Italy

AMALFI COAST - CINQUE TERRE -  EMILIA-ROMAGNA - FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA - LAZIO - LE MARCHE -  PIEDMONT
PUGLIA - SICILY -  TUSCANY - UMBRIA - VENETO

AMALFI COAST

Amalfi Coast, Italy - 5 nights
Available April, May, September, October - Monday to Saturday

The Amalfi coast is one of the most romantic spots in the world. Spend five fabulous nights at a beautiful relais while enjoying hands-on cooking classes from a talented one star Michelin chef, excursions to the area's finest spots, all with some time for relaxing and shopping for the treasures that this magical area has to offer.

(Options: Day Cooking Classes, One Month Internships, Longer Stays, Italian Lessons, Christmas in Sorrento)
Sorrento, Italy - 3 or 6 nights
Available year round - Sunday to Saturday

Choose from a three or six night culinary itinerary in magical Sorrento. Experience the Neapolitan foods and wines of this region while learning how to cook classic dishes from an Italian chef.

Sorrento, Italy - 6 nights
Available year round - Sunday to Saturday

Located just five minutes' walking distance from downtown Sorrento, one of the most beautiful areas in of all Italy, lies your home for the week. A lovely, old town right on the coast, Sorrento is a town that has always been known to turn every visit into an unforgettable holiday.  Learn to cook, see the sights, and spend time with a family eager to share their language and culture. The Amalfi Coast is magical and will remain in your memory for years to come.

(Option: Day Cooking Classes, Wine Tours, Italian Lessons)
Sorrento, Italy - 3 nights
Available April to October 

Take cooking classes at a cooking school located within a 4 star holiday complex, located in a residential area of Sorrento close to the sea and city center. The cooking school offers a unique way to experience Sorrento and its famous surroundings through personal interaction with local food and wines.

Day Cooking Classes
Ravello, Italy
(Option: Wine Tasting)
Available year round

Join Mamma Agata for cooking classes in her beautiful home on a cliff top overlooking the spectacular Amalfi coastline. She has been the chef for many famous Hollywood actors and actresses, journalists and politicians and now invites you into her home to share her simple, yet elegant, traditional Southern Italian recipes.

(Option: Day Cooking Classes)
Sorrento, Italy - 4 or 6 nights
Available year round

Learn to cook authentic dishes from southern Italy and Sorrento by participating in hands-on cooking classes in a professional kitchen. Your passionate and imaginative chef will share with you the secrets of this cuisine leaving you ready to return home to impress your family and friends. You will stay in a luxurious boutique hotel located in the beautiful Sorrento peninsula. The hotel was once an ancient home which has been carefully and tastefully restored offering you incomparable comfort.

(Option: Day Cooking Classes)
Sorrento, Italy -  3 or 7 nights
Available year round

Choose from a day cooking class or a three or seven night culinary program in spectacular Sorrento, Italy. Your hands-on cooking lessons from your chef will take place in an amazing, private and manicured garden. You will be surrounded by an impressive array of old palms, English meadow, colorful flowers and fountains with lemon and orange trees, a swimming-pool, typical "Pergolato" and ceramic decorations. The property guarantees you complete privacy during your cooking class.

Ravello, Italy
Available year round

Come to Ravello, a world famous city known for its music, history and enchanting sights overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Here you will learn about Italy's world famous wines by your host, Gennaro. Gennaro is a professionally certified Sommelier and a member of the prestigious AIS, a national association of Certified Sommeliers and one of your hosts for the evening, along with his lovely bride Chiara, daughter of the world famous Mamma Agata whose cooking program "The Flavours of the Amalfi Coast" is also offered through Active Gourmet Holidays.

cinque terre

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Piedmont/Cinque Terre, Italy - 6 nights
Available May/June and September - Sunday to Saturday

This hiking and wine tour spotlights two diverse regions: the Barolo wine zone of Piedmont and the Italian Riviera seacliffs of the Cinque Terre. Enjoy the best of both worlds: vineyards and seascapes, woodland cuisine and seafood, majestic red wines and white wines as light as a sea breeze.

