At each property organic gardens grow an abundant supply of tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, Swiss chard, peppers, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, lemons, grapes, basil, parsley and oregano at all our locations. Emphasis is placed on using seasonal fruits and vegetables, picked daily from the garden in all our recipes.  Programs in the cities of Rome and Florence include marketplace visits, instead.

Our cooking programs range in location from the northern Lakes region to Siena, Florence, and Montepulciano to the center of Rome and onto the Amalfi Coast& Positano, Sorrento, Ravello and Capri (by hydrofoil) to Sicily. Classes are held twelve months per year, daily. Private classes and speical vegetarian, Kosher are available upon request. Cooking Vacations staff members, drivers and guides speak fluent English and Italian.

Recipes
The recipes used in our Cooking Vacations’ programs are authentic and have been passed down from generation to generation.  In our Positano & Naples class, we include recipes handed down from my great grandmother Lucia. Each recipe, and in every cooking class, represents the many of Italy.  Italy is a land blessed with the sun and is gastronomically rich - producing a bounty of fruits, produce, fish, meat, poultry and game.  We promise to take you into the heart and soul of Italian cuisine. Classes provide techniques in preparing assorted antipastos, pizzas, soups, pastas, seafood, meats, vegetables and desserts. Especially in southern Italy, the recipes emphasize the Mediterranean diet, using extra virgin, first cold pressed olive oil.

Our chefs, range from grandmothers, self-taught chefs to Michelin-Star Executive Chefs, and share their cooking secrets with you in a comfortable setting. Notes are given for each recipe with hands-on participation. Classes include jarring fruits & olives, rolling out pasta, preparing full corse dinners, making pizza, baking breads and creating desserts. The classes are intimate and limited to a maximum of 6 people maximum. Each program celebrates the food, wine, art and music of Italy.

Food Trips, Market Visits & Wine Tours
Our programs include colorful food trips, market visits and wine tour that are authentic and very interesting for any food lover.  We take you to the bustling outside marketplaces, ancient villages where artisans sell their wares, cobblestone streets that twist and turn;  we visit the butcher, cheese farm, wine bottega and fishing port. You will see the fishermen come in at sunrise with their daily catch.  Our food trips stroll through the Tuscan hills dotted with sunflowers, or to artisan mozzarella & Parmigiano makers, and old-world olive oil producers.  The excursions immerse you into the daily culture of real people and their daily life. From the vineyards of Chianti to Avellino, vineyard trips include wine tastings and lunch. You will sample varieties of wines and liqueurs, meet the producers, and participate in discussions.  

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