Handmade Tuscan Pasta Making Class in Florence

Host offerings

Meet Cinzia

Cinzia is a kind and gentle host who first learned to cook watching her mother and grandmother cook in the kitchen. She went on to study professionally at a cooking and pastry school in Italy. Cooking to Cinzia is love and life. To feed people is to give love, energy and life to people. She transfers her energy into the ingredients of the food she prepares. Cinzia enjoys sharing her passion for her ingredients and traditions and leaving a piece of her culture with travelers. A mother of three, Cinzia works in analytics during the day to sustain her family, and fuels her passion for food by cooking in the evening. She started a cooking school and enjoys hosting special dinners and events from her small and simple but welcoming home. Cinzia also has an interest in medieval and Renaissance Italian recipes and is passionate about sharing the history of food and food culture in Florence with guests. Cinzia also happens to be a soprano in an Italian choir!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal (1 - 10 guests) Cinzia will welcome you with a glass of prosecco and a Tuscan appetizer. You will then enjoy an authentic seasonal Tuscan meal at the dining table or on the patio. Your meal may include dishes such as brushette or coccoli fritti with salvio fritti or stracchino cheese for an appetizer, a pasta (flat, stuffed or gnocchi) and a main of pollo alla cacciatore or zucchini ripiene (zucchini stuffed with meat) accompanied by wine. Your meal will conclude with a seasonal dessert like tiramisu, panna cotta or cantucci con vin santo.

Please note that prosecco and wine are included in the cost of your meal.

Cooking experience (1 - 10 guests) Begin your Florence cooking class on Cinzia's patio by picking fresh herbs such as sage, basil or rosemary from her patio herb garden, weather permitting. Next, watch as Cinzia prepares a Tuscan appetizer for you to enjoy. Cinzia varies her menu depending on the season so in the spring you might enjoy coccoli fritti (deep-fried bread dough) eaten with stracchino or pecorino cheese and in the summertime, bruschette with fresh tomatoes. Roll up your sleeves and learn to make regional Italian handmade pasta from recipes passed down through generations of Cinzia’s family. Your hands-on Tuscan pasta class in Florence will last about three hours. You will learn to cook 2-3 dishes from scratch. Choose between a menu that includes either three handmade pastas or a pasta and meat main course or an appetizer and dessert. If you choose the pasta menu, you will learn to cook three different types of pasta (a cut pasta like pappardelle or tagliatelli, a stuffed pasta like ravioli or tortellini and a gnocchi) cooked with three different sauces that you will also learn to create. If you choose to make a pasta and meat instead, you will learn to make one pasta and a meat dish such as pollo alla cacciatore (chicken cacciatore) or filetto in crosta de carne (a pork and herb stuffed loaf) or zucchine ripiene (minced meat stuffed zucchini). If you choose the historical menu learn to make an appetizer and dessert. Enjoy learning about the tricks and techniques involved in cooking Italian family recipes before you sit down at the table to share the meal you helped prepare with Cinzia.

NOTE: If you are a group of 7 or more guests, Cinzia hosts at her friend's home in Florence that can accommodate larger groups. Cinzia's home kitchen can only accommodate a maximum of 6 guests.

Market visit (1 - 10 guests) Meet your host Cinzia at the Loggia del Bigallo for this food shopping tour to explore her favorite food stores to shop at. You will be visiting a historic neighborhood on foot with a local as you walk by the beautiful sites of Florence. Start your tour with a cup of coffee at one of her favorite cafes before you visit La Pegna, a high-end, historical supermarket known for its specialty, high-quality products, pastas and spices. You can ask Cinzia about the best brands to buy. Then walk down Via dei Cerchi and visit a small family-owned grocery store to pick up fresh vegetables for your cooking class. Depending on the day and menu, you may make a few additional stops at either a wine shop, bread maker, chocolate or cheese shop. Pick up some cheese from Cinzia’s favorite cheese shop and enjoy a small gelato treat before walking to a coffee shop as Cinzia brings her car around from the parking lot to take you to her house where your cooking class takes place. Your market tour will last about 1 hour and you will cover less than 2 miles on foot. Please note that unlike a typical single market tour, this is a tour of several shops that sell high-quality Italian food and produce.

In case you would like to visit Sant' Ambrogio instead, then the meeting location will be different (in front of Teatro del Sale), so please let Cinzia know in advance which market you would like to visit.

