The 15 Best Market Tour & Cooking Classes in Italy

1.Bologna Food & Market Tour with 6 Tastings, Pasta, Wines & More

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,328 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $118Our pick

Spend 3.5 hours exploring Bologna with a guide such as Claire, Federica, or Caterina. Visit the Quadrilatero market, watch pasta made by hand, taste Parmigiano, aged balsamic, meats, wines, gelato, and a secret dish, with up to 12 people.

“Don't eat beforehand. You have the option to try a lot of food and beverages. Federica was a lovely, warm, and knowledgable guide.”

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2.Pasta and Tiramisu Cooking Class with optional Local Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 515 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $83

Meet at Cucineria La Mattonaia for a hands-on Florence cooking class. With chefs such as Giulia, Gui, David, or Alain, you’ll shop at Sant’Ambrogio Market on morning departures, make fresh pasta and tiramisu, then eat your meal with wine.

“This cooking class was SO much fun! Staff was great and the setting was perfect for our group of 6. The pasta we made was delicious and the entire group is excited to try making these recipes at home!”

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3.Pasta Cooking Class with Market Visit and Wine

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 277 reviews · 4 hours · from $103

Spend four hours with Chef Marco visiting Nomentano Market and making several kinds of fresh pasta at Kitchen of Mamma. You will prepare dough, fillings, and sauces, then sit down to lunch with Italian wine, coffee, and limoncello. No cooking experience is needed.

“Marco was our guide and chef. At first he took us to the local market to collect our ingredients and then he brought us to his kitchen to cook. He was lovely , very funny and friendly!! His explantions were good , clear and his pasta was amazing !! If you want to eat and to learn how to make the best pasta in rome go to him asap ! so thank you so much Marco from Amber (Inbar) and Alex”

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4.Kitchen of Mamma: Pasta Cooking Class with market visit in Rome

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 140 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $151

Follow chef Marco through Rome’s Nomentano Market, then return to YellowSquare for a hands-on pasta lesson. You’ll prepare several pasta shapes and sauces, sit down to eat your work with Italian wine, and leave with recipes and a participation certificate.

“Marco was a great host and attentive to all needs. Unfortunately the class size was too large and we ran 90 minutes late.”

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5.Farmers’ Market Shopping with Cooking Class and Pasta Making

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 91 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $217

Meet a chef in Rome, shop for produce at Campo de’ Fiori, then prepare fresh pasta and a three- or four-course meal at a cooking school on Corso del Rinascimento. Guides including Roberto, Davide, Sara, and Filippo tailor menus when possible. Wine, tastings, and recipes are included.

“The market tour and tastings included outstanding local produce, cheeses, and meats. Max was flexible about adding in Agretti or Monk's Beard to our menu. It is a wildly delicious and nutritious veggie that was new to us for a side dish. When we took the ingredients to his cooking school, it was also helpful to have him demonstrate how to prepare freshly harvested spring artichokes to add to our homemade ricotta ravioli. Max’s pasta making tips were excellent and our pasta was tender but held its structure. Tiramisu is a staple dessert in many Italian restaurants but I believe Max’s version is far superior. Every dish was very delicious!…”

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6.Rialto Market Tour with Hands on Cooking Class, Wine & Tiramisu

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 66 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $155

Meet your English-speaking chef near Rialto Market at 9:30 am, shop for seasonal ingredients, then walk to a home kitchen in Cannaregio. With hosts such as Lorenzo, Rosanna, or Agostino, you will make pasta, a fish or vegetable dish, and tiramisu in a group of up to eight.

“Rosanna was a wonderful tour guide of the Rialto Market and a terrific instructor for the hands-on cooking class. The pasta and tiramisu were fun to make and delicious to eat. All of the participants worked well together and had a very enjoyable time!”

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7.Testaccio Food & Market Tour with Pasta & Wine

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 38 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $79Best value

Walk through Testaccio with an English-speaking food guide, beginning with coffee and pastries at Pasticceria Linari. Visit the market, try 14 tastings at eight family-run stops, eat pasta with wine, and finish with gelato. Expect plenty of food, local history, and uneven access for wheelchairs and strollers.

“The tour group was small Which I enjoyed especially, the guide Chira was superb, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I may be spelling her name incorrectly, sorry”

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8.MaMa Florence Guided Market Tour and 4 Course-Pasta Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $263

Start at San Lorenzo Market with a guide such as Lavinia or Lisa, then walk to MaMa Florence in San Frediano for hands-on pasta making. Chefs teach dough, fillings, sauces, and dessert before you sit down to eat with Prosecco and Italian wine.

