Secret Garden™

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Join us in sunny Positano for our special women-only program and women’s vacation on the splendid Amalfi Coast. The exclusive “Renaissance Women” program is perfect for women wanting to join a small group or singles and meet new friends; or mothers, daughters, grandmothers, or girlfriends getting together for a fun cooking experience in magical Positano.

As featured in July 2010 – Click here to read more!

The Positano cooking classes bring you into the kitchen with our Chefs Filomena, Fortunata, Raffaele, Carmine, Giuseppe and Raffaele, who are professionally trained and eager to share their knowledge with you. Discover how to create authentic southern Italian foods while learning important cooking techniques for each recipe. The hands-on cooking classes include preparation of an antipasto, pasta, fish or meat dish, pizza, artisan cheese and delicious desserts during your week. This cooking experience features the healthy Mediterranean diet using only fresh organic vegetables from our garden and our own locally produced extra virgin olive oil.

This cooking program takes you on a culinary tour of the famed Amalfi Coast and its Mediterranean cuisine and offers a treasure trove of creative excursions and activities, such as a full-day boat trip to Capri, a Renaissance dessert class, an informal discussion on journal writing, travel photography and Italy’s Renaissance women. You can try your hand at a watercolor painting class and add on a watercolor painting with resident artist Pasquale. The Renaissance Women only tour has been designed for the female traveler, who loves to cook and loves food, culture, art and fun.

Positano Women’s Tour Cooking Classes

Tie on your apron in sunny Positano in our exclusive Women’s Tour Cooking Classes featuring regional seasonal recipes of the Amalfi Coast using farm-to-table ingredients.  Chefs Filomena, Raphael, Guiseppe and Fortunata, lead you in hands-on cooking classes using healthy ingredients from the farms of the Amalfi Coast

In each Positano cooking classes you will make regional recipes starting with antipasto: fiori di zucca ripieni – stuffed squash flowers, arancini, crochette di patate, involtini di melanzane, polpettini di melanzane, pasta: gnocchi, ravioli Caprese and scialatielli, a main course: spigola al limone, pesce all’acqua pazza, vitello Positanese, pollo con erbe e limone and dessert: torta Caprese, torta Vesuvio, babà soaked in limoncello, gelato and crostate, to name a few.

During the week, you will also learn the technique of making authentic Neapolitan pizza with our award-winning pizzaiolo, pizza-maker, who learned to make la vera pizza Napoletana, real Neapolitan pizza, in Naples. This authentic pizza making class shares the secret recipe for mixing, kneading and stretching delicate pizza dough and baking it at a high temperature in a wood-burning oven for a perfect crispy crust.

If pasta is your favorite, you can choose to add on our Pasta Making Workshop where you will make additional fresh, hand-made pasta with seasonal sauces. Fresh pasta making is an art in Italy, and in Positano you will learn to make it step-by-step! Believe it or not, Italy boasts over 1,000 different types of pasta, including gnocchi, ravioli, tortellini, cannelloni, orecchiette, casarecci, and garganelli, to name but a few.

If you are an advanced cooker or chef, we can offer the same Renaissance Women Only Tour with advanced cooking classes and make it a tailor made menu for you. Just let us know.

Accommodations ~ The Secret Garden™

Our charming Secret Garden™ Positano program is hosted at a villa-style Bed & Breakfast (B&B, 3, 4 or 5-star) located in the center of town on the sea. Decoration follows the Positano colors with cool ceramic tiles in each bedroom, along with private bathroom and shower in each room. All rooms are bright, clean and with an attentive staff. Amenities include hairdryer and air conditioning. Breakfast is served each morning, and daily maid service is provided for your convenience.

The Secret Garden is truly a magical setting, terraced with lemon trees, plush green gardens and set under spectacular bougainvillea, overlooking the sea. Guests can sunbathe on the beach or relax at one of the cozy sidewalk cafés with a freshly-squeezed lemonade. Step out your door and stroll past cafés, bookshops, and trattorias that spill onto the sidewalk. A panoramic view spans Li Galli Islands and the Amalfi Coast. The Tyrrhenian Sea is literally at your feet, and the beach is just a short walk away. As the sun sets, sit back on your terrace and watch the world-class yachts and local fishing boats ripple through the cerulean waters. Shuttle boats connect from each of Positano’s beaches and sail along the Amalfi Coast. From Positano’s port you can also take a water taxi or a private boat service to Sorrento, Ischia, Capri, Amalfi and Naples.

