Culinary Adventures in the Romance of Italy by Shelley Seale

Here visitors discover how to prepare the regional cuisine, combined with trips to Chianti, wine tastings, and visits to Florence for boutique shopping and museums.

The classes themselves are varied, from traditional pasta and Tuscan specialties to cooking for one in their “Singles” course, and a compact class tailored for children ages eight to fourteen. Small, restricted classes mean that each student has a hands-on experience alongside the chef; all classes are in English and suitable for every level of expertise.

Each course promises a truly unique gastronomic journey, in the beautiful setting of Villa San Michele, a former monastery. This Orient-Express property is an “intimate and elegantly transformed Michelangelo-inspired 15th-century cloister, commanding glorious hilltop vistas of Florence and Arno Valley,” according to Andrew Harper. The extensive Italian gardens are filled with lemon trees and roses, perfect for an evening stroll or enjoying a glass of wine after the day’s cooking.

Sharon O’Connor, creator of the “Italian Intermezzo” collection of recipes combined with music, teaches a weeklong course at Villa San Michele devoted to the table, taste and beauty of Florence. Connor has built a career around her passions, collaborating with great chefs and musicians around the world to bring together food, art, music, and travel.

“Each person has their own stovetop and all needed utensils,” says O’Connor. “We are served the dishes we make in class at fabulous lunches on the villa’s loggia overlooking Florence. Participants enjoy a Catherine de’ Medici Renaissance dinner on the last night, with costumed waiters and musicians performing gorgeous Renaissance music. Everyone feels like an aristocrat by the end of the evening!”

O’Connor herself, a cellist, performs Baroque trios with two Florentine musicians during breaks in the cooking instruction. During the May 24—29, 2009 Italian Intermezzo, participants will also enjoy guided tours of art museums and an evening concert in Florence, truly rounding out the Italian cultural experience.