Secret Liguria & The Cinque Terre™

Tie on your apron and get cooking in authentic hands-on cooking classes. Set on the Ligurian Coast with sweeping views on the sea, you will learn to prepare antipasti, fresh pasta and pesto, main courses, and desserts in a professional kitchen!

Join our Italian Mamma Elisa in the kitchen and prepare regional cuisine as she shares her local knowledge and cooking techniques with recipes from Portofino to Cinque Terre.  Discover the history of the Ligurian Coast, Monterosso, to Riomaggio and Cinque Terre.  Cook like a local and learn about the region’s famous wine while relaxing at your sea-front property.

Start the morning with a creamy cappuccino and Ligurian breakfast including artisan bread, homemade cakes, cheeses, eggs and fruit, cappuccino and tea.  Following breakfast, you will experience your cooking classes and a day trip to Santa Margherita and Portofino.  If you like hiking and walking, opt to take the train to Cinque Terre and add on our English-speaking guide, discover the five villages, and experience Mother Nature at her best.  After your walk, enjoy an aperitivo of Vermentino and passito wine and relax.

Liguria Cooking Classes

Join us for hands-on cooking classes with our Italian Mamma on the Italian Rivera making antipasto, fresh pasta, pesto, ravioli, trofie to croxetti, the coin-shaped pasta with walnut sauce, and sauces, main courses and desserts with wine tastings in the heart of Liguria.  She will teach you how to make focaccia, too.

Our Italian Mamma shares food notes about the local produce: Ligurian basil, pignoli nuts, fresh fish from the nearby sea and meat and chicken from the hillside. Vegetables are abundant, think zucchini, pumpkin and artichokes, with herbs that grow almost widely along the sea.  Menus are traditional and are based on the seasons. Hands-on cooking classes share the food and culture and lunch or dinner follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class with wine included.

Liguria Accommodations

Romantic 4-Star with Sweeping Sea Views

In the heart of the breathtaking Cinque Terre, check into our luxurious 4-star property set on a long stretch of the stunning Ligurian Coast.  Cool Mediterranean decor dazzles, including tile floors and ensuite tile baths in a spacious area to relax and unwind. Each room is adorned with modern comfortable bedding with Italian linens.  There is air conditioning and wifi included.  A beachfront property with a swimming pool, wellness spa, restaurants and roof-top bar define the beautiful amenities.  Enjoy daily breakfast with a full buffet of  cornetti, Italian cakes, artisan bread, biscotti, seasonal fruit, cheese, and yogurt along with espresso and cappuccino, tea, and fruit juices. Daily maid service is included.

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Santa Margherita

Santa Margherita is the elegant seaside town set on the Riviera and is just 35km south of Genova. Close to Portofino and Rapallo, Santa Margherita is a little gem with an enchanting coastline boasting sea views and a backdrop of rolling green hills! Originally a fishing village, the town is now a charming beachfront destination with excellent restaurants, cafes and artisan shops. The harbor is host to luxury yachts and the small local fishing boats.  For the active minded, there is sailing, water-skiing and scuba diving, all in the turquoise Golfo di Tigullio. Santa Margherita is the perfect size town for exploring on foot, so there’s ample opportunity to take in one of the historic villa visits or stroll around the Parco Comunale di Villa Durazzo, a lavish Italian garden with colorful exotic flowers, plants, statues and winding footpaths.

Portofino

Portofino is the famous Italian fishing village on the Riviera. It was first discovered by the Romans, who had named it Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphins because of the dolphins that lived in the Tigullian Gulf. Then the sleepy fishing town became an international destination with jet setters from around the world – keeping its Old-World charm. The Gulf is filled with small wooden boats that are owned by the local fishermen who still make a living with their daily catch. Pastel palazzos stand tall around the piazza that has not changed over time. Small cafés, family owned trattorias cooking up fresh seafood and hand-made pasta, and artisan shops still producing the famous Ligurian olive oil, line alongside the center.

Cinque Terre ~ The 5 Villages

The Cinque Terre brings you into Nature’s wonder of winding green paths, the sound of the sea, and the intense perfumes of myrtle, oleander and lemons. Step into the five villages and discover a treasure of culture and cuisine. The entire area, hailed the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre, or the National Park of Cinque Terre, is a little corner of Paradise, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first village is called Monterosso al Mare (when coming from Genoa). It is the only village with a large beach and promenade connecting its historical center to the new Fegina quarter. Then there is Vernazza, located at the mouth of the river, and naturally protected from the sea by a rocky cape. Next, onto Corniglia, which is nestled on a hill surrounded by vineyards with its own sweet country appeal. Then Manarola and Riomaggiore, both clinging to rocky cliffs with multi-colored houses overlooking the sea. Both villages are the most typical and unspoiled villages of the five.

Discover the Bay of Silence and Bay of Fables as you cook, discover and enjoy the Ligurian Coast and Cinque Terre.

Itinerary ~ 5 Days, 4 Nights

Check in and start your program on any day of the week

Day One: Check in and Welcome Dinner

• Arrival and check in.
• Refresh and enjoy your Cooking Vacations’ Welcome Bag with Prosecco.
• Welcome Dinner featuring a Chef’s Tasting Menu with a full course menu of local fare.   Wine not included.

Day Two: Cooking Class 1

• Breakfast is served.
• Tie on your apron for Cooking Class 1, and join your chef where you will prepare a full course Ligurian menu featuring local farm-to-table ingredients.  Learn the importance of Ligurian olive oil while preparing antipasto, pasta and dessert.  Following the cooking class, everyone enjoys the food that was prepared in the class with a toast of wine.
• After your cooking class, relax, sit by the pool or stroll the beach.  Enjoy the artisan shops or an afternoon aperitivo.
• Later in the evening, enjoy dinner on your own with suggestions provided.

Day Three: Cooking Class 2

• Breakfast is served.
• Tie on your apron for Cooking Class 2, and join your chef where you will prepare a full course Ligurian menu featuring local farm-to-table ingredients.  Learn the importance of Ligurian olive oil while preparing antipasto, pasta and dessert.  Following the cooking class, everyone enjoys the food that was prepared in the class with a toast of wine.
• Take time on your own following the cooking class and discover the nearby towns via water taxi or train!
• Later in the evening, enjoy dinner on your own with suggestions provided.

 Day Four:  Discover Portofino and San Margherita with English-Speaking Guide

• Breakfast is served.
• Discover Portofino and Santa Margherita.  Meet your English-speaking guide and learn about the two neighboring towns that have been dazzling visitors for centuries.  Soak up the beauty of villas, lemon groves and olive orchards in  Margherita and Portofino.  Both towns are spilling with small cafés, artisan shops, and piazzas that dazzle.  Your guide leads you through history, food notes and questions.
• Later in the evening, enjoy dinner on your own with suggestions provided.

 Day Five: Check out & Arrivederci

• Breakfast is served.
• Check out and arrivederci!