What better place to learn new cooking skills than beautiful Tuscany? Amidst the rolling green hills and russet rooftops, Villa San Michele in Florence offers a range of cooking classes from internationally renowned chefs. 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.

When considering a culinary learning vacation, you might not think of another unique and delightful way to experience this – on a river barge cruise. Barges can provide a perfect venue for cooking classes, such as those offered by Frontiers International Travel. Through the company’s Elegant Journeys Department, Frontiers fleet includes a barge with a fully equipped gourmet demonstration kitchen. Guests start the day with a morning shopping expedition to the local market with the chef, choosing the freshest ingredients for the day’s meal. Back on the barge, the chef will guide guests through the preparation of a regionally flavored feast.

Behind-the-scenes visits can also be arranged, providing a chance to learn about French cheeses at a fromagerie, hunt for truffles in the Dordogne, or perhaps to watch a pastry chef whip up a delicacy at a chocolatier. Jill Jergel of Frontiers says, “Another important facet of meal presentation is matching the wine with each course, and wine tasting while learning about the regions’ vintages is surely a highlight!” Frontiers’ barges offer four twin or double suites, and are available for private charter for eight passengers.