Mediterranean gardens and lemon groves dot the Amalfi Coast, and gardens grow almost all year long producing red cherry tomatoes, plump eggplant, zucchini and sweet oranges. Olives also grow in abundance thanks to the warm Mediterranean climate, fertile volcanic soil and salted sea breeze all of which provide perfect growing conditions. Organic herbs of basil, sage, parsley, oregano, rosemary and mint, line gardens and fill pretty terracotta pots set on terraces. The local organic herbs that we grow in our garden are used in our cooking classes, along with our own Extra Virgin First Cold-Pressed olive oil.

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Positano~“It’s A Dream Place,” John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck lived in Positano in 1953 and wrote, “Positano bites deep, it’s a dream place, that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone”.

Positano is a little Moorish-style village, discovered by American and British troops at the end of World War II. Its small winding streets are filled with tiny cafés, terraces, and artisan shops selling ceramics, limoncello and antiques. Take a walk along the stone pathway, the one little street that leads to the beach. Visit the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta in Piazza Flavio Gioia, a Romanesque structure that was completely rebuilt in 1700. The people of Positano celebrate the feast day every August 15th, when the locals carry the statue along the beach with a parade of musicians. A spectacular firework display follows.

In the 10th century, Positano was part of Amalfi’s Maritime Republic and rivaled Venice as an important mercantile power. It was an important center during the 16th and 17th centuries, when its ships traded in the Near and Middle East, carrying spices, silks and precious woods. The advent of the steamship in the mid-19th century led to the town’s decline; and some three quarters of its 8,000 citizens left for America, with most settling in New York.

Gracing the pathway that leads to the beach is the Palazzo Murat, originally built by Prince Joachim Murat, whom Napoleon designated as King of Naples in 1808. Murat wanted to lead the simple life, yet built a grand palazzo. However, he was killed in battle and never got to enjoy his palace.

The majolica dome, Positano’s landmark, is that of the Chiesa Madre, or the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta. It has a green and yellow majolica dome, topped by a cupola. It was built on the site of a former Benedictine Abbey of Saint Vito, a 13th-century Romanesque structure, and was almost completely rebuilt in 1700. The church has a carved wooden Christ, a masterpiece of devotional religious art. At the altar, is a 13th-century Byzantine painting on wood with the Madonna and Child, known as the Black Virgin. Legend claims that the painting was once stolen by Saracen pirates, who, when fleeing during a raging storm, heard a voice from the heavens, say: “Posa, posa!” “Put it down, put it down.” When they placed the statue on the beach near the church the storm calmed, as did the Saracens. Positano was saved, and the town’s name was established. Others claim the town was named after Poseidon.

On Positano’s famous beachfront is Tre Sorelle Ristorante, and Music On The Rocks. This lively area offers great people-watching opportunities. The footpath, Via Positanesi d’America, follows the sea and connects the Spiaggia Grande with Fornillo Beach. Three Saracen towers watch its shore: the most famous ones are, La Torre Trasita, La Sponda and Torre Di Fornillo, all from the 14th century. Set in the sea just a short distance away, are the mysterious islets of Li Galli. Legend has it that they were once mermaids and now have turned to stone.

Renaissance Dessert Making Cooking Class & Tea Time

Experience a unique dessert making cooking class dedicated to the Renaissance era.  Mix, make and bake delicious Renaissance desserts from Italy’s Renaissance and the women who sculpted Italy’s art, food and music of that time.  Learn about the foods, spices and recipes used by Catherine Medici, Italy’s most famous Renaissance lady, while making delicious biscotti and torte.  To help you learn and understand the philosophy and history of the women and food of this time, we gift you with a special Renaissance book (written by Gemma and Lauren at Cooking Vacations) with food trends  and original recipes of Renaissance Italy. Turn the pages of our Renaissance Women Recipe book and learn the tricks of baking Renaissance specialties just like Catherine did.

