Cooking Lessons, Wine Tasting, and Market Visits in Florence, Rome, Venice, Tuscany, Naples, Palermo and Taormina

Add a dash of cooking or a drop of wine lore to your vacation with half-day cooking class options, which always include the meal with wine after the lesson. Classes are in English and on request for any day year round, based upon availability, for a minimum of two people. When a booking is confirmed for one or two people, it does not guarantee a private class, only that you will have a guaranteed space in that class. Bookings are confirmed upon receipt of your full prepayment. We regret we cannot confirm any bookings received less than 5 days before your departure date from home.

This authentically Roman experience begins when you join your host and chef for a stroll through the Baroque neighborhoods of the city. You'll see super star monuments like Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona, interspersed with such little-known treasures as a magical piazza built around an ancient Roman temple, or another "square" whose elaborate buildings actually form a perfect semi-circle. Along the way you'll feel like a true Roman, as you pay visits to the chef's favorite bakers or butchers or pastry wizards. The stroll always includes Campo de' Fiori, where you might watch a grandmother dressing artichokes, or a handsome gentleman might show off a range of coffee pots more vast than you could have thought possible.

After this classic Roman interlude, you'll retire to the chef's palazzo apartment at the top of the Spanish Steps. Here you'll prepare a simple lunch using all the ingredients of your treasure hunt. If the day is fine, you'll enjoy an aperitif on the terrace overlooking the city, before sitting down to savor the delicious tastes of the Eternal City. Click here for former guests' comments.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
Year-round	10 a.m.	On Request	110 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Market visit, cooking lesson and lunch.

Language: English.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.
  

Market Visit & Cooking Lesson & Lunch in Florence - 5 hours

Learn to cook a typical everyday Tuscan meal, starting by choosing the best seasonal ingredients. Under the expert guidance of a multilingual chef, you will visit the historic San Lorenzo central market, where you will select the ingredients that you will then use to prepare a four-course meal (appetizer, first course, second course and dessert) in a top-class cooking school. The lesson will be followed by lunch with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Click here for former guests' comments.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
April 1-November 11, 2012	10:00 a.m.	Thursday	69 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Assistant, course, recipes, lunch with drinks.
Language: English and, on request, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.

Handmade Pasta Cooking Lesson & Lunch in Florence - 3 hours

Learn to make your own fresh pasta following ancient Italian traditions using flour, eggs and other ingredients. Under the expert guidance of a multilingual chef, you will learn how to make pasta, both using a rolling pin and a pasta machine. You will make three different types of pasta with three different sauces and a typical Italian dessert. The lesson will be followed by lunch with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
April 1-November 13, 2012	11:45 a.m.	Saturday	50 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Assistant, course, recipes, lunch with drinks.
Language: English and, on request, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.

Group Cooking Lesson & Dinner in Florence - 2-1/2 hours + dinner

Learn to cook a classic Tuscan meal. Together with your English-speaking chef Barbara, you will be able to make a four-course meal (starter, first course, second course and dessert). Menus are seasonal, using the freshest ingredients to compose traditional dishes appropriate for the time of year. The lesson will be followed by dinner with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
Year-round	4:00 p.m.	Monday	65 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Chef, course, dinner with drinks.
Language: English and Italian.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.

Private Cooking Lesson & Dinner in Florence - 2-1/2 hours + dinner

Learn to cook a classic Tuscan meal and choose the correct wines to accompany it. Together with your English-speaking chefs Barbara and Valentina, you will be able to make a four-course meal (starter, first course, second course and dessert). Menus are seasonal, using the freshest ingredients to compose traditional dishes appropriate for the time of year. The lesson will be followed by dinner with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
Year-round	4:00 p.m.	Daily	1 person: 205 EURO/person 2 people: 113 EURO/person 3 people: 80 EURO/person 4 people: 69 EURO/person 5 people: 64 EURO/person 6 people: 58 EURO/person 7 people: 50 EURO/person 8 people: 48 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Chef, course, dinner with drinks.
Language: English and Italian.

Notes:

• Children under the age of 8 are not admitted.
• You may also have this lesson at your Florence lodgings. Click here to inquire about prices.

White Wine Tasting in Florence - 2 hours

In the ancient centre of Florence, join this introduction to the principal Tuscan white wines. Learn about the most widespread vines; the most traditional Tuscan wines; the new trend toward Chardonnay and Sauvignon; Pomino, a wine produced in the mountains near Florence; tasting and suggestions for matching with food. Each session is accompanied by traditional appetizers, olive paté, toasted bread with tomato, garlic and basil, and mixed Tuscan cheeses. Wines might include:

• Vernaccia di S. Gimignano, Casale Falchini
• Sauvignon, Le Murelle
• Chardonnay, Colognole

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
Yeaer-round	5:00 p.m.	Wednesday	35 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Tasting of three wines and of typical products. Your skilled hosts will guide you through the tasting.
Language: English and Italian.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 18 are not admitted.

