina. We will lift the veil behind Tuscan traditions and craftsmanship to encounter how this idea of luxury is supported by delicate ecologies.
I’m so thrilled to welcome Mia LaRocca as a guest host at Enoteca Marilu to share her incredible knowledge with us in a new workshop where we capture the Tuscan spring by making our own solid perfumes and explore the ecology of luxury – perfume, truffles, leather and bistecca in Tuscany.
Mia is a a beekeeper by practice, based in the Majella National Park of Abruzzo and she has just completed a gardening residency at Anna Tasca Lanza in Sicily, which is where we first met and where she began developing her interest in the ancient art of enfleurage, the practice of extracting scent from plants and flowers.
Join us May 21-24, 2025, in Tuscany
The itinerary:
Wednesday, May 21 — We meet at Enoteca Marilu in San Miniato, our base for the workshop. Here, we start with Mia giving us an introduction to the history of and the basics of the age old perfume making process of enfleurage, followed by a walk through the Tuscan countryside to collect flowers for our own enfleurage process, which involves using local strutto, or lard, as the base fat that will capture the scents. We will have a seasonal spring lunch of local ingredients prepared by Emiko Davies with natural wines chosen by sommelier Marco Lami in the enoteca.
Thursday, May 22 — Today, Emiko and Mia will take you to Florence to visit some artisans in the historical centre of the Renaissance city. First, a Florentine perfumery that carries on a 700 year old tradition and houses a “library” of 1500 scents, followed by a visit to the Leather School of the Basilica of Santa Croce. We will have an informal lunch at Emiko’s favourite wine bar and also visit the fascinating museum of the Medici’s scientific collections at La Specola museum, the home of the Medici family’s precious wax models of everything from citrus fruits to the human body.
During our time in Florence will be exploring the connection between leather tanning and perfumery as well as exploring this larger question of luxury – which came first bistecca fiorentina or leather or are they complementary pieces?
Friday, May 23 — This day will be spent in the beautiful woods of the San Miniato hills, where we will not only go truffle hunting but we will also forage for flowers and wild herbs along the way. We will play with “enfleurage” in the kitchen, infusing butter with freshly grated truffles, making pasta and preparing lunch together in a hands on cooking class with Emiko and paired wines chosen by Marco.
Saturday, May 24 — On our final day, Mia will show us how to render beeswax and we will complete our enfleurage, getting it ready for you to take home. Then we will visit the local Slow Food butcher, Andrea Falaschi, a fourth generation butcher, where we continue our exploration over an heirloom bistecca lunch before saying goodbye.
Price: 1,800 euro per person
We have designed this intimate workshop for a group of 8 people to run from morning to late afternoon, giving you free time in the evenings to go and explore, rest or perhaps sample one of the great restaurants in town. We are based in the heart of San Miniato, right next to the main piazza, everything is within a short walking distance and there are plenty of options for accommodation in town for a variety of budgets (see our suggestions here). You don’t need a car while in San Miniato unless you want to exploring further afield.
What is included:
A truffle hunt in the woods on private property with a truffle hunter and his dog
Enfleurage masterclass with beekeeper, cheesemaker and gardner, Mia LaRocca
Hands-on cooking class with an award winning cookbook author Emiko Davies
Walk through San Miniato’s Vicolo Carbonaio for flower foraging
Visits to leather and perfumery artisans in Florence
Museum entry to La Specola in Florence
Lunch with wine, every day, including a meal out at a fourth generation, Slow Food butcher shop
An exclusive welcome meal at Enoteca Marilu with natural wines picked out by sommelier Marco Lami
Transport included for all the visits in the itinerary above
A gift bag of local goodies (you also get to take home the perfume you make)
The price does not include flights, accommodation, travel insurance or transport to/from San Miniato.
Accommodation:
We can suggest some places to stay in the area. San Miniato has a wide range of different places to stay for different budgets, many of them walking distance to the Enoteca.
Schedule:
We usually begin each day sometime around 9-10am and finish by around 3-4pm.
Getting to San Miniato:
San Miniato is about 40 minutes from Florence Santa Maria Novella train station and 30 minutes from Pisa airport by car or train, take a look at this info sheet.
To book or ask any questions just email us.
To book, we require a deposit of 30% upon booking; the remainder should be paid a month before the workshop starts. This booking is non-refundable, but we understand that plans can change, we can accept someone to take your place if you cannot make it. We reserve the right to cancel a workshop (with plenty of advance notice) and in this case deposits will be fully refunded. This is a small and highly curated workshop so there are only 8 spots available in each workshop.