Watercolor Painting or an Artisan Shopping Tour in Positano

Suggestion: Add On a Watercolor painting class or Artisan Shopping Tour in Positano. Free time and group excursions are in perfect balance so you can tap into your hidden creative talents, paint, write and photograph. Featured is an outdoor watercolor class with Positano’s applauded resident artist, Pasquale for anyone that wants to add on. Take your brush and let your creativity soar.

Or if you love to shop, choose to add on Angela’s Shopping Tour where she takes you to the best shopping spots where local artisans keep the art of hand-made products alive. We visit a fashionable goldsmith, a leading clothing designer and shoe-maker. These treasured artisans welcome you into their shops and studios. Who knows, you may even walk out with a new look.

In your free time, step along the Walk Of the Gods, a glorious hilltop footpath high above the Amalfi Coast; bring your camera and hold your breath as you capture some of nature’s most gorgeous panoramic shots of sea and sky. If you would like a professional guide for the walk, we can recommend a skilled local guide to lead the way.

There’s no better way to experience Positano’s cooking style, foods and wines than in our custom designed Renaissance Women’s program created exclusively for you.

Program is 8 days, 7 nights

~ Saturday to Saturday

Saturday: Benvenuti a Positano & Full Course Chef’s Tasting Dinner

• Pick-up and transfer from Naples airport or train station to the property.
• Arrival, check-in. Refresh and relax on your private terrace with an aperitivo. Read over the contents of your welcome bag including helpful information that will acquaint you with the area, and go over your itinerary for your cooking program. Also included is your Chef’s apron and Prosecco.
• Later in the evening, you will be served the full course Chef’s Tasting Dinner at our favorite local restaurant. Dine on award-winning southern regional Italian food set in charming surroundings that overlook the panoramic Amalfi Coast. (Wine, drinks, grappa and an assortment of after dinner digestives are not included, and are available at a surcharge).

Sunday: Women’s Tour Cooking Class 1, Fresh Artisan Cheese ~ Cooking with Mozzarella

• Breakfast is served.
• Cooking Class 1, Pizza with Fresh Artisan Cheese: Tie on your aprons and get ready to cook! You will be slicing, dicing and preparing hands-on, homemade pizza using fresh artisan cheese. Follow your chef, step by step, and create your first delicious, authentic Italian meal. Lunch follows and everyone enjoys the foods that were prepared in class. Toast with a glass of local red or white wine and end with a sweet dessert, included.  Additional wines, beverages and after-dinner digestives available at a surcharge.
• Olive Oil Tasting. Join us for a tasting of our locally produced Extra Virgin Olive Oil. At Cooking Vacations we make our own extra virgin, first cold pressed olive oil from healthy olives that have been tended and cared for all summer long. We use only the first cold press Virgin olive oil. It means that the oil we bottle is pressed only one time giving it a clean fresh taste. Virgin means it is pure and not mixed with anything else. It is DOP-Denominazione di Origine Protetta, ‘origin protected’ domain of production and “made on site in Italy.” Grown under the warm Mediterranean sun, in rich volcanic soil, and with salt sea winds, our olives make perfect olive oil. We respect the old world process of picking just at the right time, in October and not too late in the season. Always naturally produced and organic. Our olive oil is made without chemicals or preservatives, we promise. The informal tasting provides insight into tasting, buying and using high quality olive oil.
• Dinner is on your own, suggestions provided.

Monday: Capri, Italy’s Glamorous Seaside Island

• Breakfast is served.
• Following breakfast, set sail for Capri for a full-day excursion to discover its landmarks, cuisine, shopping and beauty. Spend the day soaking up the magic of the isola azzurra – blue island – while enjoying a beautiful 30-minute boat ride along the way.
• 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 caffé and enjoy a gelato or Prosecco Mimosa.
• 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, turning it a dramatic Mediterranean cerulean shade of blue.
• Visit Anacapri – the 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.
• This full-day excursion departs from Positano port (Marina Grande) in the morning and returns to Positano in the later afternoon. If you have questions for the return meeting point, just ask your Captain. Please be on time for your departure.
• Dinner is on your own, suggestions provided.

Add-On A Driver

• While on land in Capri, if you want to see all the sites with ease, we suggest that you reserve a private car tour with Signor Costanzo, our favorite 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 available from 1 to up to 6 people, upon request (The Capri Car driver’s fee is extra).

