This south Italy cooking holiday break by Experience Puglia is really a gourmet adventure to the towns of Conversano, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Polignano al Mare, Castellana Grotte and Altamura in Puglia and the Sassi of Matera in Basilicata.

Each full day features a morning guided tour with tastings of local food and wines followed by lunch in a selected restaurant. Expect seafood, olives, bread, traditional pastas, cheese and meats.

The traditional Le Marche cooking classes are designed for small groups and families.  The cooking lessons or courses are led by a local chef who will immerse you in a world of typically Italian flavours, but specific to the inland Marche region. The overall aim is to demonstrate to all participants how to embrace simple regional cooking techniques to try back home.

Each lesson lasts 3 to 4 hours and can even be held in your own holiday villa or home in Le Marche. The course will allow you to discover the genuine old flavours of the region and appreciate the typical aromas of the Marchigiani area.

This novel idea to add to your vacation in Rome is by Wine in Tour based in Frascati in the Castelli Romani. it is a fun 4 hours making pizza class in a vineyard followed by a tour with the winemaker. You will learn how to prepare and bake a classic Roman pizza, but more importantly have a great day out in the lovely Roman countryside!

You will be welcomed in the beautiful wine farm by an English speaking guide who will introduce you to a hands-on cooking class. Here you will make your own dough and toppings with organic ingredients and see your pizza slowly cook in a wood fired oven.

If you are interested in learning about the traditions and culture of Sicily, then understanding the local dishes and food and wine products is fundamental. Hotel Villa Carlotta in central Taormina has put together the following 5 day cooking stay packages to do just this.

You will enjoy the friendliness of the locals and will have the opportunity to take cooking lessons, make excursions, taste renowned wines, shop in local markets, see the wildlife, discover the secrets and enjoy a wonderful holiday in Sicily.

Guests of Relais Il Falconiere in Cortona can also enjoy cooking Under the Tuscan Sun, an unforgettable experience between art, food, wine and fun!. The cooking classes are conducted under the supervision of owner and host Silvia Baracchi. They take place in a kitchen especially dedicated to lessons and teaching, and you will be introduced to authentic recipes which are not too difficult to try again back home. All participants in the cooking classes also take home an apron and recipe book.

Masseria Gelso Bianco opened its doors in June 2011. This fabulously renovated traditional farmhouse in Puglia is not only a fine place to stay in south Italy, but also the site of a professional culinary school called La Cucina at Gelso Bianco. The school runs week-long culinary programs with on-site chef, Laura Giordano, and is host to many guest chefs from North America.

Gelso Bianco lies in the countryside near the UNESCO World Heritage site Alberobello and includes four unique bedrooms with private bathrooms, a pool, eleven trulli cone roofs, gardens and an old stable, which is now the state of the art kitchen. The masseria combines the typical old style of life of the region with the best of modern design.

The luxury boutique Hotel Byron along the Versilia Coast in Tuscany in Forte dei Marmi is proposing a 5 star gastronomy cooking lesson with chef Andrea Mattei and Massimo Bartolucci (pictured) Maître d’ Hotel of La Magnolia Restaurant. Read more about 2 night package and specific dates below, as well as downloading the Cooking Class brochure.

YLTour is a destination management company based in Lecce with over 10 years of organisational experience in the heel of Italy, Puglia. If you are looking to select the very best cooking lessons, winery tours, gourmet tours, excursions to artisan food and wine producers as part of your vacation or visit to Italy, then get in touch.

YLTour offers fully packaged cooking vacation programs which include accommodation and excursions to wonderful villages throughout Salento.

The hands on cooking classes with a local Mamma are held in an informal and friendly environment using the freshest of 0km ingredients and include sampling the extra virign olive oil and wine produced directly on the grounds.

You will be making: focaccia, fresh pasta, pizza, different kinds of bread, filled pasta, sauces, sea food recipes, vegetarian recipes, desserts.

These fabulous cooking classes experience in Venice are offered by Venice and Veneto Gourmet, specialists in food and wine tours in the territory and run by native Venetian Sara Cossiga. Find out more about her wine tours and customized gourmet services including catering and private dinners from the links on this page.

If you are looking to take Rome day cooking lessons or a cooking class in Rome as part of your vacation or visit to the Eternal City, then we think we have discovered something very special. The private cooking lessons of Fabio Bongianni are held in a wonderful noble Palazzo a short walk from the Spanish Steps and behind the famous atelier of fashion designer Valentino.

Lessons last two hours and either lunch lunch or dinner can be requested, as well as wine tasting, and even musical entertainment. Held in English the cooking classes can also feature a market visit and wine tasting. What has been prepared in all lessons becomes a wonderful lunch or evening meal and everyone can attend the classes, from beginners to experienced gourmets.

The Bologna market tours, guided shop visits and authentic Bolognese recipes served up by the Bologna Cooking School are the best way to appreciate the real 'Cucina Bolognese'. They are aimed at any foodie or passionate culinary visitor who wants to dedicate at least half a day to the classic gastronomic delights of Bologna and the historical setting of the famous markets.

The lessons are straight out of authentic Bologna food tradition and held in a typical house of the centre of the city in a family atmosphere and are held in both Italian and English. At the end of each class participants are presented with a personalized recipe book with all the dishes featured and diploma.

The cooking classes of Le Gemme di Artemisia restaurant on the shores of Lake Garda are led by Chef Andrea. They are aimed at very small groups from one to six people in the restaurant kitchen and are held all the year round.

Here Andrea will share with you his experience and anecdotes about Italian food as you cook and enjoy lunch as well as tasting fine local wines.

Each student receives a personalized folder with the recipes, complimentary bottle of water during the class, apron/s.  Students also retrun home with a culinary diploma signed by the chef and a personalized cd with cooking class images.

The popular Sicilian cooking lessons of the Licchios Restaurant in Taormina are now taking place in the atmospheric Hosteria Rossopeperoncino beside the Cathedral of Taormina by the same team.

As before they begin at 9:00 and end at 12:30. They include first a guided tour of the town's market where the ingredients for the day will be bought fresh. The market is just 50 mt. from the restaurant.

Immediately after returning to Hosteria Rossopeperoncino beside, there follows an explanation of the dishes by your chef Maria. After this preparation, the group will enter the kitchen for the cooking of the dishes.

La Terrazza Restaurant of the 5 star Albergo al Sole in central Asolo, province of Treviso in Veneto, is proposing a series of cooking lessons throughout the year. Led by chef Davide Rizzardo you will learn the little tricks of the trade, tools and methods, as well as new dishes.

The lessons are suitable for small groups from a minimum of 2 to 12 people and aimed at anyone who wants to approach fine gourmet cuisine from simple dishes for beginners to more elaborate preparations.

If you want to experience the local gastronomy and cuisine of Umbria during your vacation or holiday in the region then get in touch with Daniela Paci who runs Happy Cooking.

Umbria is well known for its extra virgin olive oil, lentils, cheese, fresh pasta and truffles and wine and special attention is given to vegetarians or people with food problems.

Speaking fluent English, Daniela is a true Umbrian who has a special interest in the Etruscan origins of much of Umbria's dishes and recipes.