Culture PACKED cruises

Enjoy luxurious sea travel, then drop anchor and soak up the sights and tastes of destinations both near and far

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Feasts and fortresses IN THE MED

Caroline Hendrie ventures off the beaten track while sailing from Italy to Spain.

The higher up the mountainside our jeep takes us, the narrower the zigzagging lanes become, until I can almost pick the caper berries tumbling down the drystone walls as we pass. Turning a sharp bend, we sweep through iron gates to be greeted by our host, Daniela, on the terrace of her villa in Lipari, the largest of the volcanic Aeolian islands off the coast of Sicily.

Soon we are drinking in the views, as well as chilled rosé wine, nibbling on caper and mint canapés, olives and tangy sheep's cheese. I gaze on olive groves sweeping down to the fortifications of Lipari town, the sparkling sea and our ship, Explora II, at anchor, with the white curls of steam streaming skywards from Vulcano island beyond.

But we aren't just here to admire the astonishing view-our small group has a lunchtime cooking class with Daniela in her outdoor kitchen. Pressing our fingers into semolina mounds, we form volcanostyle craters and pour in water that runs like lava down the sides. After a messy start, my dough comes together, and I roll it out while Daniela mixes ricotta and lemon for us to fill and fold our ravioli. Next we make braciola alla messinese - beef rolls stuffed with cheese and breadcrumbs - to go on the grill. After making lunch, we sit down to feast on our creations.

Sleepy isles