Cooking classes in Tuscany

Which cooking class suits you

The question to ask yourself is not "which class is the best" but "how much time do I have and where am I staying".

• You have half a day in Florence: a pasta class in the city, 2–3 hours, from €18 to €48.
• You have a free day and no car: a Chianti farm with transfer from Florence, 5–7 hours, from €99 to €180.
• You are staying in southern Tuscany or in Lucca: a class in the village nearest to you, from €80 to €145, without losing half a day on a coach.
• You are travelling with children: pizza and gelato, in the city or on a farm.
• You want something more refined: a cookery school at a wine estate, such as the one at Badia a Passignano, by booking.

Below you will find the formats one by one, then what is included, the prices and the mistakes to avoid.

Tuscany cooking class formats

A class in Florence

This is the best-selling format. You cook in a school or an equipped venue in the centre for 2–3 hours. The classic programme is fresh pasta with one or two sauces, then tiramisù or gelato, and at the end everyone eats together. On partner platforms prices start from €18 for two hours of pasta "with unlimited wine", from €27.50 for pasta and tiramisù in three hours and from €48 for the pasta and gelato class sold by Tiqets.

The advantage is that you need no transport: you do it in the afternoon and your evening is free. The drawback is the setting, because a classroom in the city is not a country kitchen. A very low price can also mean a large group: check the maximum number of participants on the listing. For the rest of the city, see our page on Florence.

Market visit and class

Some classes start with a walk round the market to buy the ingredients. In Florence the reference point is the Mercato Centrale in San Lorenzo, and many guides say pasta classes are held on the first floor, but check who runs them today before you book. Walkabout Tours sells on its own website a day that combines a visit to a local market, a class on a farm and lunch: 5–6 hours, from €80, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. As with all "from" prices, the minimum figure may refer to children or the low season.

The market part makes sense if you are interested in the produce: pecorino, cured meats, olive oil, seasonal vegetables. If you mainly want to cook, you can skip it.

Pizza and gelato

This is the format for families. You knead the pizza dough, choose the toppings and make gelato, and it works well even with young children. In the city it may be combined with pasta, as in the Tiqets class from €48. In the countryside there is the "pizza and gelato on a Tuscan farm" day departing from Florence, on Tiqets from €180. Be aware: that option is non-refundable. On the Walkabout Tours website a day of the same kind starts from €80: it is not necessarily the same experience, so compare what they include before you choose.

A farm day with transfer from Florence

This is the most complete experience. The transfer takes you from Florence to a farm in Chianti, where you usually cook 3–4 dishes and have lunch with wine. Some options add a tour of the farm or a tasting. Between travel and cooking, allow 5–7 hours.

On partner platforms:

• from €99 for the seven-hour day "farm, wine and pasta in the Tuscan countryside";
• from €139 for the cooking class with wine tasting on a Chianti farm, on Tiqets (4 hours; check whether the transfer is included);
• from €159 for the tour of Certaldo, Monteriggioni and Castellina with a cooking class, also on Tiqets: it is more of a day trip with the villages and the class, and it takes up almost the whole day.

If you also want to visit wineries, see the page about wine tours and the one about Chianti.

Classes in Pienza, Montepulciano, Cortona, Lucca (and Volterra)

If you are staying outside Florence, there is a better alternative to the coach: a class in the nearest village. You usually get there under your own steam, and the class lasts half a day or less.

Prices per person on partner platforms. To plan the rest of the day, see Val d'Orcia, Arezzo and Cortona, Lucca and Volterra.

Schools at wine estates

Some large estates have their own cookery school. At Badia a Passignano, the Antinori family's Vallombrosan abbey in Chianti Classico, there are the historic cellars, a wine shop, the Michelin-starred Osteria di Passignano and a cookery school. Entry is by booking only, and the price is not published: ask by emailing info@osteriadipassignano.com or calling +39 055 807 1278.

What is usually included

In almost every class you get:

• ingredients and equipment, including an apron;
• the hands-on lesson: you do the cooking, you don't just watch the chef;
• the meal made from what you have prepared;
• wine for adults, sometimes "unlimited" in the city classes;
• often the recipes to take home, but ask.

Depending on the option, the transfer from Florence, the market walk, a tour of the farm, or an olive oil or wine tasting may be added. Tips and transport to the meeting point for the village classes are usually not included. For vegetarian diets, coeliac disease and allergies, write to the organiser before booking: fresh pasta is made with wheat flour, and not every kitchen can offer an alternative.

Prices compared

Partner prices change and we check them regularly. The full comparison is below.

Tiqets · 03:00

Florence: Pasta & Gelato Cooking Class

★ 4.7 (10 reviews) from €48

Book on Tiqets

Tiqets · 04:00

Chianti: Guided Cooking Class & Wine Tasting in a Farm

from €139

Book on Tiqets

GetYourGuide · 7 hours

Florence: Farm Tour, Wine & Pasta in the Tuscan Countryside

★ 4.9 (743 reviews) from €99

Book on GetYourGuide

GetYourGuide · 4 hours

Montepulciano: Tuscan Cooking Class with Fresh Pasta & Wine

★ 5.0 (69 reviews) from €80

Book on GetYourGuide

See the pasta and gelato class in Florence from €48

How to choose: the questions to ask of the listing

1. What is the maximum group size? With 8 people you really learn; with 30 you watch.
2. Who does the cooking? "Hands-on" means you are the one with your hands in the dough. A demonstration with tasting is something else.
3. Is the transfer included? If the class is in the countryside and you don't have a car, this is the first thing to check.
4. What do you cook? Three dishes plus dessert and "pasta only" go by the same name but are not worth the same price.
5. Can you cancel? Among the offers on this page there are options refundable up to the day before and others that are non-refundable.
6. What time does it finish? An evening class in Florence fits with a day of museums. A seven-hour farm day does not.

Mistakes to avoid

• Choosing on the lowest price alone. Between €18 and €48 in the city, the duration, number of dishes and group size all change.
• Booking a farm day on the day you arrive or leave. With 5–7 hours taken up and a return time that depends on traffic, you risk missing your train.
• Forgetting to mention allergies. State them when you book, not in the kitchen.
• Paying for a non-refundable option while your itinerary is still open. Better to spend a few euros more on a class you can cancel.
• Taking a class in a hill town and a tour from Florence in the same area. If you are staying in Montepulciano, you don't need a package that leaves from Florence.

What to combine it with

A cooking class goes well with a morning at a frantoio (olive mill) in November (see olive oil), with truffle hunting in autumn or with a sunrise hot air balloon flight. For more ideas, see the page about experiences in Tuscany.