Cinque Terre, Italy - 4 nights
Available February to October  - Monday to Friday or Tuesday to Saturday

Learn about Ligurian cooking in your own private cooking classes while you stay in one of the loveliest and most picturesque regions of Italy, Santa Margherita Ligure. You will have guided tours of some of the area's captivating seaside villages in the Cinque Terre, enjoy fabulous dinners and marvel at the breathtaking coastline and beautiful views. 

emilia-romagna

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Bologna, Italy - 6 nights
Available May and October - Sunday to Saturday

Join Mary Beth Clark, award-winning cooking teacher, chef and founder of The International Cooking School of Italian Food and Wine, for an incredible six-day journey into the essence of Italian cooking in magnificent Bologna.

Bologna/Torino/Milan, Italy - 7 nights
Available October - Sunday to Sunday

Join Mary Beth Clark, renowned chef and founder of The International Cooking School of Italian Food and Wine, for an incredible week of hands-on cooking instruction in an exquisite palazzo. Learn to make the perfect dough and classic Italian dishes as well as specialty dishes using the magical truffle.

Bologna and Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights
Available May and September - Sunday to Saturday

Imagine a fabulous week in two great culinary regions ~ Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany ~ the culinary heart and soul of Italy! You’ll cook with chefs in our palazzo in Bologna, the Gastronomic Capital of Italy. Then onto a countryside wine estate where you'll cook in the osteria restaurant with chefs teaching traditional Tuscan dishes handed down through the generations. 

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

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(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Hiking, Biking, Golf, Italian Lessons and More)
Friuli-Venezia, Italy - 3 nights
Available year round

Learn to cook in the beautiful region of Friuli-Venezia, Italy. This lesser known region of Italy is the perfect place to get away for Icooking lessons in a beautiful villa located near the Friuli-Veneto border. 

(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Hiking, Biking, Golf, Italian Lessons and more)
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy - 3 or 5 nights
Available year round

Two sample tour itineraries are listed on this page for your convenience. The 6 days/5 nights tour is directly below this message, and the sample 4 days/3 nights tour follows. Click here to go directly to the 4 days/3 nights sample itinerary or simply scroll down the page.

(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Hiking, Biking, Golf, Italian Lessons and more)
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy - 3 or 5 nights
Available March to September

Learn to cook in Friuli-Venezia Giulia! Hands-on cooking classes take place in a cozy country retreat surrounded by vineyards, woods and meadows in the Friuli hills, at the base of the Julian Alps, only about one-hour drive from Venice, Austria and Slovenia.

LAZIO

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Rome, Italy
Available year round - Monday to Friday

Learn to cook like a native Italian in the center of ancient Rome. Whether you are a novice or a serious gourmand, you will learn recipes from an experienced Italian chef. First you will be taken on a personalized tour of the most famous markets in Rome to collect your ingredients for the class. Afterwards, you will head to a beautiful home for a hands-on cooking class with your host and chef.

Rome, Italy
Available year round 

Welcome to Roma! During your stay why not delve into the culinary traditions of this very special place? Take a hands-on cooking class in a beautiful home near the Spanish steps - a home previously owned by a princess! Enjoy a walking tour along cobblestones streets in this enchanting city of Rome. You will have a wonderful chef/guide with a big personality who will share with you the knowledge of authentic Italian cuisine. You can also choose a special sausage making class or a more traditional Italian cooking class both taking place in a medieval village about 30 minutes outside of Rome.

Le Marche, Italy - 7 nights
Available January to February, May to September, November - Saturday to Saturday

Discover Italy's secret unspoiled region of Le Marche where you will find the beautiful Adriatic sea, olive groves and vineyards, the finest pecorino cheeses and local specialties and charming people who appreciate the beauty and tranquility of their homeland.

