Mama Margaret

• Mama Margaret & Friends offers a full menu of culinary adventures, from touring the Tuscan countryside to staying with a family and learning home cooking in Sorrento. You not only gain skills in the kitchen, but you also get a taste of Italian culture.
  
  Mama Margaret has so many tantalizing choices that you may have trouble deciding which to pick. In one class, you meet Sicilian farmers and chefs; in another, you explore the Barbaresco and Barolo wine country. You can also custom design a learning experience for yourself, friends and family.
  
  

Paolo Monti

• You'll also find a wide variety of options at Chef Paolo Monti's Cucina Italiana, based in Lucca. If you're short on time, you can take one-day, hands-on sessions such as "The Fish Class," "The Main Ingredients and Sauces Class" or "The Fresh Pasta and Pizza Class."
  
  If you want a broader experience, try the multi-day programs. You can spend 7 days in Tuscany, taking classes in Lucca and enjoying trips to wineries and markets in the surrounding areas. You can take the week-long "Flavors of Sicily" tour or "The Best Flavors of Italy" class that includes 9 days in Tuscany, Liguria, Emilia Romagna and Piemonte.
  
  

Food Artisans

• Also based in Tuscany, cooking teacher and author Pamela Sheldon Johns offers one-day and week-long culinary workshops called Food Artisans. The classes are held year round at Poggio Etrusco, her 15-acre organic farm near Montepulciano.
  
  In each class, you get hands-on instruction, view a demonstration at a restaurant and/or visit a local food artisan. The classes, based on seasonal fare, are either in English or translated by a professional. Some courses are based on special themes, such as the Tuscan olive or grape harvest.
  
  

Roman Kitchen

• Diane Seed was born in Britain but has lived in Italy for more than 30 years. The author of cookbooks such as "The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces," Seed teaches Italian cooking in her home, the Doria Pamphili palace in Rome.
  
  The instructor takes her students to the market and then returns to the kitchen to give hands-on lessons. They learn to make dishes like octopus salad; stuffed, baked mussels; asparagus risotto; and chicken with black olives and fennel seeds. In addition to her classes in Rome, Seed conducts schools in Puglia and Sicily and on the Amalfi Coast.
  
  

Cook Italy

• Carmelita Caruana specializes in simple, delicious home cooking, and she bases her Cook Italy classes on the seasons. You can try the "Tuscan Easter Festival" or "Spring in Sicily," or go for "Late Summer Feasts" or "Harvest Time."
  
  The classes, held in various regions, are limited to 6 students so everyone gets a true hands-on experience. You can also request a custom class via e-mail.