Letizia Mattiacci is a cookbook author and owner of Madonna del Piatto Cooking Classes in Rome.​

Letizia is a culinary professional and has been teaching about home food, rural traditions, food quality, and sustainability for over 20 years. She is a passionate home cook and has chosen to leave her academic career in biology to share her knowledge and enthusiasm about all aspects of Italy’s rural culture, food, and ways of life.

Letizia’s classes have appeared - among others - in The Seattle Times, The Lonely Planet, National Geographic, Dream of Italy, The New York Times, Food and Wine, L’Italo Americano, as well as on BBC2 British TV.

Why Madonna del Piatto?

For 25 years, Letizia and her family owned a beautiful farm atop a magical mountain in Umbria. The farm was named "Madonna del Piatto" which was inspired by an old majolica plate found on the property when they bought it.

The plate represents a medieval lady (Madonna) with lily flowers in her hands and pine cones in the background. Both plants symbolize enlightenment and rebirth.

Madonna del Piatto offers small group cooking classes in Letizia's apartment in Appio Latino, a lively neighborhood just South of Rome's historic center. Students from all over the world have appreciated Letizia's classes for the immersive culinary journey they provide and her innovative, experimental approach to understanding ingredients and the execution of recipes.

For more information about Letizia and to schedule a cooking class in Rome, visit her website https://madonnadelpiatto.com/