Le Marche, Italy - 7 nights
Available April to June, October to November - Saturday to Saturday

Join Anna, a certified Kundalini yoga instructor and your hostess, for a week of hands-on cooking classes and yoga in the hidden region of Le Marche, Italy.  Le Marche is a province in east-central Italy with rolling vineyards surrounded by walled cities, castles, history and breathtaking scenery.

PIEDMONT

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Piedmont, Italy - 5 nights
Available June and October - Sunday to Friday

Enjoy a six day gourmet wine tour where you will sample Piedmont’s culinary delights: white truffles, mountain cheeses, and, best of all Piedmont’s stunning array of wines, with Barolo and Barbaresco at the top of the list. 

PUGLIA

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(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Italian Lessons, Custom Tours)
Puglia, Italy - 3 or 5 nights
Available year round

Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot, is an ideal location for a gourmet holiday. Puglia is home to the true Mediterranean Cuisine with an emphasis on seafood, vegetables, legumes, hand-made pasta.  Puglia’s cuisine is delicious, yet simple at the same time. It is in essence a home-based cuisine. Puglia produces the largest amount of extra virgin olive oil in Italy and is one of Italy's largest wine producers. When travelling through Puglia, you will notice long rows of grape vines that stretch off into the distance.

Puglia, Italy
Available year round

Come to Puglia and learn why everybody is talking about the wines and food of this beautiful and sunny region. Visit beautiful wineries and meet local winemakers who focus on preserving indigenous grapes that the Greeks first brought to Puglia thousands of years ago. Taste excellent wines from Primitivo (which has the same DNA of the Zinfandel) to Negroamaro, Malvasia, Fiano Minutolo and Sussumaniello.

SICILY

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(Option: Custom Tours, Day Cooking Classes)
Sicily, Italy - 7 nights
Available year round

Discover the secrets of Sicily with this unforgettable seven night experience. Stay in luxury and comfortable accommodations while immersing yourself in the tastes and flavours of this very special land.

Sicily, Italy - 6 nights
Available year round

Experience seven days of magical travel through the stunning Sicilian landscape, meet and cook with a famous chef, Anna Tasca Lanza, and stay at her famous Regaleali Wine Estate as well as two beautiful agriturismos. Discover the most traditional Sicilian dishes in Palermo, Agrigento, Catania, Siracusa, Taormina and Etna Volcano area.

(Options: Custom Tours)
Sicily, Italy - 7 nights
Available March to December

Enliven your senses and enlighten your fancy with our gastronomic tour of the amazing island of Sicily! Explore extraordinary ruins and enchantingly beautiful scenery, while visiting some of Sicily's most precious towns and select attractions.

Sicily, Italy - 5 nights
Available May and October - Monday to Saturday

TUSCANY

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Florence, Italy - 4 nights
September 19-23, 2010

Active Gourmet Holidays is offering an unforgettable getaway to the renowned Villa San Michele Cookery School in Florence. Nourish your senses, refuel your body and replenish your spirit with a savory array of food and wine tours, paired with culinary education by Chef Attilio Di Fabrizio of Villa San Michele.

This culinary program is perfect for those who are lovers of all that is Tuscan – the charming medieval towns, the centuries old traditions, the people and their culture, the art and of course, the great food and wine!! You will enjoy hands-on cooking courses learning the art of Tuscan cuisine from our wonderful chefs in an original kitchen of a 14th century villa.

(Options: Longer Stays on B & B basis)
Florence, Italy - 3 nights
Available year round

Enjoy practical hands-on cooking lessons from an Italian woman who learned how to cook at a very young age. You will stay in a lovely bed and breakfast which is located in the heart of historical Florence - a perfect spot for you to explore Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside.

Tuscany, Italy - 7 nights
Available April to November - Saturday to Saturday

Spend a fabulous week at a remote villa in the gorgeous countryside of Tuscany where rolling hills, ancient vineyards and Etruscan history will fill your senses. Learn to cook in a magnificent kitchen with a native born Tuscan who will teach you this wonderful peasant cuisine using the freshest ingredients available.

