"Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone. Nearly always when you find a place as beautiful as Positano, your impulse is to conceal it." - John Steinbeck

ayer after layer of whitewashed houses cascade into an inlet which was for many years a simple fishing village. The town has maintained much of its simplicity and charm but now attracts outsiders — artists and other visitors who are captured by the beauty of this town. Positano, referred to as the "Jewel of the Mediterranean," is along the Amalfi Coast in the Campania region.

Campanian cuisine is in many ways synonymous with Neapolitan cuisine, although the different localities have their own specialities. The black volcanic soil of the area yields an abundance of succulent and flavorful fruits and vegetables. Orange and lemon trees flourish here. The abundance of the white buffalo found all along the coast and inland area of Campania produce the world-famous mozzarella di bufala. Campanians take advantage of the abundance of fabulous fresh fish readily available along the coast and consequently consume little meat.

Owners Marco and Monica Aonzo welcome you to their luxurious four-star hotel, the Poseidon. In addition to the magnificent view overlooking the bay and the coastline, you will be able to enjoy the hotel's covered and heated swimming pool, beauty center and charming rooms with terraces.

Early afternoon departure by minivan from Naples train station to Positano. Enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Amalfi coast as we travel along the winding road of the coastline. Once you arrive in Positano you may settle into your room and join everyone in the hotel's dining room for a welcome dinner and an outline of your course details.

Following breakfast you will have your first cooking class. The hotel chef will focus on antipasto dishes including insalata caprese, made of layered mozzarella di bufala and sliced fresh tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and topped with fresh basil leaves. Or you might prepare calzonerri pieno al forno (stuffed pizza), or, as they are called locally, calzone 'mbuttunate. The pizza is stuffed with a mixture of ingredients, including neopolitan sausage, provolone cheese, freshly grated parmesan, lard and tomato sauce. Or a fried calzone with a traditional southern Italian combination of fillings. Your afternoon is free to explore Positano.

After breakfast we will focus on the preparation of some fish dishes. They might include anguille con la cicoria di campo (eel with wild chicory), a succulent and delectable dish that belies its apparent ingredients. This is the secret of the flavor of Italy: taking ingredients of all kinds and turning them into fabulous dishes!

In addition to the other dishes you will learn to prepare, this morning it's a must that you learn to make Italy's famous after dinner drink limoncello, made with lemons from nearby Sorrento, sugar and pure alcohol. The key is to prepare the limoncello with freshly picked Sorrentine lemons that still have their natural oils intact on the outer peel. You'll also learn how to make another delectable after dinner item using the Sorrentine lemons: sorbetto al limone (lemon sherbet).

Following lunch you are free to explore Positano on your own. For those interested, we will take you for a guided shopping tour of the most unique shops in Positano. Sadly, those of you who are staying for just the four-day course will be returning to Naples by bus this afternoon.

For those of you remaining for the entire week today we will visit nearby Vietri sul Mare, famous for its beautiful hand-painted tiles and other ceramic products. If you're looking for a special gift item or perhaps a set of hand-painted ceramic dishes to take home, this is the ideal place to make your purchases. We will also visit the town's Museo della Ceramica. We'll have lunch at a local restaurant, La Locanda, where the owner of this tastefully decorated restaurant will greet you with a welcome aperitivo before seating you in one of the two charming rooms for a relaxed lunch. On your return trip to Positano we will stop at the Amalfi coastal towns of Amalfi and Ravello to take some photographs.

Our cooking lesson this morning might concentrate on some Campanian side dishes such as scarole imbottite, escarole stuffed with capers, Gaeta olives and anchovies, which are then covered with bread crumbs, drizzled with olive oil and baked. Or perhaps you might prepare melanzane a funghetto, eggplant cubed and gently sauté;ed with fresh tomatoes, basil and extra virgin olive oil.

Our farewell dinner this evening will be held in one of Positano's fine restaurants, O'Capurale. At dinner you will receive your course certificate, hand-painted commemorative ceramic platter and recipe booklet.

Late this afternoon your course ends and we will return to Naples. Until then, your day will be spent at one of Campania's fine cantine wineries located in S. Cipriano Picentino. Il Montevetrano, where Vendemamia (grape harvest) was first produced in 1991, is now appreciated worldwide. Using a grape blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and the Aglianico grapes of Basilicata, this wine is then aged in French oak casks. It yields a ruby-colored wine, richly spicy, with a black currant bouquet — well worth our visit to this winery and well worth purchasing some of this fine red wine to take home with you! You might also want to purchase some of the estate's unique jams and preserves: orange and onion jam, red bell pepper jam, eggplant jam, pumpkin jam and more.

Six nights double room accommodation with breakfast, five cooking classes, four lunches, two dinners, course certificate, recipe booklet and commemorative hand-painted ceramic platter.

Jan. 10-17, 2007
Feb. 6-13, 2007
Nov. 27 - Dec. 4, 2007
Dec. 4-11, 2007

Available upon request.