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Colorful Cinque Terre
Cooking Class Vacation Itinerary
Italian Cooking Classes in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy
Day One, Sunday - Arrival
Arrival on your own in Santa Margherita Ligure. You will check-in to your junior suite at the Hotel Lido Palace and enjoy a welcome cocktail and tasting of typical Ligurian gastronomic products (anchovies, focaccia , vegetable quiches, pesto) to whet your appetite for the cooking classes to come! Your hosts at the hotel will review your schedule for the week and answer any questions you might have about the program. Enjoy some free time to walk to the ancient city center or along the seaside “promenade.” This evening enjoy dinner in a typical restaurant with your fellow cooking class participants.
Day Two, Monday- Cooking Class #1
In the morning, after breakfast at the hotel, you will attend your first hands-on cooking class with your instructor, Giovanna. Today she will teach you how to prepare the most typical Ligurian recipes such as focaccia in Genovese style, vegetable quiches, and of course, the renowned pesto. Following your lesson you will enjoy a lunch based on your culinary creations.
The afternoon is yours to spend as you wish! Participate in one of our half-day excursions to Genoa or Portovenere or explore the area on your own. You can easily reach Portofino by public bus or by public boat and enjoy a walk in this wonderful small village, famous all over the world for attracting the rich and famous. From Portofino you can reach by public boat San Fruttuoso, a small fishing village in a deep inlet along the coastline of the Portofino promontory, one of the most suggestive places in Italian Riviera.
In the late afternoon, you may want to visit the fish market in Santa Margherita, where fisherman sell fresh fish and seafood from their daily catch.
Day Three, Tuesday - Cinque Terre Villages Tour
Following your breakfast at the hotel, put on your comfortable walking shoes and meet your English-speaking guide for a full-day tour (by train or public boat) of the Cinque Terre, a stunning area of shoreline dotted with colorful villages and rocky cliffs and the famous 5 villages : Monterosso, Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Manarola. First you will reach Riomaggiore. In Vernazza you will enjoy a tasting lunch in the most typical restaurant of the Cinque Terre. Continue by boat or by train to Monterosso , another stunning village, where you will visit an organic farm which produces wines, olive oil and grapefruit. Return to Santa Margherita Ligure. The evening is yours to relax and explore the local restaurant scene.
Day Four, Wednesday –Cooking Class #2
In the morning, following breakfast at the hotel, you will return to the professional restaurant kitchen and attend your second cooking lesson. Deborah will teach you how to prepare typical 'primi' or first dishes such as minestrone alla Genovese, pansoti, and stuffed vegetables. You will enjoy a lunch of your creations and have the rest of the day free to participate in an optional excursion to Camogli or one of our other half-day excursion options.
Tonight enjoy a dinner in Santa Margherita with your fellow cooking class participants.
Day Five, Thursday – Cooking Class #3
After breakfast at the hotel, in the morning you will attend your third and final cooking lesson. The chef will teach you how to prepare typical 'secondi' second dishes such as “Pesce alla ligure“, “Anchovies quiche“, and fresh Ligurian ravioli stuffed with local herbs. Following a lunch based on your cooking class dishes, you have the rest of the day free to participate in a half-day excursion option or explore the area on your own.
Day 6, Friday - Departure
After breakfast at your hotel, it is time to check out and depart our lovely seaside village. If you have another day to spend in Italy, you may want to participate in one of our full-day excursion options or you might opt to select our one-day add-on program to Florence before returning home.