(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Palio Week)
Tuscany, Italy - 3 or 5 nights
Available April to October - Monday to Saturday

Experience the lifestyle born from the spectacular hospitality at Badia a Coltibuono. Developed over the 20 years during which famous author and cookbook writer Lorenza de Medici ran her Villa Table programs, these weekly, residential courses are held in English in the summer and autumn.

(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Weekend Packages, Wine and Food Tastings)
Tuscany, Italy - 5 nights
Available year round (except week before Christmas)

Italian cooking and wine classes take place in a private Tuscan home with  two sisters. You will learn cooking secrets from their 20+ years experience in cooking and teaching. Traditional Italian family recipes, taught in English, will allow you to get the flavor of living in an Italian country home and being with an Italian family. This is truly an authentic experience that comes highly recommended by everyone who has participated.

(Options: Day Cooking Class, Spa, Wine Tours, 3 night program)
Cortona, Italy - 6 nights
Available year round 

Il Falconiere Relais & Chateaux is a 17th Century property located in the quiet countryside located just over one mile from the beautiful walled Etruscan town of Cortona which has been written about in the ever so popular Frances Mayes books. Il Falconiere Relais & Chateaux invites you to their beautiful Tuscan oasis for an unforgettable culinary experience with hands-on cooking classes taught by two Michelin starred chefs.

(Options: Customized Tours, Villa or Yacht Tours, Wine Tours, Cooking Classes)
Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights
Available year round

Join us in Tuscany for a memorable cycling experience. We specialize in private custom designed luxury cycle tours throughout Tuscany and beyond. Choose the tour below or if you prefer we can custom design a tour for you and your group.

(Options: Additional Cooking Classes, Longer Stays)
Florence, Italy - 4 or 5 nights
Available year round

Stay in a small bed and breakfast located in the heart of ancient Florence. You will learn to cook genuine Italian cuisine from your host who learned to cook at a young age from "nonna". She will teach you the secrets of traditional recipes and will treat you to the secrets of Florence.

(Option: Day Cooking Classes)
Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights
Available April to July, September to November - Sunday to Saturday

Whether you are a novice or experienced cook, this holiday will teach you all there is to know about Tuscan cuisine. Classes are taught by experienced and professional instructors in a beautiful state of the art kitchen where lessons are truly hands-on and conducted in English.

(Options: Longer Stays, Day Cooking Classes, Market Visits, Excursions)
Florence, Italy - 3 or 4 nights
Available year round

Recommended by Karen Brown Guides "Most Romantic Inn 2009" - Conde Naste Johansen 2005 Recipient

Treat yourself to a relaxing getaway in a small and elegant family-run Relais, located just 20 minutes outside of Florence. The hotel is an excellent base for excursions in the Chianti area. You can choose to have cooking lessons, learning the secrets of authentic Florentine and Tuscan cuisine from the host's mother while her daughter translates for the guests. You may also have a guided walking tour of Florence, a shopping outlet tour, Chianti wine tour and other activities to help you immerse yourself in the Tuscan way of life.

Tuscany/Umbria, Italy - 7 nights
Available April to October -

Enjoy a truly unique seven night vacation in Italy which combines gastronomy through cooking classes and hiking through the breathtaking countryside of Tuscany and Umbria. For those of you interested in fitness along with indulgence in food and wine, this tour is the ideal choice.

(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Weekend Packages, Wine and Food Tastings/Tours, Italian Lessons)
Tuscany, Italy - 2, 3, 4 or 5 nights
Available year round (except week before Christmas)

Learn the art of Tuscan cooking, eating and living! For over 20 years, your hosts, Simonetta and Paola have been holding hands-on cooking classes in both Florence and Chianti. You will learn traditional Italian family recipes, taught in English and will get the flavor of living in an Italian country home and being with an Italian family.

