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Blue sky, starry nights, and a cerulean sea that touch infinity. Set in the quiet town of Praiano, the sleepy Amalfi Coast town has a charm all of its own. Off the beaten tourist track, Praiano sits between Positano and Amalfi, making it a perfect location to visit, not only neighboring Positano & Amalfi, but Ravello, Capri, Paestum, Salerno and Sorrento. Words cannot describe the luxurious setting… check in, relax, open your terrace doors and step into a world of magic.

Our hands-on classes while in Praiano focus on the Mediterranean diet of fresh local season vegetables, hand-made pastas filled with veggies, fish, meat or cheese; fresh fish caught daily by our local fishermen, and carne-meat grown by local farmers from the nearby mountain tops. You will learn the simplicity of Italian cooking, especially from this magical part of Italy, while eating healthy and looking good. The old & wise Italians, always say, “a great vacation is the best medicine,” and this program lets you know how.

In the kitchen you will be with our team of Executive Chefs, Antonio, Francesco and Company! Watch, try it and follow the lead, as they take you up close to Amalfi-style cooking. The hands-on cooking classes, set in our professional kitchen, explore the culinary delights of traditional Coastal cuisine and Neapolitan favorites.

The luxury accommodation, set like a diamond with a clear view looks out onto the Island of Capri. It is situated among the beautiful inlets of the breathtaking Amalfi Coast, a treasure of the UNESCO Heritage Foundation. Once a small fishing village, the prestigious resort is only 4 km from Positano, and just 9 km from Amalfi. This program blends Mediterranean style cooking on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Cooking Classes

Traditional cuisine reigns in this part of the world where old world remains in part due to the customs, culture and the UNESCO that protects the Coast. Each hands-on cooking class includes the making of an antipasto, primo dish (pasta or your choice), secondo (usually fish or meat) and a dessert. Praiano’s cooking class menu will have you making & tasting-

Cooking Class Menu

Totani e Patate, local squid, cherry tomatoes and potatoes slow cooked for rich flavor; Migliaccio, pasta, semola (an Italian grain flour), sweet sausage and Caciottina Lattari (local cheese) baked to a tasty savory pie; hand-made ravioli stuffed with eggplant and Mozzarella served on a bed of sautéed tomato sauce and Delizia di Limone, a soft creamy cake zested with lemon and soaked with a little Limoncello. Toast with a glass of local wine while you eat the foods that were prepared in class. You will be cooking like a Chef in no time in our cooking classes!

Every class is hands-on and you have the opportunity to learn from our Chefs who, in addition to being great Chefs, have a natural ability to relate to each student. Our classes also are created so that you will bring your new cooking skills & recipes home with you, and can recreate them in your own kitchen. Along with every dish you prepare, taste local Campania wines and learn about wine pairings with the foods you make and serve.

Praiano

This seaside town, the quiet neighbor to the famous Positano is situated in the heart of the Amalfi Coast. From Praiano, the views you enjoy span all of Positano all along the coast to the Faraglioni and mountaintops of Capri. Praiano also boasts incredible panoramic sunsets, as its position allows the burnt orange sun to set leisurely over the water along the divine Coast.

Praiano was once the summer residence of the wealthy dogi, dukes, of the Amalfi Maritime Republic, during the 10th and 11th centuries. It later became a flourishing center for silk trade and manufacturing. A natural wonder includes the coved fisherman’s beach, la Praia; a great hang out for a cool drink and a walk along il Pirata, the Pirate Cliff, and the Emerald Grotto. Praiano is a peaceful haven for those who want to be away from the crowds, yet close enough.

The Grotta dello Smeraldo, the Emerald Grotto lies just on the edge of Praiano. This natural cavern was once a dry cave, but the changes in the currents and land formations have allowed in the Mediterranean waters. At its highest point the cavern is over 75 feet high with stalactites splaying down toward the sunshine that enters from a tunnel under the water. With the light entering from below, the Emerald Grotto lives up to its name, as you enter the blue waters turn to turquoise then to the brightest emerald green deeper into the cavern.

Accommodations

The luxury 5-star property offers spectacular views and the highest quality service. A superior double room, with views spanning the sea, includes modern amenities such as air conditioning, mini bar, satellite TV, telephone and internet. From your sea view balcony you have expansive views of the Li Galli Islands, the mythical islands of Ulysses’ deadly beautiful sirens, and the Faraglioni rocks just off in the distance on the southern tip of Capri.

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Itinerary 
6 days, 5 nights

Day One: 
Arrival, Welcome Aperitivo & Chef’s Tasting Dinner

• Pick up at the airport/station in Naples or Salerno.
• Arrival at hotel, check in, relax and get comfy in your luxurious accommodation.
• Welcome aperitivo, a bubbly prosecco or cool red campari.
• 8 pm: A full course Chef’s Tasting Dinner. Enjoy your dinner and watch the sun set over the southern sea.

Day Two: Cooking Class 1 & Artisan Limoncello Visit

• Breakfast is served.
• Enjoy breakfast with a steamy cappuccino, a fresh squeezed orange juice and hot cornetto, an Italian breakfast sweet.
• Tie on your apron and get ready to cook! You will create a first, second and dessert using local season produce, cheeses from the local artisans, and fresh fish or meat for your Cooking Class 1. Everyone enjoys the foods that were made in the cooking class, while sipping a glass of local wine. End with your hand-made dessert.
• Yellow lemons make for a sweet sip of the Coast’s coveted drink-Limoncello! Limoncello, a light and zesty local liquor is made from the peels of the Amalfi Coast lemons. A tour of an artisan Limoncello workshop and negozio, store, will show you and have you tasting the local beverage, usually served as an after dinner drink. An informal discussion with tastings included.

