A taste of Sorrento

Situated in the small town of Sant'Agnello, which is just ten minutes away from Sorrento, and surrounded by one of the oldest lemon groves on the whole of the Sorrentine Peninsula, the Esperidi Resort is no ordinary holiday village. In fact, since 2004, this stylish resort has been home to the Sorrento Cooking School, where pupils are taught the secrets of the cuisine of the Campania region. Lessons are held in a kitchen which the Esperidi Resort has purpose-built for the school. Adopting a hands-on approach to cooking, chefs assist pupils in the creation of complete four course menus, giving particular attention to pasta dishes.

As well as the professional kitchen, the school has a tasting area and a large communal dining table where pupils sit at the end of the lesson to eat the meal prepared. Cooking utensils, a selection of regional wines and of the famous Limoncello liqueur, made with the lemons of Sorrento, are available for purchase in the Sorrento Cooking School's shop. Those wishing to increase their knowledge of Neapolitan and Sorrentine cooking yet further, can enroll for one of the personalized courses dedicated to pizza, bread and cake making. Although lessons are held in Italian, for non-Italian speaking pupils a professional interpreter is available to translate the cook's each and every word.

For wine lovers, the school organizes a series of wine tours to the countryside around Avellino, visiting the wineries where the area's Taurasi, Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino are produced, and to Benevento for tastings of Campania's Aglianico, Coda di Volpe and Falanghina wines. Tours include a traditional lunch at a local farm.

The school also offers 4 and 8 day packages which, in addition to cooking lessons, include a dinner at Sorrento's Michelin Star "Il Buco" Restaurant and an evening in the town's "Aurora" pizzeria, which includes a live demonstration of how true Neapolitan pizza is made.

Sorrento Cooking School
Esperidi Resort
Viale dei Pini, 52
Sant'Agnello - Sorrento (Napoli)
Tel: +39 081 8783255
www.sorrentocookingschool.com