Will be in Florence - Any suggestions if we want to do a 3-4 hour cooking class?

Last year 3 of us had a class with http://cookeatitalian.com/
Manuela held the class in her own kitchen. We got a very hands on experience and we got to eat the meal too. She gave us a print out of the recipes we did that day and I have successfully prepared them at home too. Manuela was very knowledgable and answered many questions we had about Italian cooking. She had picked up the ingredients from the farmers market that morning, so everything was very fresh and authentic.

I am hoping to take another class with her when I go back to Florence next year.

I've always wanted to try Florencetown's cooking tour. It's a five-hour class, however you go go through the whole process of making a meal. You start by picking out your items at the lively Mercato Centrale, then prep and cook the dish, finally enjoy. Here are a few cooking classes in Florence Rick recommends, but there are so many good choices in town, this is only representative of a few:

Through a Cooking School: In Tavola hits a good balance: It's a dedicated cooking school in the heart of the Oltrarno, where trained, Italian but English-speaking chefs quickly demonstrate each step before setting you loose to try your hand. The kitchen feels functional and real (in a good way), but you'll sit down to eat in the cozy wine cellar (classes ranging from €53-73/person, multi-lesson professional courses available, ideally book well ahead but you can try calling last-minute, between Pitti Palace and Brancacci Chapel at Via dei Velluti 18/20 red, tel. 055-217-672, www.intavola.org, [email protected], Fabrizio and American Jennifer).

Through a Tour Operator: Several reputable walking-tour tour companies in Florence offer a variety of cooking classes. ArtViva offers a range of hands-on cooking classes: three-course (€59/person), four-course (€68/person), pasta (€53/person), and pastry (€55/person; 10 percent discount with this book--log in at www.artviva.com/ricksteves with username "ricksteves" and password "reader"; tel. 055-264-5033). Florencetown's five-hour experience starts with a trip to Mercato Centrale, then settles into their kitchen for a cooking lesson (€85/person; also 3-hour pizza- and gelato-making class for €45/person; 10 percent discount with the code “RICKSTEVES,” chef Giovanni, Via de Lamberti 1, tel. 055-281-103, www.florencetown.com).