Michelin Star Don Alfonso 1890™

Tie on your aprons with the Iaccarino family welcomes you to Don Alfonso 1890, the award-winning Michelin Star Restaurant for an opulent week of cooking. The property is located in the quaint town of Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi nestled between the Bays of Naples and Salerno. The Executive Chef Toni, with his 40 plus staff, prepares Mediterranean cuisine in their professional kitchen which is dedicated exclusively for cooking class guests in Don Alfonso 1890 Italy.  The cooking class is a one-of-a-kind experience!!!

Using organic produce from the family’s exquisite farm and artisan products from local purveyors, the menu features Mediterranean cuisine made with produce from Le Peracciole, the property’s garden and farm. The Don Alfonso special recipes are exquisite!

Don Alfonso Restaurant and Relais, dating back to 1890, continues to provide supreme service to guests.

Cooking Classes

Join Don Alfonso chefs for hands-on cooking and Neapolitan cuisine of the Sorrento Peninsula. Menus are carefully planned and prepared featuring the Mediterranean diet. Cooking classes start at 9:30am and include the preparation of two to three recipes. Lunch follows on the foods prepared in class.

Delights such as Smoked Mozzarella Zucchine Puffs, Zucchine Fantasia-a colorful plate of fresh summer squash served Carpaccio style layered with mint; a bursting squash flower stuffed with cheese and served tempura-style, cold zucchini soup with smoked tuna, zucchini coins drizzled with olive oil and white lobster boffi, or hand-made ravioli, or fresh white fish drizzled with lemon and vanilla and Paccheri with fresh tuna and herbs; these are only a sample.

Cooking Class schedule:

Wednesday: Seasonal Vegetables
Learn about eating what’s in season for the best taste and nutrients.

Thursday: Seafood
The most important species of the Mediterranean Sea and them main features.
Clean, thread and cooking methods (traditional cooking “Acqua Pazza”, modern cold cooking).

Friday: Fresh Pasta
Learn to make fresh pasta with eggs and flour, fresh pasta with water and semolina. Learn the art of pasta-making process: kneading and laying.

Saturday: Meat
Learn about grass fed local meat and the cuts along with cooking methods, preparation.  You will prepare three recipes.

Sunday: Dolci
The great Neapolitan art of pastry making.  Naples keeps tradition with  recipes for sfogliatella, a layered pastry filled with yellow cream, or the torta caprese, a flourless cake, and the delizia a limone, a limoncello soaked cake garnished with lemon glaze.

Philosophy

At Don Alfonso 1890, the Iaccarino credo is, “Be extremely open to all that is new when it comes to new techniques and technology, as well as products. Looking back in the past we realize that innovations become successful if they are tied to the land. We want to create dishes that even if your eyes are closed…you know that you are in front of Capri.”

History

In 1890 Alfonso Costanzo Iaccarino, the grandfather of the present-day Alfonso, returned to Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi after spending several years in America. Her returned to his native Italy, and it was then that he unknowingly began what would one day become one of the most well known restaurants in the world. Today Don Alfonso 1890 continues to serve travelers and food lovers from all over the world.

The Wine Cellar

Step into Don Alfonso 1890’s Wine Cellar and discover an ancient cellar with priceless bottles. The cellar originally was an ancient Roman tunnel, and today is brims with over 25,000 bottles of fine wine from all over the world – from the Italian Greats to prized French to exotic world makers. Rare precious wines dating back in time with invaluable price tags is a wine lovers must see! The cellar also has an artisan cheese aging room 25 meters underground which ages at the perfect climate.

Michelin Star Accommodations

Step into a relaxing property where modern touches blend with antique collectables in a fresh approach. The Don Alfonso 1890 Restaurant and Hotel Relais offer upscale suites and junior suites, complete with large luxurious private baths, fine furnishings, modern art and handcrafted linens. Pastel colors blend with a cool decor for those seeking luxe surroundings. An extensive library, an outdoor café bar, a private swimming pool set in lush Mediterranean gardens, were designed by husband and wife, Alfonso and Livia Iaccarino, owners of the property. The family, Livia, Alfonso, along with their sons Mario and Ernesto, are at your service.

Click for Property Photo Gallery

Itinerary~ 7 Days, 6 Nights

Tuesday: Arrival & Welcome Dinner With Chef’s Tasting Menu

• Arrival and check in.
• Afternoon free, enjoy the swimming pool or explore the town of Sant’Agata.
• In the evening, visit the wine cellar, and learn about the ancient tuffo cantina and the Don Alfonso wine selection.
• Welcome Dinner featuring a full course Chef’s Tasting Menu. Wine not included.

