Secret Garden™

Join us in sunny Positano for our special women-only program on the splendid Amalfi Coast. The exclusive “Renaissance Women” program is perfect for women wanting to join a small group 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 cooking classes bring you into the kitchen with our Chefs Antonino, Francesco, Antonio 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 style cuisine and offers a treasure trove of creative excursions and activities, such as a full day boat trip to Capri, watercolor painting with our resident artist Pasquale; and an informal discussion on journal writing, travel photography and Italy’s Renaissance women. This women’s only program has been designed for the female traveler who loves food, culture, art and fun.

Cooking Classes

The classes are held in our Mediterranean kitchen by the sea providing the ideal setting for an authentic cooking experience featuring regional recipes from the Amalfi Coast. In each class, you are up close and hands-on, preparing delicious recipes with our Chefs. The warm sun and rich soil of southern Italy, along with the sea, provide the perfect climate for healthy vegetables and fruits to grow 12 months per year.

After each class, everyone enjoys eating the food that was prepared in class accompanied with a glass of red or white wine. This exclusive food lover’s cooking tour for women in magical Positano has you cooking, learning, and touring – the perfect trip for real foodies!

Featured in this program is a hands-on cheese-making demonstration, where our family will teach you how to make fresh, organic, hand-made Mozzarella and other fresh Italian cheeses. Give your own hand a try for some twisting and braiding – not as easy as you think! Tastings follow, of course.

Accommodations ~ The Secret Garden™

Our charming Secret Garden™ Positano program is hosted at a villa-style Bed & Breakfast located in the center of town and overlooking the sea. Each bedroom has a sea view and overlooks Positano: the seaside village is surrounded by a flowered pergola and greenery. Cool ceramic tiles line each large bedroom, with a private bathroom and shower in each room. Additional 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 their terrace, walk to 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.

Photo GalleryClick Here For Property Photos

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 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.

Tea Talk: Journal Writing, Travel Photography, Renaissance Women Discussion

In addition to your hands-on cooking classes, also set is a “Tea Talk” that includes an informal discussion on journal writing, travel photography, and a talk about Italy’s Renaissance women. Let your creative mind soar, as I hope to inspire your artistic side during this fabulous females only vacation.

During our “Tea Talk,” we discuss Italy’s famous Renaissance women and share some historic notes on Italian tableware, decorating and Renaissance foods. Join in the discussion on Italy’s art and the life of Isabella D’Este, la primadonna del Rinascimento, the first lady of the Renaissance.

Watercolor Painting or Positano Shopping Tour

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. Take your brush and let your creativity soar.

Or if you love to shop, choose the Shopping Tour where we take 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: Benvenute 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 general information and notes on landmarks, and our “Hot Pick list.”
• 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: Capri, Italy’s Glamorous Seaside Island & 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.
• This full day excursion departs from Positano port at 9:00am.

Add-On A Driver:
While on land in Capri and 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).

Monday: Positano Shopping Tour or Painting & Cooking Class 1

• Breakfast is served.
• You may choose from a splendid painting class with resident artist Pasquale Volpe or a Positano Shopping Tour. Take your paper, brush and paints and join Pasquale for a private watercolor class. Start your day with a clean canvas, a brush and a palette of pastel colors. Try your hand and let your mind run free.
• Painting Class
  Pasquale Volpe, whose watercolors are so soft and yet so brilliant on 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 watercolors. 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.

or

• Positano Shopping Tour
  We will take you on a tour of Positano’s best shopping addresses. Positano is well known for its artisans who make ceramics, Positano moda (the fashionable skirts, linens and beachwear gracing Hollywood types and Italian starlets), coral and gold jewelry and handcrafted leather shoes and sandals made the old-world way. We will bring you to each address, from jewels to leathers, linens or shades – this fun shopping tour is sure to bring out the new look in everyone. Colorful ceramics, handcrafted cameos, lemon oils and spices are just a few of the town’s other specialties.
• Cooking Class 1: Tie on your apron and get ready to cook up a storm with creative, fun recipes, advanced techniques and lots of tricks of the kitchen with our star team of Chefs. Our Chefs will lead you through the cooking class, featuring recipes from traditional southern Italian cuisine with an accent on the healthy Mediterranean diet. You will learn how to make an antipasto, pasta, main dish and dessert. After the class, everyone enjoys the foods that were made in class. Toast with a glass of red or white wine, included. (Additional wines, beverages, after dinner drinks and more are available at a surcharge).