Notes: Cinzia has been trained in vegetarian, celiac and macrobiotic cooking and is happy to accommodate your special dietary requests. However, please inform her when making your booking as she plans your menu in advance. Please note just the market experience is unavailable for the months of July and August, as it is too hot. <br> NOTE: If you are a group of 7 or more guests, Cinzia hosts at her friend's home in Florence that can accommodate larger groups. Cinzia's home kitchen can only accommodate a maximum of 6 guests.

Languages spoken: #<HostLanguage::ActiveRecord_Associations_CollectionProxy:0x00007ffae944c460>

Sample menu

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.

Traditional Tuscan menu: Coccoli fritti with stracchino or prosciutto or bruschetta + Choice between three handmade pastas (she can also do colored pasta if you'd like) or one pasta and a main + Seasonal vegetables such as stewed artichokes or roasted carrots or salad + Tiramisu or cantucci or panna cotta or brutti ma buoni
Historical Tuscan menu: Pappa al pomodoro (tomato and bread soup) or Ribollita (Tuscan soup that's made with white beans, vegetables, and hearty day-old bread) + Panzanella (tomato and bread salad) + Crespelle Alla Fiorentina (ricotta and spinach filled crepes) or Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans) + Tiramisu or cantucci or panna cotta or brutti ma buoni
Please choose ONE menu while booking your experience:

GOOD REVIEWS
{ "trip_advisor" : [{"author_name" : "official-BHGH", "rating" : 5, "body" : "I booked this experience for my clients who were looking for some authentic cooking experiences and they had a blast. 5 Adults cooking, drinking and being merry. Great way to start the adventure in Florence."}, {"author_name" : "caroandbrettmason", "rating" : 5, "body" : "What an amazing experience my Husband and I had with Cinzia in Florence. Starting in the shadows of the Duomo, we walked through the streets to a local coffee shop to enjoy an espresso and discuss what we would like to have on our menu for the evening. As we ventured through Florence to the various markets for bread, cheese, veggies and meat, Cinzia took the time to stop and discuss the many historical landmarks. We continued to visit the local shops and markets she used in the days following, as they had some of the best food and drinks we had during our week in Florence. Upon leaving the heart of the city, Cinzia drove us to the local B & B where the cooking class took place. A private, cozy kitchen awaited and the cooking began. Using herbs we hand cut from the garden below, Cinzia took us step by step, cut by cut through a traditional Italian dinner experience. We cannot recommend enough the entire experience from start to finish. Better yet, Cinzia will send you the recipes so you can repeat once home with your family and friends."}, {"author_name" : "pkjk1957", "rating" : 5, "body" : "We had never done anything like this before and are so glad that we did. It was a great experience and we had a wonderful evening with Cinzia, our \"Tutor/Chef\". The food we prepared under her close supervision and instruction was excellent as well. We will look for similar adventures during our travels in the future."}, {"author_name" : "N0123456", "rating" : 5, "body" : "I very rarely leave reviews, but was really blown away by this experience. It’s a must do for anyone who wants to experience the art of pasta making and cooking in Italy. Our host Cinzia was incredibly nice, highly knowledgeable and a great teacher and chef. We learned about local/ traditional ingredients and techniques, made 3 different types of pasta and a dessert and were so stuffed that we couldn’t finish it all. Overall, this was one of the most memorable parts of our trip."}], "travel_agent_partner" : [{"author_name" : "Steven", "rating" : 5, "body" : "We had a fantastic experience cooking with Cinzia! Buying the food at the local markets and preparing at her home were our most memorable experiences of the trip. Thank you so much!"}] }

Traveler reviews

5.0 (21)

$62.0 - $102.0

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Pricing (per person)*

	1 person	4 people	5+ people
In-Home Meal	Not offered	$62	$62
Cooking Experience + Meal	Not offered	$91	$76
Market Tour + Cooking Experience + Meal	Not offered	$102	$82
Alcohol	$0 per person
	*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.

Experience Timings

	Lunch	Dinner
In-Home Meal	12:30pm - 03:30pm	7:30pm - 10:30pm
Cooking Experience + Meal	10:30am - 03:30pm	4:30pm - 09:30pm
Market Tour + Cooking Experience + Meal	9:00am - 03:00pm	3:30pm - 09:30pm

ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

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You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.
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