Tuesday: Tea Talk & Renaissance Dessert Cooking Class

• Breakfast is served.
• Join in for our Renaissance Dessert Making Cooking Class 2 & Tea Time.  Head to the kitchen for a hands-on Renaissance dessert cooking class where you will Mix, make and bake delicious desserts from Italy’s Renaissance and the women who sculpted Italy’s art, food and music of that time.  Learn about the foods, spices and recipes used by Catherine Medici, Italy’s most famous Renaissance lady, while making delicious biscotti and torte.  Renaissance Recipe Book included with food notes on caffè, wine, spices, table art and customs of the Renaissance.  Tea and caffe with the desserts you made in the cooking class are included.

Suggestions to Add On Limoncello Making or Watercolor Painting Class

• In the evening, you may want to add on the Limoncello Making Class on the villa terrace overlooking the sea. The Positano lemons used in making authentic DOP Limoncello, blossom and bloom four times per year. We start off the class with an informal discussion on the history behind the lemons and how they made their way on the Amalfi Coast. Learn our secrets on cooking with the Amalfi Coast lemons. Get peeling and watch the famous lemon liqueur come alive before your eyes. As the lemons bathe in the magic mixture, we fill your glass with an ice cold Limoncello. Tasting of limoncello included. (Limoncello class with tasting is available at an additional fee, please reserve in advance.)

Wathercolor Painting Class 

• Painting Class!  Join Artist Pasquale, whose watercolor paintings are so soft on the paper and the canvas, captures the ever-changing moods of the Amalfi Coast’s sea and sky. Volpe, who has received many accolades, and who has exhibited his art around the world, is your teacher in Positano as he shares with you his techniques and sentiments on painting in watercolor. Castles, sunsets, and la bella luna are just a few of his subject matters. With the dramatic and inspiring views of the Amalfi Coast as your backdrop, Pasquale leads you through the two-hour, hands-on class outside in fresh air. After graduating from Galileo Galilei College of Naples, where he studied engineering, Pasquale later followed his passion and dreams, taking a turn in his career to become an accomplished painter. His work is included in private collections in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, France, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States of America.
•  Dinner is on your own and suggestions provided.

Wednesday: Positano Cooking Class 3 & Free Time – Stroll To Da Fernando’s Beach Bar & Caffé

• Breakfast is served.
• Cooking Class 3: After breakfast, head into the kitchen and start your third hands-on cooking class. Our Chefs prepare their family’s traditional recipes using their professionally acquired skills to serve you the best recipes of the Amalfi Coast. Start with fresh seasonal eggplant or a grilled pumpkin appetizer drizzled with first-pressed, extra virgin olive oil, or Positano-style pasta sautéed with seafood and baby shrimp in fresh tomato sauce, or oven-baked sea bass dressed with potato, capers, olives and tomatoes. Everyone eats the foods prepared in class, and toasts with a glass of white or red. End with a sweet dessert.
• After your class, stroll to the Fornillo Beach to Da Fernando’s write in your travel journal and capture the enchanting panoramic view. Meet Guido, Marco and Nando. The family-owned beach bar & café is a Positano landmark, and its food and beachside drinks are amazing.
• Swim, relax in a beach chair or read a good book.  Enjoy some favorites like fresh cut fruit salad served right to your beach chair, a hand-painted ceramic pitcher filled with chilled white wine and peaches, or a lemon granita from Mamma Celeste’s lemons. This picturesque beach-spot overlooks Li Galli Islands.  Lunch or snacks not included.
• Enjoy the day at this fabulous beachfront caffé bar. Stay until the sun goes down for the best white wine and peach sunset drink with a little music too.

Thursday: Amalfi Coast & Ravello Excursion

• Breakfast is served.
• Morning departure for a ride along the coast to Amalfi. Getting there is fun, as you will see the amazing panoramic Amalfi Coast, passing Sophia Loren’s home along the way. Time out along the way for some photo taking, and a visit to an artisan ceramic maker noted for their volcanic hand-painted tables.  There you will find Vietri pottery, plates, pasta bowls, platters and more.  Following the stop, we continue onto Amalfi.