Montalcino, Italy - 1 to 3 days
Available year round

Take hands-on cooking lessons in Montalcino from Teresa. Born in Rome, Teresa speaks fluent English and French and will share her knowledge of food preparation with you as well as giving you the tools you need to create simple dishes that are easily replicated once you get home.

Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights
Available May to June, September to October - Sunday to Saturday

Experience an unforgettable week of culinary instruction, gourmet food, fabulous company and beautiful accommodations and surroundings at the Villa Lucia and Rhode School of Cuisine. Join in cooking lessons with your chef or just relax around the grounds and enjoy the beautiful view. In the kitchen there will be lots of opportunity to learn new techniques or build upon your own cooking experience.

Lucca, Italy - 6 nights
Available March to April, September to October - Sunday to Saturday

We invite you to a private culinary school in Tuscany offering a selection of cooking vacations throughout the year.  Courses are hands-on under the guidance of professional Italian chef and sommelier, Valter Roman, and also feature guest chefs from around the world including Alvaro Maccioni of La Famiglia restaurant in London. Alvaro is a passionate advocate of using fresh, seasonal produce and traditional methods of cooking.  He believes that  if a chef cooks like his mother, he is a great chef.  If he cooks like his grandmother, he is even greater!'  Valter believes cooking is not just a matter of weights and measures and following a recipe but of feeling and instinct and hands-on experience.

Tuscany, Italy - 7 nights
Available April to October - Sunday to Sunday

Learn to cook in a recently restored, spectacular villa set in the hillsides close to Arezzo. There is a truffle estate surrounding the villa, making it famous in the area and wonderful for seeing how truffles are found and of course how to prepare these in many wonderful dishes.

(Options: Customized Tours, Cycling, Villa or Yacht Tours, Wine Tours)
Tuscany, Italy - 5 nights
Available year round

Where better to learn the art of preparing Tuscan cuisine than Tuscany? This tour will provide you with the skills and knowledge to prepare authentic Tuscan menus using the jewels of the Italian kitchen. Take cooking classes with talented chefs, stay in beautiful accommodations and experience all that is Tuscan in this very special "foodie" tour developed exclusively for Active Gourmet Holidays' clients.

Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights
Available May and September - Sunday to Saturday

(Option: Day Cooking Classes)
Lucca, Italy - 7 nights
Available February to April, June, September to October - Sunday to Sunday

Lucca invites you to a great Tuscan cooking and wine vacation in the heart of Tuscany with a talented chef. In this comprehensive "hands on" cooking and wine tour, you will learn the best of "Tuscan Cooking and Living" with 4 exciting Italian cooking classes: traditional, Tuscan, pasta and fish cooking classes with more than 45 recipes!

Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights
Available April to July

Welcome to Versilia, the Blue Riviera of northern Tuscany. Enjoy seven days in the fashionable beach resort town of Viareggio, or the charming mountain village of Monteggiori. You will get a true taste of the local cuisine through hands-on cooking courses, a visit of the local vineyards where you will sample the area’s distinguished wines and a stop at a state-of-the-art olive-oil mill. You will even forage for wild mushrooms, herbs and berries. Enoy dinner in the most authentic, traditional restaurants and trattorie, hand chosen by your knowledgeable hosts. Meet people who share your interests and enjoy a unique, culturally enriching experience.  

Tuscany, Italy - 5 nights
Available May, July, September, October - Monday to Saturday

UMBRIA

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(Options: Customized Itineraries in Italy)
Umbria, Italy - 4 or 6 nights
Available year round

Visit the Green Heart of Italy in style! Experience a four or six night cooking program packed with a series of fun excursions. You will lodge in five star accommodations.

Noble residences situated in enchanting towns, Umbria really is one of ‘Italy’s best kept secrets’. It is rich in olive farms and vineyards, noted as some of Italy’s finest. Dotted with quaint historical towns and bursting with ancient remains from the Roman Empire! 