Red Wine Tasting in Florence - 2 hours

In the ancient centre of Florence, join this introduction to the traditional denomination of origin (D.O.C.); the best of the traditional production, Brunello and Nobile; the role of Cabernet and the new trends; tasting and suggestions for matching with food. Each session is accompanied by traditional appetizers, olive paté, toasted bread with tomato, garlic and basil, and mixed Tuscan cheeses. Wines might include:

• Monteregio di Massa Marittima
• Chianti Classico, Fattoria Rodano
• Rosso di Montalcino, Barbi
• Nobile di Montepulciano, Poderi Boscarelli

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
Year-round	5:00 p.m.	Wednesday	35 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Tasting of three wines and of typical products. Your skilled hosts will guide you through the tasting.
Language: English and Italian.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 18 are not admitted

Pasta & Dinner in Naples - 3 hours

At 4 pm, your Neapolitan experience begins on the veranda of Villa Capodimonte, where you'll enjoy a delicious sfogliatella (the yummy local pastry whose name you will learn to pronounce!) accompanied by the favorite local beverage: an espresso. Next you'll join the chef for an entertaining hands-on lesson during which you'll learn to create homemade pasta. At 7pm you will be treated to dinner in the unforgettable setting of the hotel's garden restaurant. Your meal will commence with the pasta you made, followed by meat or fish and a dessert.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Price
Year-round except Easter and Christmas	Daily at 4pm	130 EURO/person

Included in the Price: Hands-on lesson, followed by the meal.
Language: English or Italian.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people.
• You must let us know at the time of booking whether you prefer a meat or fish dinner.

Venice

Cooking in a Private Apartment in Venice - 4 hours

Join the chef in the well-equipped kitchen of a typical Venetian home, where you'll enjoy a hands-on lesson enriched with a wealth of background information about the unique fish of the Lagoon and how they have shaped the lives of the local residents. You'll see how to prepare and dress fish, discover the exotic origins of the ingredients used, and learn how to recreate the dishes in your own home. Afterwards, of course, everyone sits down to enjoy a classic Venetian meal in an unforgettable setting.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Price
Jan. 1-July 10, Sept. 1-Dec. 20	Daily except Sundays, Easter and Christmas	200 EURO/person

 

Included in the Price: Hands-on lesson, followed by the meal.
Language: English.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people.
• A visit to Rialto Market with the chef may be added any day but Sunday and costs 20 Euro/person extra.

All About Fish in Venice - 3 hours

Meet your guide at Rialto, one of Europe's most colorful food markets. After a visit to the fascinating fruit and vegetable market,  you'll move on to the tour de force -- il mercato dei pesci -- the lively fish market where you will learn about the astounding variety of creatures populating the Lagoon. Afterwards, board the ultra-Venetian gondola ferry (completely different from what you think it is!), cross the Grand Canal and stroll to a restaurant where the chef will show you the fish of the day. You will see how fish is cleaned and, most importantly, you will learn the best methods and ingredients to enhance the natural flavours of fish. Afterwards, you may stay to  taste the best dishes and meet with someone whom the locals consider a 5-star VIP: the President of the Rialto Fishmongers.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Price
Feb. 1-July 31, Sept. 1-Dec. 20	Daily except Sundays, Mondays, Easter and Christmas	260 EURO total for your group of 2-5 people

 

Included in the Price: Visits to the fish, fruit and vegetable markets at Rialto; demonstration at the restaurant.
Not Included: 50 Eurocents/person for the gondola (please have cash on hand to pay for this).
Language: English.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people.
• To fully comprehend the lesson, we highly recommend you stay for lunch or dinner, which includes four courses, three glasses of wine, mineral water, bread and cover charge. The cost is 55 Euro/person extra.

Wine Tasting in Venice - 1 hour

In an environment internationally renowned for its wine, food and art, enjoy a wonderful opportunity to sample five of the most important wines of the Veneto area, accompanied by five different types of Venetian snacks. Totally unique to this seaside city, these cicchetti (pronounced chi-KET-ee) include delicious bruschetta along with bites of fish, cheese and salamis, accompanied by glasses of Prosecco, Soave, Pinot, Valpolicella and Amarone wines. This is a fun way to learn about wine, have a nibble and meet other travelers and local Venetians.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
April 1, 2011-March 31, 2012	6:30 p.m.	Tuesday-Sunday	33.50 EURO/person

 

Included in the price: Tasting of five wines (as above described) and of typical products (as above described). Your skilled English-speaking hosts will guide you through the tasting.

Notes:

• This lesson is guaranteed for a minimum of two people total (if you are one person and at least one other person you do not know has confirmed, the lesson will proceed).
• Children under the age of 18 are not admitted.
  

