Beginning on the beautiful Amalfi Coast south of Naples, where the coast forms the fringe of the Lattari Mountains, a limestone range with enchanting views over a crystal clear sea. Deep gorges and Saracen towers, once the haunts of pirates, add to the sublime awe of villages perched high on rocky outcrops contrasting with orange and lemon groves, olives, almonds, vines and little towns of white houses nestling in fishermans' bays preserve the charm of a past age. Our destination is the beautiful town of Positano, built vertically on a cliff, it started life as a fisherman's village, being popular with artists/writers in the 1950's and has now grown to be one of the most sought after resorts on the coast

Our base for 5 days is the beautiful 4 star Hotel Poseidon, an elegant villa built in the typical architectural style of the Amalfi coast, commanding a privileged position perched on a mountainside overlooking the sea. Facilities within the hotel are outstanding and during our stay, you will have the option of excellent cooking demonstrations to be taken by their top chefs.

Time out in Positano can be spent enjoying the ceramic shops, boutiques and excellent seafood restaurants and bars. Further afield one can explore the ancient ruins of Pompeii, experience the charm of Capri, visit Amalfi and the Greek temples of Paestum. A full day trip, with a private guide, to historic Ravello, where Wagner composed, is scheduled.

Here we tie up the apron strings and guided by well known Tuscan born chef/author Valentina Harris, who will be our personal teaching chef during the next 7 days, we will daily cook together her favourite Tuscan dishes, in the well appointed teaching kitchen, as well as wandering the palazzo's beautiful estate, exploring the surrounding countryside dotted with small Italian villages.....Tuscan cuisine is inextricably bound to the culture and personality of Tuscany and it's people. It derives immense character form the freshness and simplicity of quality ingredients .....Tuscan cooks have learned by example from elders, and then embroidered upon this education with their own taste and experience.