Perched on a good-looking hilltop in tiny Taormina, Hotel Villa Carlotta delivers Sicilian rusticity in the most beguiling of settings. The intimate property has 29 bright and airy rooms, each of which has floor-to-ceiling windows and sleek and stylish furnishings - think wicker armchairs and plush navy-blue cushions. Bed down in the villa's tower suite and wake up to the crystal-clear waters of the Ionian, before heading up to the hotel's rooftop terrace for a freshly baked breakfast brioche and strong espresso. Okay, so this place isn't exactly a full-blown culinary retreat, but the cosy, traditional kitchen makes for an ideal base for those looking to indulge in a spontaneous cookery class. From truffle pasta to flaky pastries, you'll discover the beauty of local ingredients and snag a few secret family recipes while you're here.

For over a decade, Fabrizia Lanza has continued to share her mother's culinary dream. What began as a personal project in her family's 19th-century Sicilian villa has grown into a farm-to-table hotspot that encourages students to learn and cook in a more thoughtful way. Foodie enthusiasts will leave here understanding the complexity of the landscape around them and how to source the best ingredients. Courses include lectures, tastings and hands-on lessons. Expect dough-mixing, wine production and coffee-roasting aplenty. Beginners should start slowly with a one-day class, while experts will love the five-day workshop.

To embark on one of travel expert Peggy Markel's food-fuelled escapades is nothing short of a feast for the senses. With guests offered an insight into the windy and wild island of Pantelleria, Markel's programmes only get started in the kitchen. The concept is simple: to truly understand the specific flavours of a particular destination's food, we must explore and appreciate its environment. The three-night Look-See retreat is hosted in the traditional stone-built dammusi houses of Le Case del Principe. Guests are accommodated in two-bedroom properties, each coming with two private bathrooms and a fully-equipped kitchen hugged by a sprawling outdoor terrace. To reserve your space and discover Sicily's world of wine, food and culture, visit the website for more information and availability.

Tucked into Santa Venerina's rolling hills, this 12-bedroom villa offers a refreshing change of scene from the classical Sicilian farmhouse ubiquitous to the area. Sure, it's home to an earthy, overgrown garden packed with fragrant lemon groves, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, but there's also a 25m heated infinity pool, a housekeeper and an in-house chef who crafts some of the most appetising lazy lunches we've ever tasted. From 23-30 April 2022, Rocca delle Tre Contrade is set to host a full-immersion extravaganza for foodies led by renowned chef Christian F Puglisi, bookable through The Thinking Traveller, via the villa's website. Highlights include vineyard and market visits, fish butchery lessons, focaccia-making classes and wine tastings.

Gather your gastronomy-loving gang and book into one of the two villas (or both) on this perfect patch of olive tree-laden land in north-eastern Sicily. While the property is offering a fantastic week-long culinary getaway for a group (sleeping up to 30 guests), we're also very taken with the seemingly endless infinity pool that overlooks the Mediterranean below. As for the culinary and culture retreat, it is spread across seven days, during which you and your crew will enjoy boat trips to the Aeolian Islands, cooking classes, a hike up to the crater of Mount Etna, wine tastings, market trips and more - with plenty of downtime at that perfect pool.

A masseria is, in essence, a large farmhouse with surrounding outbuildings typically found in Puglia. Masseria Agnello knits together the elements of a masseria we love the most: rustic 19th-century architecture, a working farm and charm aplenty. Nearby, you'll find lots to see, do and eat - don't miss the white-limestone beach at Scala dei Turchi or the fifth-century-BC Valley of the Temples. The on-site restaurant excels at simple Sicilian pasta dishes that go big on flavour, local wine and, if you can convince the chef, impromptu cooking classes.

This personality-packed villa-meets-bed-and-breakfast is simple, comfortable and exploding with Sicilian warmth. And, while the thoroughly lovely guestrooms are vibrant with colour and cosiness, all the real action happens in the kitchen. The villa's chef and sous chef host groups of as few as two people and as many as 35 in their well-equipped kitchen. Expect an expert demonstration of the ins and outs of Sicilian fare and ingredients, followed by a four-course feast with wine on tap - cooked and corked by you and your gang.

An inland gem, Agriturismo Bannata is a six-bedroom Sicilian sanctuary perfect for a group or family getaway. Set in a traditional masseria, the communal spaces, restaurant and guestrooms marry the conveniences of now with old-world touches like original wood beams, cool-to-the-touch red-tile floors and plush textiles. Spend lazy days around the large pool, savour the spicy, assertive Sicilian dishes cooked with care by the chef and get lost in the surrounding farmland, which produces the masseria's eucalyptus-scented honey, vegetables and golden olive oil.

Sometimes you want to spend your holidays swimming laps in the pool, lazing on the beach and letting lunch run into dinner. But, for the tourist looking to spend a day - or several days - in the kitchen, loveSicily is on hand. The company runs cookery classes themed around pasta-based, four-course Sicilian and vegetarian menus, with an extra class dedicated entirely to chocolate.