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About us

Gather. Taste. Learn. Transform.

Anna Tasca Lanza

Founded in 1989 by Anna Tasca Lanza herself, the school began in the heart of rural Sicily, nestled among wheat fields, olive groves, and vineyards. It was never just about recipes. It was an invitation into Sicily’s deep-rooted food systems and agricultural traditions. From the beginning, Anna Tasca Lanza has been more than a place. It is a philosophy. A bridge between past and future, land and community, body and mind.

 

We believe that food traditions are living systems. They must adapt and respond to today’s challenges and tomorrow’s needs. Our approach is grounded in what we call regenerative continuity: honoring the past while making space for innovation, inclusivity, and ecological care.

 

We teach through doing: guests touch, smell, and taste the land through its ingredients. We celebrate food traditions not as relics to preserve, but as systems to regenerate and evolve. Our approach encourages critical thinking and equips people to make food choices that are ethical, meaningful, and sustainable.

We believe

Food is more than nourishment. It is a key to understanding history, culture, and change. It carries generational memory and the wisdom of the land.

Food is a universal language. It connects us across time and place. Whether you are a home cook, professional chef, or curious traveler, we create space where food nurtures connection and shared understanding.

The body holds memory. Taste, scent, and touch awaken emotion and ground us in place and time. Sensory experience is the most direct way to reconnect with ourselves, with others, and with the land.

Awareness is regenerative. Knowing where our food comes from, and the hands and systems behind it, deepens gratitude and invites more thoughtful living.

Cooking, eating, and sharing a meal is a circular act. A movement of care, culture, and exchange. It is life in motion, and it is the essence we honor at Anna Tasca Lanza.

The Anna Tasca Lanza Story

My mother started this adventure in 1987 when nobody in Italy was talking nor caring about food as much as they do now. Using the little bit of land given to her by my grandfather from the family estate (which has belonged to my family since the early 1800s) she opened her doors to visitors from America and taught them about food from the heart of Sicily. Around her, the wheat and wine produced by her father and his father before him continued growing and growing. My mother belonged to an aristocratic family and had been trained to have good manners: to speak proper English and French, and cook gracefully. Which she did until I was grown up and left home. Then, she decided she wanted to make something different with her life and opened up the school and started traveling across the United States; adventurous, pioneering, smiling, and curious. No one could understand why she would forge such a path, but she went forward with tremendous success, being recognized by the most prominent figures and institutions of cuisine in America for her work. This is her legacy, which has been given to me to nourish.

For the past fifteen years, I have run the school. We have continued to expand my mother’s mission of connecting and sharing with guests from around the world. But like all good gardens, we have grown and evolved. Anna Tasca Lanza has expanded as a non-profit bound to researching the roots and the reasons of Sicilian culinary history, and also to Cook the Farm, an immersive and experiential food education method that brings together participants from around the world to cook, eat and think about food landscapes.

No good food without good agriculture, is my motto.

My mother was a visionary, and her work has revealed to me two things that I believe are the foundation of Anna Tasca Lanza. First, that I discovered, luckily young enough, that love piles up. The fact that this place has been cherished and loved generation after generation shows deeply. It is the soul of Case Vecchie. And secondly, that my mothers’ vision was free, like any good vision should be. Free from the ties of the market and bound to her intentions. I think this should be the lead for everyone—it is definitely for me. You are truly privileged, not when you have money or power, but when you can listen to what your internal voice has to say. This I saw in my mother and is my commitment today.

Team

A good team is fundamental to working with joy. To keep up with the bustle of day-to-day life at Case Vecchie you’ll find a loyal staff of housekeepers, kitchen help and groundskeepers in addition to a gracious international team leading our hospitality and educational programs.

Anna Tasca Lanza

Founder

Anna Tasca Lanza was the first of four children (born Tasca, married to a Lanza) and had always lived in Palermo. At 15 she was sent to L’Ecole Ménagère de Lausanne Briamond, where she learned some notions of French cuisine and, basically, how to be a good wife. After marrying and raising Fabrizia, Anna took up the project of breathing new life into Case Vecchie. Within a few years, Anna knew and worked with stars of international cuisines such as Julia Child, James Beard, Alice Waters, Carol Field, Robert Mondavi, and the Coppolas. Anna went on to publish two books in America, The Heart of Sicily and Flavours of Sicily.