(Options: Day Cooking Classes)
Umbria, Italy - 3 nights
Available year round

Learn to cook with an Italian family who will show you the secrets of Umbrian cuisine. Cristina, your hostess, has been conducting cooking courses since 1999 at a nearby villa but has restored her eighteenth century country house and is now inviting guests to her home for day cooking classes or residential cooking programs.

(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Biking, Walking, Spa, Shopping, Wine Tours, Shorter or Longer Stays)
Umbria, Italy - 2 or 4 nights
Available year round

Named one of the 'Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Europe' and 'Top Hotels in Italy Chosen by Europeans' by Trip Advisor 2010

This tour is for all food and wine lovers who would like to discover traditional Umbrian recipes and great wines! Spend time taking hands-on cooking classes, sampling wine, doing some sightseeing and relaxing in a beautiful villa. Over the years this villa has been the home of nobles. It retains its large fireplaces, frescoes, ancient cotto floors and period furnishings and is the perfect setting for your getaway. 

Umbria, Italy - 3 nights
Options: (Longer Stays, Additional Activities)
Available April to October

Spend a week amidst the lush green Umbrian countryside and enjoy the beautiful, tranquil atmosphere of a luxury country house estate. Originally a 12C monastery, this ancient building has been lovingly restored and features oak and chestnut beams, terracotta floors, a pietra serena fireplace and elegant furnishings.

(Options: Multi-day Cooking Classes)
Umbria, Italy - Day Cooking Class
Available year round

Whether you are an experienced cook or just passionate about good Italian food, learn to cook authentic Italian dishes in a fun and friendly atmosphere with Chefs Tiziana and Zoila. They offer hands-on cooking courses in English that range from one-day classes to longer courses. Chef Zoila is bilingual having lived and worked in the United States for many years. A love for good food and cooking, and the desire to encourage people to visit and appreciate the beauties of Umbria is what led to the creation of Zoila's and Tiziana's cooking lessons. They both come from a long tradition of hospitality in the travel industry as well as in the restaurant field.

(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Christmas Cooking and Olive Harvest Programs)
Umbria, Italy - 1 day, 4 or 7 nights
Available January to June, September to December - Saturday to Saturday

Spend time at a beautiful country home in the heart of Umbria (Perugia). The farm dates back to the 17th century and is surrounded by rolling hills, 10 hectares of olive groves, vineyards, fruit trees and Etruscan and medieval history. Six independent apartments have been restored around the ancient stone house and all are beautifully decorated.

(Options: Biking, Walking, Spa, Shopping, Wine Tours, Shorter or Longer Stays)
Umbria, Italy - Day Cooking Class
Available year round - Monday, Wednesday or Friday

Named one of the 'Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Europe' and 'Top Hotels in Italy Chosen by Europeans' by Trip Advisor 2010

Enjoy hands-on cooking classes at a breathtaking villa set in the rolling hills of Umbria. This holiday is dedicated  to offering you the chance to learn traditional Italian recipes. Your instructors will provide you with an explanation on exquisite recipes using traditional cooking methods. Following the class you will enjoy the prepared food accompanied by a selected wine.

VENETO

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(Options: Day Cooking Classes)

Enjoy an Italian cooking holiday in the heart of the Prosecco wine area in the Veneto. Stay in a beautifully restored farmhouse, where Antonella will teach you how to prepare wonderful meals at home. Her philosophy is that food is central to life; it should be full of flavour, beautifully presented, and eaten in a pleasing, relaxing ambience. It shouldn’t be necessary to spend hours in preparation either; all it needs are the right skills and attitude. It’s a question of lifestyle.

Verona, Italy - 6 nights
Available June, September, October - Sunday to Saturday

Giuliano Hazan and Marilisa Allegrini (one of Italy's most distinguished producers of noble red wine) invite you to join them for a week of total immersion in Italian food, wine, and life. The incomparable site where you will live and cook, and from which you will set off for the scheduled field excursions, is the Renaissance Villa Giona, set in 12 acres of private park and vineyards near romantic Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet.

Venice, Italy - 4 nights
Available June and September