Cooking Classes in Tuscany — 5 That Justify the Detour

1.Florence Pizza or Pasta Class with Gelato Making at a Tuscan Farm

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6,801 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $145Our pick

Spend about six hours at a private estate above Florence with chefs such as Chris, Carmela, Davide, and Tiziano. Choose pizza or pasta, make gelato, sample focaccia, and eat a three-course meal with wine or beer. The setting is beautiful, the class is hands-on, and recipes go home with you.

“This was a great experience. All of the leaders Chris Tiriano and Lodovik (? On his name) were friendly, helpful and informative. Thy were all focused on making sure everyone was happy. Couldn’t recommend them or the tour more. We actually have been critiquing all of the other pizza and gelato we have been eating again what we msde and we all think what we made was better.”

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2.Cooking Class and Lunch at a Tuscan Farmhouse with Local Market Tour from Florence

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,831 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $145

Meet Luca or another Walkabout Florence Tours guide in central Florence for a market visit, tastings, and a 20-minute minibus ride to a Tuscan farmhouse. With chefs such as Erika, prepare pasta, bruschetta, roast pork, potatoes, and tiramisu, then eat your meal with local wine before returning to Florence.

“Without a doubt, book the tour! We did the Tuscan lunch + market tour with pasta making class. You begin by visiting the Centro Mercado which is a large market selling all fresh ingredients, meats, cheeses, etc. The guide; Lucca, is such an incredibly unique and fun persona! He thoroughly explained ingredients, showcased food options, and we were even able to taste multiple food products in the market. There is a bus that takes you on a 15 minute ride to the Tuscan farmhouse which is gorgeous!! The cooking class is interactive; everyone participates in something! There are so many photos opportunities. You get to prepare: bruschetta, drink endless wine,…”

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3.Tuscany Day Trip: Chianti & Cooking Class Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 770 reviews · 11 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $167

Spend about 11.5 hours touring Tuscany from Florence by air-conditioned coach or minivan. Visit Castellina, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, a Chianti wine estate, and Certaldo, then cook and eat a Tuscan meal at Agricola Poggio Ai Laghi. Guides such as Marco, Marta, and Emma have earned warm praise, but expect a long, walking-heavy day.

“Wonderful day. Siena tour guide was pleasant. I would suggest skipping the pre fixed lunch, food was just ok and took too much time from the visit. Also Lorenzo winery was beautiful with stunning views but the tasting was just ok.”

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4.Tuscan Cooking Class and Dinner in Florence

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 732 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $83

Meet near Piazza Santa Trinita at 4:45 pm, cross the Arno, and cook a four-course Italian dinner with a professional chef. You may prepare pasta, gnocchi, chicken, risotto, or dessert, depending on the day’s menu. The class lasts about four hours and ends with dinner, wine, and recipes to take home.

“Teacher was thorough, and simplified the processes and recipes, but her lovely heavy Italian accent was sometimes difficult to understand (English speaking class). The recipe sheets we received didn’t necessarily represent the recipes we made. Everyone performed the same tasks for each recipe. I took another cooking class in Florence several years ago and we made the same recipes. However, every person made a different course. For this cooking class, everyone contributed to each course. I finally learned to make pasta! The food we made was delicious! I didn’t realize class would take place in a cooking school, so atmosphere was less homey than I would have liked. Classmates were…”

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5.Pasta and Tiramisu Cooking Class with Wine

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 274 reviews · 3 hours · from $81Best value

At Trattoria Fonte Giusta in Siena, an English-speaking chef guides you through egg pasta, local pici, gnocchi, and tiramisu. You’ll start with Prosecco, cook in a small group, then sit down to eat your pasta and dessert with wine. Dennis and Natalia are among the guides praised for clear, patient instruction.

“Very interesting and valuable experience- we learned how to make 3 types of pasta, and tiramisu, the guide was so helping, speaks english very well- explained every thing and the best part was eating what we made.”

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