 

 

Tuscany

Learn the culinary secrets of Authentic Southern Tuscany at Palazzo Bandino, a winery near Montepulciano. Your hands-on lesson begins at 10:30. With well-known local chef Luciano Benocci, you'll prepare Sienese specialties that combine the season's freshest ingredients, straight from the Palazzo Bandino estate. Or choose the pizza lesson, something it is very hard to find anywhere in Italy! You'll learn to make two kinds of pizza, cooked in the estate's authentic brick oven, as well as Tuscan roast chicken and potatoes.
Whether you have the classic cooking lesson or the pizza lesson, afterwards you'll visit the wine cellars for an introduction to Tuscan wines and a demonstration of how they are bottled. Lunch with wine follows, after which you will receive a certificate. The estate is easy to find, located just outside Chianciano Terme only five minutes from the autostrada exit. Cost for the lesson for 2-8 people is 145 EURO/person; lunch with wine for a companion who does not attend the cooking class (with minimum two cooks): 30 EURO/person; adult cooks who also book a stay at Palazzo Bandino through In Italy Online receive a 10% discount. A maximum of two children ages 9-15 pay 50% when accompanied by two adults for a Family Lesson, which includes a visit to the vineyard and the olive grove and a simple, safe cooking or pizza lesson followed by lunch with wine. You may also combine the cooking lesson with the wine lesson (described below). This special full-day package includes two lessons and a full lunch with wine and costs 261 EURO/person; Palazzo Bandino guests receive a 10% discount on this price. Not available on Saturdays or Mondays. You must have a car to take this class. Click here for former guests' comments.

Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Tuscany Wine Lesson

If you are interested in learning more about Tuscan wines, tasting a wide variety of them and purchasing some at the lower local prices, then we have an extremely rare opportunity for you. Instead of driving around to visit each winery, and most likely being turned away at the door because they only accept groups or they are closed for the day, we offer a half-day wine appreciation and tasting session near Montepulciano that encompasses all the great Tuscan vintages: Chianti, Rosso di Montepulciano, Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino and Colli Etruria. Your morning at Palazzo Bandino (see above) starts at 10 a.m., with a very entertaining and informative explanation of the history of these wines, illustrating how and why Chianti evolved from a straw-encased staple of college dormitories to one of the world's most respected wine classifications, and then gave birth to the Super Tuscans, which have earned their place in the Olympus of world wine history. You will taste samples of each wine group, accompanied by cheese, olives and typical Tuscan bread. After this you will stretch your legs in the vineyard, and visit the winery to witness the process whereby a grape becomes a sip. Lunch with wine follows, after which you may purchase all the wine you want and pay the same price as if you visited each wine estate individually. Palazzo Bandino is easy to find, located just outside Chianciano Terme only five minutes from the autostrada exit. 145 EURO/person for a minimum of two people (participants who also book a stay at Palazzo Bandino through In Italy Online receive a 10% discount). Not available on Saturdays or Mondays. You must have a car to take this class. Click here for former guests' comments.

Sicily

Market Visit & Lesson in Palermo

What a quintessential Sicilian experience! At 9am you'll meet your chef at his central Palermo restaurant and head off for a walking tour of our favorite Italian market, where you will be introduced to all the unique local food specialties, the ultra-fresh seafood, the gleaming vegetables and juicy fruits, the dried and preserved delicacies that originated at the four corners of the Mediterranean and are now a mainstay of Sicilian cuisine. If the lesson ended here it would already be memorable! But wait, there's loads more back in the kitchen, where you will learn to clean and slice and dice and combine and season and cook all those ingredients using the quick, simple techniques that lead to the best cuisine. The fun continues in the dining room, where you will enjoy a scrumptious meal accompanied by the appropriate Sicilian wine and completed with homemade biscotti dipped in sweet local dessert wine. Each lesson is for a total of 2-8 people and usually lasts until 1:30pm; the cost is 150 EURO/person.

Included in the Price: Market visit, cooking lesson and lunch.

Language: English.

Market Visit & Lesson in Taormina

For this exciting experience, your host is the chef at one of the favorite restaurants in Sicily's leading resort town. You'll meet him at 9am and enjoy a short stroll through the colorful streets of the town, ending up at the outdoor market. Here you'll see a vast array of foods you may recognize and others that might look completely unfamiliar. You'll learn about these Sicilian delicacies, then you'll help the chef pick out the ingredients for your lunch. Next it's off to the restaurant kitchen, where you'll participate in a private hands-on lesson and learn how to turn those fresh ingredients into a scrumptious meal. Afterwards, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labors, in the dining room or out on the patio. A glass of good local wine accompanies your meal, which ends of course with a yummy Sicilian sweet washed down by a tiny cup of espresso.

Included in the Price: Market visit, cooking lesson, lunch and recipe booklet.

Language: English.

Dates Available	Lesson Time	Days Available	Price
Year-round	9 a.m.	Daily	2 people: 305 EURO 3 people: 385 EURO 4 people: 525 EURO 5 people: 610 EURO 6 people: 690 EURO 7 people: 780 EURO 8 people: 850 EURO