Experience the warmth of Italian family cooking in this pasta class in rural Bologna at a charming 15th-century stone farm estate. During your Bologna cooking class learn to make authentic pasta from scratch in a cozy, traditional setting. Join your host Chiara at her professional, stainless steel kitchen to learn to cook a creatively-inspired regional Italian meal from Monte San Pietro recipes, passed down from her grandmother. Inspired by innovation in the cooking world, she is keen on assembling dishes with regional ingredients but changing their form to make them more exciting. Instead of the traditional peas and pasta dish, Chiara might make a cream of peas that is drizzled over her pasta. Your hands-on cooking will last about two hours. Learn to cook three dishes from scratch during your cooking experience; a pasta such as tagliatelle with prosciutto di Parma and lemon zest, a seasonal vegetable side such as cavolo nero from the garden with garlic and olive oil or a fennel and root vegetable gratinato, and a bread made from ancient wheat or dessert. Enjoy learning about creative ways to recreate regional Bolognese dishes before you sit down at the table to share the meal you helped prepare with Chiara. Perfect for families and food lovers!
Meet your host Chiara at her family home, a traditional, 15th century stone farm estate that she restored and converted into a B&B. Enjoy a refreshing drink and hear the sounds of Italian music from the 20s before your host invites you to a tour of the ancient property and estate, during which you might pick a few herbs and flowers for your meal. You will then join Chiara at her dining table to enjoy a creative, regional Bolognese meal. Your meal will include an appetizer, pasta, vegetable side and dessert. Your menu may include dishes such as a crescentine (a typical fried bread only made in Emilia Romagna) or tigelle (fire-roasted bread) with parmeggiano reggiano or mortadella, tagliatelle with prosciutto di Parma and lemon zest or gnocchi with ragu, and a seasonal side vegetable like mangold (regional greens) cooked in olive oil and garlic. Your meal will conclude with a dessert of torta di castagne (chestnut cake) with zabaione (liqueur-flavored cream) or homemade ice-cream made from fresh, seasonal fruit.
Please note that all culinary experiences are available only from Wednesday to Sunday
Please meet Chiara directly at her home, if you are driving. If you decide to take public transportation (bus #83), let Chiara know at least 3 days in advance and she will plan to pick you up from the bus station and drop you off after. Also, Chiara can arrange to pick you up from the city center of Bologna, by a professional driver (price not included and to be paid directly to the taxi company upon meeting).
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
FocacciaTagliatelle or strichetti or tortelliniRegional greens or seasonal vegetables from the gardenTorta or biscottiChiara’s passion for cooking began as a young girl when she cooked with her grandmothers, both excellent cooks. She added to her culinary repertoire over time by working with a friend who owned a restaurant, and went on to fulfill her grandmothers’ dream of opening a restaurant! She is eager to showcase local produce and even has her own beehive, vegetable garden, and fruit trees, and grows ancient grain that she uses to make homemade bread. As much as possible, Chiara uses products from her farm. She enjoys using modern technology to experiment with new techniques of cooking and makes creative dishes using a sous vide machine and special freezer. Food allows Chiara to connect with her grandmothers – through cooking they shared a private vocabulary of care, love and passion. She loves cooking with herbs and wild flowers that she picks because she wants to share the beautiful aromas of her region in her food.
"We had a great trip and experience with Chiara and her family. It is a bit challenging to find, but certainly worth every minute.
Chiara and her team were very welcoming and we enjoyed cooking, eating, drinking and spending time together. Highly recommend making the trip and enjoying the history of the house and family."
"The 15th century villa was rustic and so beautiful with rolling hills, a garden and vineyards. We foraged for some of our lunch breathing in the fresh cut grass and country air. We prepared the lunch with the caretaker Chiara and her right hand Roberta. It was so much fun making the pasta and being ridiculed (in a good way) by Roberta the perfectionist. LOL Along with the featured wine from the estate, we had a mixed green salad picked from the grounds, cheese, local salame, mortadela, and prosciutto, cooked greens, fresh pasta in a Parmesan cream sauce and our freshly baked apple cake with orange mascarpone cream! Need I say more. Chiara was so gracious and you could see how much of her heart she has put into her home and the food she produces. I would recommend this to anyone. Thank you again Chiara and Roberta! See you next time."
"This was one of the highlights of our trips! Chiara and the wonderful ladies in the kitchen made us feel so welcomed! It felt like I was being taught by an Italian nonna. We cooked, we laughed, we ate and we enjoyed the peaceful serenity of this escape to the countryside. Chiara was waiting for us at the train station and drove us up the winding path to the estate. The views were breathtaking! We harvested fresh herbs and greens from the grounds that became part of our lunch. The wine from their own vineyard was delicious, too. I wish we could stay in Bologna longer so I could learn more about the simple pleasures of northern Italian cuisine. If you are looking for an escape from the tourist crowds and big cities—We would 100% recommended this experience!"
"Wow!!! This experience is one that we will remember for a very long time! Chiara is such a warm and welcoming host, who patiently guides you through each dish step by step along with her assistant Roberta. We made focaccia and tagliatelle with leeks that we picked from Chiaras vegetable garden and pumpkin. Everything is fresh and organic and Chiara is so incredibly proud of her home and food as she should be! I cannot recommend booking this experience enough, it is a real taste of true Italy/ Bologna…. And we were so very grateful that we were lucky enough to experience it. Chiara and Roberta were incredibly talented chefs and Chiara is the most wonderful host."
