I've got a pretty long trip coming up going through Italy, and I love to cook (I'd say I'm probably intermediate skill) and I've never done a cooking class before, but thought this would be a fun place to do one! Googling around there are an OVERWHELMING number of choices, so I'm looking to see if anyone has any recommendations of ones you've done and liked? :)
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1151 posts
I can highly recommend Mama Florence in Florence. I too love to cook and want a bit of a challenge when I take a class. Mama Florence is taught by professional chefs in a lovely kitchen near the San Frediano and Santo Spirito neighborhoods. We took the Florence Market Tour with Pasta Cooking Class. What I liked about the class is that we made local dishes that I have been able to regularly replicate at home. The class is fun, we learned great techniques, and the food was amazing.
Posted by
martinez, ca, usa
2930 posts
hey hey travelingrobot
yes there are so many to choose from. i offer sites and what i think is good for me but others have their good and bad. i let people read and research
discoverwalks.com
look at headers for cooking classes, see what classes are offered making different items. have liked market tours and taking back to cook at someone's residence (milan & rome)
eatwith.com
search your city, dates, # of people, click cooking classes. many are cooking in residents home, many small groups
cookly.me
townsofitaly.com
airbnb.com/experiences/date/guests
check your cities you're going & dates (since you haven't mentioned), # of people.
took one in florence, was so so, won't mention it.
have a hopeful search for what you're looking for, enjoy and have a fabulous time.
aloha
Posted by
Los Angeles by way of Providence and Rome
689 posts
Convivio Rome is in the Sabine hills, a short train ride from Rome, and they will meet you at the local train station and drive you to their home where the classes happen. Guido and Sally, the owners, do everything from half- and full-day classes to multi-day "cooking holidays". I really enjoyed the class I took and learned a lot about Roman food. Check out their website.
Posted by
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
443 posts
We had a great experience at the Culinary Institute of Bologna (CIBO). I highly recommend them.
Posted by
1 posts
We had a great experience with the cooking class company The Chef & The Dish. They have chefs all over the world and offer online (virtual) cooking classes, but many of their chefs also do in person classes. My husband got me one of their cooking classes for my birthday (it was like a stay home date night and private to just us). We had a blast, so we ended up actually visiting the chef in Italy when we travelled to Bari (south of Italy). Not in your list, but it's definitely worth checking them out. www.thechefandthedish.com
Posted by
New York, United States
3 posts
If you love cooking, Italy is definitely the place to try your first class — you’ll have a great time. A couple of things that helped me narrow it down - Decide whether you want a market tour + cooking class, a hands-on pasta class, or something more regional like Tuscan, Sicilian, or Roman cuisine.
Smaller groups (8–12 people) usually feel more authentic and less “touristy.” For my last Italy trip, I did a pasta-making class in Florence. It was super relaxed, very beginner/intermediate-friendly, and included wine + dinner at the end. If you want more structured options to compare, I found a few good ones through Cozymeal, and it helped filter chefs by location and style.
If you share the cities you’re hitting, people here can definitely suggest specific classes that were worth it!