Tuesday: Morning Mozzarella Making ~Tea Talk, Olive Oil & Wine Tasting

A unique gastronomic and cultural experience of artisan life on the Amalfi Coast

• Breakfast is served.
• Mozzarella Making: Italian Cheese, made by artisan hands, is always an important part of our Regional cooking. Experience fresh cheese making and see creamy milk twaved into braids and twists with a family who has been making it for over 100 years. Here you will learn the steps in making old-world artisan local cheese including mozzarella and more. Then try your own hand at this artful craft. Tastings follow.
• We return to Positano for our Tea Talk. This informal discussion covers journal writing, travel photography and the Italian Renaissance. This was a time of rebirth in Italy, and I share my notes on tableware, place settings, food and recipes of the Renaissance era. Isabella D’Este, la primadonna del Rinascimento, was one Italy’s most well-known Renaissance women and a fascinating figure to study.
• Olive Oil Tasting. Join us for a tasting of our locally produced Extra Virgin Olive Oil and locally produced wine. At Cooking Vacations we make our own first-cold pressed extra virgin 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, just in October and not too late in the season. Always organic. Our olive oil it is made without chemicals or preservatives, we promise. The informal tasting provides a bit of insight into tasting, buying and using olive oil. An informal tasting of artisan wine and limoncello made by a famous local producer is also included.

Add-On Limoncello Making:
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.)

• Evening is free and dinner is on your own. Suggestion: Da Vincenzo. “Vive le Donne!”

Wednesday: Lunch Prepared By Mamma Celeste & Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast is served.
• Take time out in the morning to write in your travel journal and capture the enchanting panoramic view in photos. As mezzogiorno approaches, head down to meet Guido, Marco, Nando & Mamma Celeste. The family-owned trattoria is a Positano landmark, and its food is amazing.
• Lunch on the beach! Mamma Celeste, our very own Renaissance Woman, prepares homemade specialties daily for your Tasting Lunch. At 84-years-old, Mamma takes her boat out into the crystal blue Tyrrhenian Sea for her own daily catch. Mamma returns to the kitchen to prepare the daily lunch specials, swordfish slow-baked with potatoes, black olives, capers and white wine, or fresh calamari sautéed to perfection, and colorful Mediterranean salads including the caponata, a delicious local bread salad made with tomatoes and olives. This picturesque beach-spot overlooks Li Galli Islands. (Tasting lunch included. Wine, soft drinks, grappa and digestives are available at a surcharge.) Wave good bye to Mamma, as we head to our Cooking Class 2.
• Cooking Class 2: Later, head into the kitchen and start your second 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, 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.

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 snapping, and a visit to the famed-artisan ceramic makers noted for their volcanic hand-painted tables, and more.
• Amalfi
  The town of Amalfi is rich in culture and history. The 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.
• Ravello
  Ravello is hailed 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 A Guide:
You may also reserve a private guided tour with Angela, native Ravello resident and eloquent art history expert who will take you on a Market Visit & Food Lover’s Tour Amalfi and Ravello Landmark Tour to the gardens, pathways, villas and churches of the town.  If  you love food and wine, Angela offers insight and history.  The walking tour starts out with introduction to the historical city of Amalfi, and then moves on to all the best stops for food, produce, wine, pastry and cheese. As we make our way through this beautiful seaside village, we make a couple of tasty stops along the way, meet local producers of wine, cheese, bread and more, and learn about the seasonal fruits, vegetables, fish & cheese of the Amalfi Coast. Tastings included. (Guide’s fee is extra, please reserve in advance.)

• 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. Suggestion: La Gavitella on the sea front in Praiano, offering unforgettable views of Positano. The water taxi will chauffeur you to and from free of charge.

Friday: Cooking Class 3 & Farewell

• Breakfast is served.
• Take time to do your last minute shopping.
• Cooking Class 3 followed by farewell lunch or dinner. Step into the kitchen for your final hands-on cooking class where you will be cooking like a pro along with our Chefs. Get ready to rustle up an antipasto, pasta, main course and dessert. Everyone eats the foods prepared in class. Toast with a red or white wine, (additional wines and drinks available at a surchange) and top it off with a sweet dessert.
• Make sure to exchange addresses and emails with all the wonderful Renaissance Women you have met!

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.