The 11 Best Food Market Tours 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 $83Best value

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.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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8.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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9.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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10.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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11.Dolce Vita by Day Market Tour & Pasta Making Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $130

Join Ileana in Florence's Sant'Ambrogio district for a five-hour market tour and small-group cooking class. Taste cheese, salumi, bread, wine, and seasonal produce, then make two pastas, two sauces, and tiramisu in her home. The class is limited to four and includes a meal.

“What a wonderful experience from start to finish. Ileana took us to the outdoor market to show us the in season produce as well as the meat, cheese and fish vendors in the covered market where we sampled cheeses, bread and wine. Next to her lovely home where we learned to make tiramisu, handmade pasta dough from which we made ricotta and lemon filled ravioli which we paired with a fresh tomato sauce and tagliatelle noodles. with eggplant sauce. The food was delicious, her knowledge of Florence and food exceptional and we came away with new skills, full stomachs and helpful recommendations for places to eat in Florence and things…”

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