Day Three: Sweet Amalfi Coast ~Amalfi, Ravello With Stop & Tasting At Award-Winning Pastry Café

• Breakfast is served.
• We call this our Sweet Amalfi drive along the famed Amalfi Coast! Along the way stop at our secret address of the best pastry café on this side of the boot! But first you will cruise down the Coast with your private driver, stop at an artisan ceramic maker and see the artistic ceramic tableware & volcanic stone tables that are hand-painted with the colors of the Mediterranean.
• Visit the town of Amalfi, a small town, set behind ancient city walls and dominated by Amalfi’s Cathedral, the Duomo di Sant’ Andrea. Other important landmarks are the Paradise Cloister, and the Arsenals that once held the ships of the Amalfi Maritime Republic. Amalfi was the capital of The Maritime Republic, an important trading power in the Mediterranean, between 839 and 1200. The 11th century Cathedral of Saint Andrea dominates the main piazza. The saint’s relics were brought from Constantinople to Amalfi by the Amalfitan Cardinal of Capua, Pietro, in 1210, after the completion of the town’s cathedral. A lively main street is lined with cafés, artisan shops and handmade Amalfi paper makers.
• Along the way, your driver will bring you to our favorite and famous dolci maker who has been baking and making since the 1800’s. Taste the one-of-a-kind Amalfi dessert Melanzane al Cioccolato, an eggplant layered with chocolate dessert, flavored with pine nuts, liqueur and orange (the taste will have you ordering seconds); Sfogliatelle, a flakey pastry, first made by the local Nuns in the nearby Monastery, made in the shape of a shell and baked with cooked cream, or Ricotta e Pera, a fragrant fresh Ricotta & pear tart. Informal discussion with tastings included.
• Ravello follows. This quaint town, often called the city between ‘Sea & Sky’, is suspended high above the coast, with sweeping views that span everything from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the mountains inland.
  Ravello is the home of the ‘International Music Festival’ and is known for its sweeping views-especially from the gardens of Villa Cimbrone. The town is 350 meters above over the rocky spur of the Amalfi Coast. Visit Villa Cimbrone, once the residence of Greta Garbo, visit the gardens and the Terrazza Della Rosa, or stroll down the path that leads to the Terrazzo dell’Infinito (Terrace of Infinity). From this point you can see the distant Cilento Mountains and the Licosa beyond the sparkling sea, the lush Amalfi Coast, its distinctive terraces of colorful lemon trees, and the typical whitewashed houses that cling to the rugged coastline. Ravello is home to quaint alleyways, ancient churches & chapels, and noblemen’s residences. Our hot picks include visits to the Cathedral, Villa Rufolo, San Giovanni del Tauro, and Santa Maria.
• VIP Gourmet Chef’s Tasting Menu - Save your appetite for a full course Chef’s Tasting Menu with our talented team of female Chefs. Elegant dining, award-winning food, and a carefully selected wine list make this dinner an event. The VIP Gourmet Tasting Menu includes an aperitivo, antipasto, pasta, main course and dessert; and each paired with a wine.

Day Four: Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast is served. Start your day the healthy way, with a 5 star breakfast.
• Cooking Class 2: Tie on your apron and get ready to cook! You will create a first, second and dessert using local season produce, cheeses from the local artisans, and fresh fish or meat. Everyone enjoys the foods that were made in the cooking class, while sipping a glass of local wine. End with your hand-made dessert.
• Afternoon free to relax at the beach or cliff-side pool or ask about reserving a massage with essential oils, deep therapeutic massage with Tiger Balm- just a sample of the spa treatments available.
• Dinner on your own. Suggestions provided upon request.

Day Five: Capri, Italy’s Glamorous Seaside Island and The Blue Grotto

• Breakfast is served
• A full-day visit to the Isle of Capri, where you can choose to see the Blue Grotto - the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’, or stroll along the port. The Blue Grotto has a special cavern entrance where the sunlight reflects on the water in the cave, tingeing it a dramatic Mediterranean cerulean shade of blue. Capri is Italy’s most popular and well-known seaside island and is just twenty minutes away. Once in the port of Capri, you can choose to take the funicular up to the famous Piazza Umberto. The square, better known as ‘la piazzetta’ , is perched high above the sea and offers a panoramic view of the Bay of Naples and Ischia. At the main Piazza, you will find many designer shops and luxury boutiques or you can simply sit at a café and enjoy a gelato or Prosecco Mimosa.
• A favorite place on Capri is Anacapri. This old world village that once captured the hearts of writers, artists and poets is dainty, delicate and quiet. Anacapri, the highest point on the island, virtually carries you back in time. Walk through narrow streets lined with Grecian-style whitewashed villas, ancient churches, and small bookshops. From Anacapri, take the chair lift up to Monte Solaro; pass the castle of Barbarosso, fields of Capri flowers and marvel at a clear blue sky that seems to turn 360 degrees above you.
• While on land in Capri we have reserved a private car tour with Signor Costanzo our native knowledgeable Caprese driver. Costanzo will drive and guide you to each point of interest, while pointing out fascinating historical sites and facts along the way. He will drive to the highest peak in Anacapri, and to hidden gardens and villas where emperors once reigned. A 4-hour excursion in the driver’s sporty Capri Car is included.
• After your stay on the island, re-embark on board with your Captain for a sail around the island. The boat tour includes a stop at the Blue Grotto (if open and weather permitting), and a swim by the White Grotto.

Day Six: Arrivederci~

• Breakfast is served.
• Check out and departure transfer from the hotel to the Naples Airport or Train Station.
• Arrivederci and until you return to Italy!

*Note: This schedule may vary due to inclement weather, saint days or festivals. All activities, in the event of rescheduling, are always included during the program.