The experience with Daniela was fantastic, she was very welcoming and made the recipes accessible if you did not have much cooking experience. The dishes were thoughtful and absolutely delicious! Daniela was extremely knowledgeable and even was able to explain which ingredients you could use from your region (in our case, United States) if the authentic Italian ingredients she used were not accessible. Our group was able to learn new skills, enjoy a delicious meal, appreciate the hospitality of a Roman local and make many new memories and laughs along the way. I would highly recommend this experience!
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
A fantastic host!
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
Pio had a friend join him to help translate in English for us and both were so knowledgeable and fun. Pio has a slab that was made just for pasta and rolled it all out by hand. We learned the tricky business of tortelloni as well as tagliatelle. There were several dishes Pio made to show us local favorites- and we had dinner on his patio.
Meal
Cooking Experience
I had a great dinner with Anna. It was a very fine dinner with great food that tasted wonderful and I loved talking to Anna.
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
We booked with Travelling Spoon and had an excellent time with our host Giovanna. We booked the combined experience - to see the markets and hear some local insight and history, and then return with Giovanna to her home to cook and eat together. It really was the highlight of our long weekend in Bologna. Giovanna and her daughters were a delight - funny, interesting, kind, and they made us feel very welcome. Giovanna taught us several dishes and showed us the best places to get food in Bologna. She was thoughtful about constructing a menu around the dietary needs of my friend and made sure we could all experience some traditional cooking. We had a great time drinking, cooking and talking together and learnt a few skills at the same time. We were so stuffed with food we could have rolled ourselves home, and there was enough leftovers for us to take home. For us this was the perfect experience, to cook with Italians in an Italian home, and afterwards we knew which shops and market stalls to return to. Brilliant.
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
Massimo and Federica are the warmest hosts and take care of every detail of the experience... their lovely appartment is beautifully decorated and most welcoming... the table is set and received us with summer colors and all the elements we would need along the steps of the complete dinner...conversation is friendly and supplies information on Rome’s past, traditional cuisine and all the typical ingredients.... when it comes to food, Massimo is just the perfect chef, powered by family learned skills and all the intention of making the best of the night...Creamy ricotta, intense cherry tomatoes, peperoni with tuna, the best pecorino and prosciutto... and to round up those amazing flavors, a remarkable white wine: a great discovery for us and for Bavarian bishop Johannes Defuc back in the year 1111.After this unsurmountable “antipasti”, we found Pepino’s carbonara with local guanciale .... simply great, as only Italian grandparents can create. Perfect chiannina polpete and faggiolini followed, si soft and tasty !!! Red wine matched this explosion of flavors and enhaced delicious food.My Dad had a memourable birthday cake, so his 80’s in Rome won’t be forgotten: tante auguri Pappo! Thank you so so much Massimo and Federica... a perfect meal, top quality repies and your friendship touched our souls!
Meal
Cooking Experience
Patrizia was lovely and, like any true Italian, very easy to talk to. We covered a wide variety of topics beyond just cooking during our morning together. I have been to the markets in Florence many times – I even give tours to students – and I learned SO much from her. She really REALLY knows her stuff. The market people knew her and let us try some of the items and it felt very authentic to basically decide what we were going to eat on the spot, based on what looked good, and then head home with our bounty… I LOVED making the pasta. I really so enjoyed that. I have seen it done so many times and realized I never really got to do it myself. The whole process is so satisfying and as Patrizia said, which I now completely agree with, there’s cooking and then there’s making pasta. They really are two different things. Making pasta is like knitting. It is therapeutic and relaxing. We talked about cooking but in the way you do with your favorite aunt, mixed with life lessons and little Italian sayings and tid-bits – one of my favorite things Patrizia told me is that when you make pasta there is a certain flour/egg ratio and you almost always make an amount that uses 4 eggs. That is just a good standard size, not too little and not too much. So people used to say instead of “Oh I am making fresh pasta tonight for dinner” they would say, “I am making 4 eggs of pasta!” Patrizia was just lovely. I am now fully invested in getting a pasta maker at home!
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
We had an amazing time with Chiara. She was incredibly gracious, and she was a wonderful teacher. She started the lesson by giving us a brief historical introduction to Roman cuisine. We cooked multiple types of pastas, while about local produce, ingredient selection and cooking techniques. She was flexible with the menu, and even served us a delicious apperitivo as we prepared our meal. The dinner was fabulous. Throughout dinner we talked about Roman food and it’s regional variations - and why this makes Italy centered on the culinary experience. It was a great way to end our trip, and one of our favorite evenings during our two weeks in Italy. We would highly recommend her! - Greg & Cristina
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
My husband and I enjoyed our time with Cinzia touring several little shops for fresh ingredients and gelato before heading to our class. She is very knowledgeable about the city of Florence, and we learned a lot from her about some of the more recent history of the city and the stores. Cooking with Cinzia was a lot of fun! She catered to our vegetarian diet, and we prepared tagliatelle and ravioli from scratch. We also had a delicious eggplant, mozzarella, and fresh pesto dish, as well as a scrumptious panna cotta. The private setting made it more enjoyable than being in a big group with people you don’t know. Definitely recommend trying this private tour and cooking class with Cinzia!