Fabrizia Lanza

Director

Fabrizia Lanza is a storyteller, educator, and cultural curator who invites people to rethink their relationship with food, starting from the ground up. As director of the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School in rural Sicily, she creates immersive spaces where flavor becomes a lens for exploring culture, agriculture, memory, and change.

Born in Palermo in 1961, Fabrizia was raised among wheat fields, olive groves, and vineyards on her family’s centuries-old estate. Though she initially pursued art history and museum curation, she returned home in 2006 to join her mother, Anna Tasca Lanza, in running the school. After taking the helm in 2010, she expanded its mission into one of experiential food education and cultural regeneration.

She is the author of Coming Home to Sicily and The Food of Sicily, and the producer of two documentaries, Amuri and Amaro. Through her writing, teaching, and research, she preserves traditional knowledge while cultivating space for new food stories to emerge.

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Francesca Farris

Cook the Farm Program Director

Half American, half Sardinian, Francesca grew up running around her parent's Italian restaurant in Houston, Texas. With a background in food anthropology and agriculture, she has worked on livestock farms, at a wood fired sourdough bakery, and apprenticed with a Sardinian shepherd. Passionate for experiential and immersive learning, she is the Program Director of our six-week Sicilian Cook the Farm and is spearheading the launch of Cook the Farm Sardinia.

Luísa Torres

Hospitality Manager

Luísa comes from Portugal and has a background in Fine Arts and Gastronomic Sciences. She likes to think creatively about the world of food. For her, curiosity is the most important human trait – she believes it's what makes us live the best of life! She joined the ATL team in 2024 and helps take care of all our lovely guests. 

She's very passionate about nature and it's there where she feels the happiest. This is the reason why the landscapes around Case Vecchie are a true heaven for her. She loves the simple and yet precious things about food: picking fruits, foraging, or spending an afternoon podding fava beans are some of her favorite activities.

Viviana Calvagno

Hospitality Coordinator

Viviana is an art historian whose research on food and ecology has led her to work as a cook and teacher. She grew up in Rome and, after longing for the countryside, happily made her way back to Sicily, the region where her dad is from. She loves to think of food as a tool to critically engage people and strongly believes that exploring food and sharing meals will save this world. In the summer months you can find her cooking and sailing across the Mediterranean, while in the winter she won’t be far from a warm fire and a bowl of soup

Leah Morano

Chef in Residence

Leah has always been curious about different ways of living and eating and has spent a lot of time traveling and trying new things. Originally from Pennsylvania, she learned to cook in Tuscany and has spent the past few years cooking for retreats and artists residencies in the German countryside and around Europe. She views food as a means of exploration and facilitating connection - with ourselves, between people, and with our surrounding landscapes - and continually marvels at the magic of this process.

Felice

Mascot of Case Vecchie

Felice means happy in Italian. She is the mascot of Case Vecchie and is indeed the happiest dog ever! You can find her sunbathing in the courtyard when she's not chasing around some chicken or lizard. She loves to join on walks and is always up for cuddles and belly rubs. She will definitely be the first one to come greet you each morning!

Henna Garrison

Former Cook the Farm Program Director, Forever Team Leader

With a Master’s degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Food Culture and Communication, she has always been fascinated by how food is perceived and expressed. Henna has worked at ATL since 2017, running the Cook the Farm program and general management of the school. If you're lucky, you'll catch her around the table at Case Vecchie.

Adriana Zanchi

Social Media Manager

Hailing from Burano, a small and colourful island in the Lagoon of Venice, Adriana has a background in Gastronomic Sciences, Communications and Education.

After working with Slow Food, developing educational events and programs for children and young adults, she moved from France to Italy, to Spain and Greece to complete her Master's Degree in Sustainable Management of Food Quality.

She joined the team in 2018 and has worn many hats since then — she now manages our social media profiles with a focus on sharing the values and the work of Anna Tasca Lanza with our wide online audience.

Adriana collaborates remotely while living in the U.K. where she works as an educator and cookery teacher at her local community garden. Despite the distance, she makes sure to visit as much as possible, because she loves Case Vecchie (and Felice) too much!

