For singletons or for couples, perfect for an all-girls' holiday or a chance for the inexperienced to finally get to grips with the cooking pots... all of the cookery courses at Villa San Michele offer the opportunity to discover the secrets of the Italian cuisine; there are even courses suitable for kids.

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.

By Miles Goslett

Not being the world's greatest chef - in fact I rarely stray beyond making simple bachelor food such as omelettes - a weekend cookery course at one of Italy's finest hotels for people living alone was a very welcome prospect.

A visit to Pizza Express is generally as close as I get to Italian cuisine, so here was the chance to master some delicious new dishes.

But my enthusiasm dipped briefly when I arrived at the five-star Villa San Michele, a 15th Century monastery in Fiesole, a hilltop town overlooking Florence.

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I was looking for something interesting to tell you about, when I realized how hungry I am. I keep trying to get work done, and I continually find myself on websites for restaurants. Whoops. So, I figured I would work with my current situation instead of against it and give you a list of fantastic restaurants in Tuscany. Italy is the ultimate Mecca for food lovers, so you really can’t eat much better than this!