Those hoping to sink their teeth into real Italian cuisine should seek out acclaimed Sicilian chef Anna Tasca Lanza's school and try making it for themselves.

Students are treated to a total cultural immersion during their stay in her rustic 19th-century manor house on central Sicily's Regaleali estate.

By day, Anna and her daughter Fabrizia teach traditional local cuisine using fresh ingredients taken from the estate itself or nearby markets, and even offer a visit to nearby shepherds to learn how ricotta and pecorino cheese is made.

And after slaving away in the kitchen all day what better way to toast Sicilian success than with tastings from the Tasca d'Almerita cellars.

Anna holds one, three and five-day courses throughout spring and autumn.

For other top European cookery courses, investigate Yediburunlar lighthouse in Turkey or El Txoko del Gourmet in San Sebastian, Spain.