Amalfi

The town of Amalfi is rich in culture and history. This small town, perched on the coastline, is dominated by Amalfi’s Cathedral and its main streets are lined with small shops and elegant bars. Merchants display their wares outside and nothing could be more pleasant than browsing through stalls of herbs and spices, jewelry, shoes, the beautiful handmade Amalfi paper, and local lemon specialties such lemon soap and lemon liqueurs. Suggested is a stop in at one of the oldest and most famous pastry makers in southern Italy- dating back to the 1800′s. A look inside reveals a sweet showcase of chocolate drenched eggplant flavored with pine nuts, liqueur and orange; fragrant ricotta pear tarts; candied lemon and orange dragged in dark chocolate; or festive pastries of the day! Whatever you decide to order, take a seat outside in the piazza at one of the small café tables that overlook the greatest people-watching site on the Coast.  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.  The excursion continues onto Ravello.

Ravello

Ravello is hailed as the ‘International City of Music’ and is known for its precious panoramic view from the gardens of Villa Cimbrone. The town is perched 350 meters over the rocky spur of the Amalfi Coast separating the Valle del Dragone from the Valle del Regina. Today, Ravello is world-famous for its outdoor music concerts. Visit Villa Cimbrone, once the residence of Greta Garbo, wander through the lush gardens and the Terrazza Della Rosa, or stroll down the path that leads to the Terrazzo dell’Infinito (Terrace of Infinity). This natural balcony is adorned with imposing marble busts. From this unique vantage 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. Stroll along the streets and alleyways and discover little gems of churches, chapels, and noblemen’s residences. Also see the Cathedral, Villa Rufolo, San Giovanni del Toro, and Santa Maria.

Add-On Our Guide For The Amalfi Food Lover’s Walk and Ravello Landmark Tour

• You may also reserve our private English-speaking guided tour and local resident, who will take you on an Amalfi Food Walk & Ravello Landmark Tour, learning about the local food, history and culture.  If you want to see the towns of Amalfi & Ravello like a local, while tasting great foods, add on this tasty food tour.  Stroll to the fish market, cheese artisan and bread baker.  Also included is a stop at one of Amalfi’s most historic pastry, chocolate and gelato makers.  Tastings are included.  After Amalfi, your guide continues her tour in Ravello, with a visit to Villa Rufolo or Villa Cimbrone and the Terrazza dell’Infinito.  (*Entrance fees not included.)  Stroll through Medieval Gardens, piazzas, pathways and by ancient landmarks while learning about the invaders, kings and queens, writers and movie stars who lived here. End in the piazza with a toast of Prosecco.  A 3-hour tour with English speaking, tastings are included. (Guide’s fee is extra, please reserve in advance.)
  You will visit a famous boutique food shop which showcases local and artisan foods including an assortment of cheeses, salumi, bread, pastas,
  olives, spices and wines, tastings included.  Your guide will explain the different foods and how they are used in cooking.  Next stop the limoncello maker with Amalfi Coast sfumato limone with tastings.  We continue through Amalfi and end with a visit to the most famous pastry shop with tastings.  We continue onto Ravello where we tour the gardens then take a seat in the piazza for a Prosecco.

• Return to Positano in the afternoon.
• The evening is yours to spend at leisure: sip a cool glass of wine or capture the sunset as it sets the sky on fire over Positano. This panoramic view encompasses the Amalfi Coast, stretching to Capri, the Bay of Salerno and the Cilento coast. Positano at twilight is an enchanting garden that sits under starlit skies.
• Dinner is on your own, your Restaurant Hot Pick list will offer you lots to chose from.

Friday: Positano Cooking Class 4 & Farewell

• Breakfast is served.
• Cooking Class 4. Step into the kitchen for your last hands-on cooking class, where by now, you will be cooking like a pro. Get ready to prepare antipasto, pasta, main course and dessert. Everyone enjoys the foods that were prepared in class. Toast with a red or white wine, (additional wines and drinks available at a surcharge) and top it off with a sweet dessert.
• Make sure to exchange addresses and emails with all the wonderful Renaissance Women you have met! Time for last minute shopping too!
• Dinner is on your own, suggestions provided.

Saturday: Departure~

• Breakfast & departure Ciao e A Presto!
• Transfer to Naples airport or train station.

*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 week.   Please note that museum tickets are not included in program price.