Giovanna Di Bella

Head of Housekeeping

Giovanna was born in Vallelunga, where her family is from. She is married to Pompeo, who also works on the estate and they have a daughter and a son who were raised at Case Vecchie. She has been working for ATL since 1994 and was one of the first employees of Anna Tasca Lanza. She is the true queen of Case Vecchie. She knows everything there is to know about the house and its inhabitants, is a tremendous cook, has a deep sweet tooth and is absolutely horrified by mice.

Enza Di Gangi

Pastry Chef

Enza is from Vallelunga. She is Giovanna’s sister-in-law and has two brilliant sons still in school. Alongside Giovanna, she has been working for the school for more than 20 years. She is fearless and the sweetest person one can think of. Her smile is a perpetual sign of optimism and good heart. Enza is an intrepid pastry nerd, driven by curiosity (which in Sicily is rare). She navigates easily the realm of traditional pastry and ventures gracefully into the world of modern sweets with great success.

Deborah Carta

Hospitality & Housekeeping

Debbie is the youngest and the most recent entry to the ATL team. However, she has been running the hospitality and table service with skill and graciousness for six years. She is from Vallelunga and just got married to Angelo, a young barber. Deborah is open, kind, helpful and positive: all the beauties and the ambitions that belong to youth.

Giusi Macaluso

Hospitality & Housekeeping

Giusi is from Vallelunga and has a lovely daughter who works as an aesthetician. She has been working at Regaleali for at least 18 years and she officially joined the ATL team alongside Debora six years ago. She is in charge of room service and is a powerful, smiling lady with a beautifully deep voice.

Soccorsa Raso

Hospitality & Housekeeping

Soccorsa is the only team member from Caltavuturo, a village perched in the Madonie mountains, and a one hour drive from Case Vecchie. She landed in the ATL team in 2014 with Giusi and Debora. Her sister and brother-in-law have been working at Regaleali for over 25 years and manage the hospitality at Case Grandi. She is a lady from the mountains, therefore she is a strong, fearless and a tireless worker. Soccorsa’s stunning blue eyes and beautiful smile are ready to welcome any guest, but don’t get in her way while working!

Giovanni Ognibene

Beekeeper and Maintenance

Giovanni has been working at Case Vecchie since forever. His father was here before him and started the garden with Anna. Now, Giovanni takes care of the vegetable plots and the bees, which are his true passion. The bees he takes care of are an indigenous breed called the Ape Nera di Sicilia. (Black bees of Sicily).

Arcangelo Dentico

Gardener

Arcangelo is the most recent entry to the ATL team. He is a very sweet man with a penchant for flowers, which is perfect as he oversees the care and development of our ornamental garden. From seed saving to propagation, Arcangelo keeps a keen eye on the growth of our plants in the greenhouse and helps Giovanni with the vegetable plots. We always joke that we are an “arm-to-table” place and he is Fabrizia’s right hand arm in the verdant realm of Case Vecchie’s gardens.

Who’s joined us?

Coming Soon

Upcoming Travel

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Anna Tasca Lanza &
Tasca d’Almerita winery

Case Vecchie is located on the Regaleali estate, also home to the Tasca d’Almerita winery. It is a magnificent and sweeping 500 hectares of vineyards, olive groves, pastures, vegetable plots and gardens that have been in the Tasca family since 1830. Originally a large wheat producing estate, it was transformed into a winery under the visionary direction of Fabrizia’s grandfather. Now under the leadership of her cousin Alberto, Tasca d’Almerita has evolved into one of the most important Sicilian wineries, leading the way forward on sustainability practices. The winery is a founding member of SOStain, an independently monitored project that outlines strategies to lessen the environmental impact of winemaking. In 2019, Tasca d’Almerita was recognized by Wine Enthusiast as “European Winery of the Year.” Anna Tasca Lanza is proud to partner with Tasca d’Almerita.
_2_5_ About us Regaleali Photo
→ View Tasca d’Almerita Website

ANNA TASCA LANZA COOKING SCHOOL

Contrada Regaleali, Case Vecchie

93010, Vallelunga Pratameno CL Sicily

info@annatascalanza.com

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