Wednesday: Cooking Class 1~ Seasonal Vegetables & Visit Don Alfonso’s Garden

• Breakfast served.
• Tie on your apron for your first Cooking class from 9:30am to 1pm. Cooking class 1 features a seasonal vegetable menu: demonstration of  two to three recipes.
• Lunch follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class. Wine not included.
• In the afternoon, visit the garden and farm that produces all the fresh farm-to-table ingredients.  Discover the local produce, grown organically on the Amalfi Coast.  Informal discussion included.
• Evening is free and dinner is on your own.

Thursday: Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast served.
• Head into the kitchen for your second cooking class from 9:30am to 1pm. Learn about the local fish and prepare a menu of two to three fish recipes for your cooking class 2.  If you prefer an alternate menu we will accommodate you.
• Lunch follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class. Wine not included.
• Afternoon free, suggestion: ask about adding on a tour to Pompeii with English-speaking guide discovering the ruins.
• Evening is free and dinner is on your own.

Friday: Cooking Class 3~ Fresh Pasta Making

• Breakfast is served.
• Return to the kitchen for cooking class 3 including fresh pasta with eggs and flour, fresh pasta with water and semolina. Learn about the pasta-making process, kneading and drying technique preparing two to three traditional pasta recipes.
• Lunch follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class. Wine not included.
• Evening is free and dinner is on your own.

Saturday: Sorrento Food Lover’s Walk & Tastings

• Breakfast is served.
• Meet your driver for a full day Sorrento Experience.  Discover the food and wine of Sorrento in our Food Lover’s Walk.  Visit the most famous artisan shops bristling cheese, Mozzarella, fresh pasta, bread, wine and limoncello maker.  You will also visit a famous food boutique selling elegant kitchen ware from ravioli cutters, olive oils, pasta, wine and more.
• Lunch is on your own with suggestions provided.
• Following Sorrento, return to the property with the driver.
• Evening is free and dinner is on your own.

Sunday: Amalfi Coast Excursion ~ Visit Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

• Breakfast is served.
• Meet your driver for a full day excursion along the Amalfi Coast with visits to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.
• First stop is Positano.  The magical village is set on the Amalfi Coast, and was discovered by American Soldiers after World War II.  The town is noted for its terraced landscape, pastel houses and a Moorish Church. 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.” Discover the winding streets filled with tiny cafés, terraces, and artisan shops selling ceramics, limoncello and antiques. The once sleepy fishing town, is a popular destination with summer music concerts, Neapolitan folklore dance shows, and art exhibits.
• Next stop is the ancient town of Amalfi rich in culture and history. The small town was once a strong hold during the Maritime era sits on the low part of the coastline.  Today it is dominated by Amalfi’s Cathedral with its main streets lined with small shops and elegant bars. Artisans sell their herbs and spices, jewelry, shoes, and the beautiful handmade Amalfi paper. Stop in to an artisan pastry maker for informal discussion and tasting. Ravello follows.
• After Amalfi, continue to Ravello.  Ravello, dreamy, magical and a quiet escape is known for its international music festival. Filled with villas and noblemen’s residences, it is a quiet elegant destination.  Discover the Villa Cimbrone, once the residence of Greta Garbo and also boasting an expansive English rose garden. In its garden is the Terrazza Della Rosa, and the Terrazzo dell’Infinito, Terrace of Infinity. The Terrace’s balcony hangs vertically also 1,198 high and is lined with marble busts that have been weathered away by the elements. You can see forever on a clear day.
• As you stroll along the streets and alleyways of Ravello, visit the churches and chapels brimming with frescos, and the Mediterranean gardens.  There is the Cathedral, Villa Rufolo, San Giovanni del Toro, and Santa Maria.
• Following Ravello, return the property with your driver.
• Evening is free and dinner is on your own.

Monday: Departure

• Breakfast served.
• Following breakfast, Check-out.

Food Excursion Adventures While Cooking At Don Alfonso:
Optional Add-On Classes & Tours:

Foods Of Ancient Pompeii

Step back into time at the archeological site of the Ancient Romans in Pompeii. The city was perfectly preserved due to the apocalyptic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., which covered Pompeii in 4 meters of ash. A guided tour highlighting the Foods Of Ancient Pompeii walks you through the marketplace and wine bars of ancient ruins. The guided tour in the Ruins of Pompeii incorporates history and the foods of the Roman Empire.

Please call for details and pricing based on your group.

Island Of Capri ~ By Land & By Sea!

Visit 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.

While on land in Capri, we suggest that you reserve a private car tour with our professional 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.

Please call for details and pricing based on your group.