“This class was amazing! Emmanuel was the best — super friendly, patient, and made everything so easy to follow. He gave everyone personal attention and really made the whole experience fun. We laughed a lot, learned tons, and the pasta turned out so delicious.”

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9.Farmer’s Market and Pasta Making with Italian Wine

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $150

Start at Campo de’ Fiori with chef-led market shopping, then walk to a kitchen near Piazza Mattei. Make fresh pasta, ravioli, and dessert, and sit down with Italian wine to eat what you prepare. Chefs such as Alessandro and Max have led past sessions.

“If I could give this experience 100 out of 5 stars, I would! Alessandro was the perfect guide & chef >> passionate, welcoming, knowledgeable, funny and warm. He made everyone feel right at home from the start. What really set this apart was beginning the day at the local market: grabbing breakfast at the bakery, getting our cut of meat from the butcher, hand-picking vegetables & selecting cheeses. It felt like I was truly living a day in the life of a Roman chef/local. Then there was the kitchen which absolutely is stunning! We cooked a feast: fresh pasta, veal cotoletta, salad and tiramisu with plenty of prosciutto, cheeses, cookies…”

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10.Private Florence Market Tour and Pasta Making Class with Cinzia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $225

Meet Cinzia near the Duomo for coffee and a one-hour food-shopping walk through Florence. Choose ingredients at specialty shops, then cook fresh pasta and a Tuscan meal in her home. You receive private instruction, wine, dessert, and a personal look at everyday Florentine food.

“Our boys learned so much and have a new appreciation for international cuisine. We highly recommend Cinzia. She is wonderful. And the food was excellent!”

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11.Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class + Italian Market Tour in Florence

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $207

Spend 4.5 hours at Cucineria La Mattonaia, a short walk from Florence’s Duomo. In a small group, you’ll visit Sant’Ambrogio Market on the 9 AM outing, then make tagliatelle, ravioli, sauces, and tiramisu with a professional chef. Eat what you cook, take home recipes, and receive a certificate.

“It was fun, educational, all hands on, felt very comfortable with our group who we met there, the chef was very informative, funny and encouraging.”

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12.Trionfale Market Tour and Gnocchi Cooking Class with a Masterchef

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $165

Start at Mercato Trionfale near the Vatican with a master chef, shop among 270 food stalls, then walk to a Rome cooking school for homemade gnocchi, wine, cantucci, and vin santo. The four-hour English class suits families, couples, and food lovers.

“It was an incredible experience obtaining food from the market and then using it to create a wonderful gnocchi dish. The guide/chef was excellent and very clear in teaching us how to make the meal. It was a whole lot of fun with the family and getting the recipe so you can replicate this meal at home is so cool.”

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13.Discover the old market and make fresh pasta

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 4 reviews

Meet the chef by Villafranca’s Scaliger Castle, shop for local ingredients, then learn to make hand-kneaded pasta, tortellini Nodo d’amore, seasonal tortelli, pappardelle, and tiramisu. The four-hour small-group class ends with your meal and Veronese wines in a garden kitchen.

“Unclear instructions and terrible customer service. No confirmation until 1 hour before the morning of. The tour company was not helpful in accommodating us.”

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14.Dolce Vita by Day Market Tour & Pasta Making Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $149

Meet Ileana at 10 a.m. in Sant’Ambrogio for a private market visit, tastings of salumi, cheese, bread, and biscotti, then cook two pastas, two sauces, and tiramisu in a Florentine apartment.

“She was so helpful explaining food cultures and ideas. Wonderful cook!! Friendly and enjoyed our time!”

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15.Small-Group Pasta Cooking Class and Market Tour in Florence

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $181

Start at Sant’Ambrogio Market with an English-speaking Italian chef, choosing produce, meats, cheese, and other ingredients. Then cook fresh pasta and sauces in a small group of up to six. Aprons, wine, soft drinks, equipment, and a recipe e-book are included.

“Simone was a superb teacher! We started across the street at the wonderful fresh market with cheese and salami/prosciutto boards with other treats. (Parmesano Reggiano, need I say more? )Moved onto the finest butcher stalls with meats/poultry. Simone asked me what I liked and was making up recipes as we went from butchers and spice stalls to the outside produce market. Omg. Fresh artichoke, fava beans, basil. At their lovely new kitchen across the street we spent the morning making the 3 most beautiful sauces and fresh pasta by hand. Honestly, the duck ragout was to die for. The artichoke sauce was incredible. The pesto so elevated! Honestly, it was…”

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