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
Imagine staying in a restored medieval farmhouse cooking traditional Italian food from grandma’s recipies. Now add ingredients like ancient grains grown in Chiara’s fields, honey from her hives, jam from her peaches and melons, seasonal herbs and veggies from her garden. This was our amazing experience cooking with Chiara all while drinking deliscious wine from her vineyard. Chiara shared her love of food and exceptional ingredients to create an unforgettable experience for my son and I in her families ancient and lovely home. I highly recommend Casa Vallona and look forward to my next visit! Seth
Meal
Cooking Experience
This tour was one of the best things we did on our trip to Italy. It is a stunning old farmhouse compound that the city grew up against. And Nonna was so personal and enriching, with the process for TRADITIONAL balsamic vinegar very educational. I would most highly recommend scheduling this tour if your interests at all lie in this direction.
Food Tour
Passion for food and the joy of cooking! The only thing that eclipsed the beautiful villa we explored and cooked in was the food itself. Constanza is incredibly knowledgeable and an excellent teacher who made sure to discuss the how and why along with the what for everything we did. It was a perfect mix of explanation, demonstration, and practice that resulted in a meal and dining experience that topped the best restaurants in Florence. My wife and I were joined with two families, one with children, and the kitchen became a wonderful community with our host accommodating us all. We left with our stomachs and hearts full and with an renewed appreciation for quality ingredients that make excellent food and the joy that should come with cooking.
Meal
Cooking Experience
The madam was going to tour us the brewery and show us how to pair food. ... lectured us the process of making Balsamico. He was very good presentation and everything he Showed us and told us was extremely interesting. Then he recomended three examples of usage of Balsamico. All of them tasted great. They also have cookbook in English as well as Q code shows us the cooking book. We really appreciate the CEO to be very kind for us and answering all the questions as well as pick up at the station.
Food Tour
Excellent wine and food. We were treated like royalty by the friendly and wonderful staff. The scenic view , with panoramic hills and vineyards was incredible. Lots of wine and freshly made pasta- just great.
Meal
Cristina and her husband were wonderful hosts for my wife and I. We made fresh dough from scratch, prepared a variety of toppings and baked a number of delicious pies! They also provided some local beer, moscato, and a traditional Sicilian dessert. This was an amazing experience, we spent hours eating and sharing our cultures. Highly recommended!
Meal
Cooking Experience
I had a divine experience with Fabio and his warm and welcoming wife! Fabio and I had discussed prior to my arrival what I wanted to prepare. He was a wonderful teacher and taught me and my partner so much about the Italian cuisine and the small but quite important elements to the Italian cuisine. The kitchen atmosphere and panoramic views were a delight and then dining on our completed dishes was truly a dream come true! Very Dolce Vita!!! Grazie for a true highlight culinary experience. I naturally can only highly recommend this experience. You will not be disappointed but inspired.
Meal
Cooking Experience
And we’ve done a lot of them, across Europe, Asia, Africa, etc. This was really an unforgettable experience for us. Francesca welcoming us into her home and teaching us so much about the region and local food. The food you make in classes like this is usually pretty good, but here it was amazing - really next level , “oh my god this is good” quality food. It was also a lot of fun to taste a couple Lambrusco, some homemade liqueur, and a couple other snacks in between main courses. Worth every penny and a whole lot more, not just because it’s enough food for lunch and dinner. We will be sending a lot of our friends to come visit Francesca and take her class!
Meal
Cooking Experience
Laura was fantastic. The entire experience, from going to the local market to cooking a typical Venetian meal was great! Plus we learned so much about Venetian culture, as well.
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
We had a great time with Massimo. He received us at his home with ease and shared his family cooking recipes with us in a good mood. We have fond memories of this moment of genuine and warm sharing. Ciao Massimo !! (translated by Google))
Meal
Cooking Experience
Market Tour
Antonio received us and showed us the neighborhood. He walked us to see a very nice view of a cliff. Then we came back to the house and he introduced his family. His sister Rosanna was the one in charge of the pasta making class. Antonio was also involved in this part because he’s the one who speaks English better. The pasta class was very fun and we were really proud of what we accomplished. We felt really at home meeting the entire family and chatting while the food was being prepared. While we were waiting for the pasta, we had the chance to taste the amazing cold meats they make in the farm and also we were invited to try the wines the host makes. The food was amazing! Everything was really fresh and you could tell that all the veggies were grown at home! Definitely recommend.
Meal
Cooking Experience
