5 Florence Cooking Classes to try!

In 2010, I took my mom to Italy for the first time and a cooking class was on her bucket list. I started researching Florence cooking classes, and after having such a great experience, I kept adding more to my list. Taking cooking classes abroad has opened the world up to me in so many meaningful ways. It’s not always about the food you learn to make, though that makes for a great souvenir, but it is about the people you meet along the way. For me, travel is about connection, and these experiences allow me to connect with culture through food.

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links for tours and products I love at no additional cost to you.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Who Takes Cooking Classes in Florence?

In the first cooking class in Florence that I took with my husband, we met a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary, a CERN physicist, an American running a food truck in Switzerland, honeymooners, and a high school senior celebrating her graduation. All of these interesting people had different experiences and backgrounds that I wouldn’t necessarily run across on my daily life. I loved hearing about the things they had experienced, loved, and wanted to share.

Though it might be intimidating to take a cooking course with a professional chef, you really can learn from each other and create something delicious. One of my fondest memories of the first week I spent at the Ritz Paris pastry school is not what I made each day, but the professional pastry chef who made me laugh, helped translate for me, and made me feel welcome when I felt like I was out of my league. Those moments are what I love about taking cooking classes abroad. When the hard work is done, there is time to share stories and something delicious.

We’ve taken multiple cooking classes in Florence over the years. Sometimes Tom and I take them together. Sometimes they are part of a family Italian itinerary. And sometimes I’ll just take them on my own because I really want to learn something new.

Tips for Taking Florence Cooking Classes

As we walked across the Ponte Vecchio to the first pasta-making class I had ever taken, I started to feel nervous.  I couldn’t remember the last time I made anything from scratch.  

I felt like an imposter when I was handed a plastic apron, but I dutifully suited up.  Will everyone be a master chef?  What if I forget an ingredient?  Will I look like an amateur?  How do they decide what we are going to make?  Why didn’t I check on that ahead of time?  Those fears weren’t exactly quelled when I found out our cooking partner had her own food truck.

But, she kept her camera out… so I kept mine out, too.  

Fresh Pasta Cooking Class in Florence

This is the first fresh pasta-making class we took in Florence. I loved it because it was limited to 12 students and was taught by a master chef who had a great sense of humor. It was the perfect introduction to Florence cooking classes, and it includes easy recipes that you can make at home.  It takes place in a small culinary school in the Oltrarno.

In this particular class, we learned to make three pastas and three sauces.  We learned to make an egg-based pasta, a water-based pasta, and a potato tortelli. Potato tortelli is a very specific type of ravioli from the Mugello region outside of Florence.  In addition to pasta, we learned to make a traditional Italian desert, panna cotta. It surprisingly takes less than 10 minutes to prep, so it is very easy to do at home.

Both water-based pasta and egg-based pastas must rest, but there is never any down time in cooking classes. While the pasta is resting, you’ll make the sauces. The sauces in this class are all very light and fresh, especially if you are used to Italian food in the US.  Everything we made started with olive oil and enhanced by tomatoes, herbs, or seasonal produce. We took as class in early spring, so the chef chose some tasty mushrooms for us.  Once the sauces were simmering, we learned to roll the pasta using a hand-crank pasta machine and various hand tools.  (The Kitchenaid pasta attachments are a lifesaver if you are doing this at home. It’s quite a bit more efficient!)  

One of the things that makes fresh pasta different is how fast it cooks! By the time we were settled in the basement dining room, our chef had plated the fresh pasta and served everything family style. We had plenty to eat and drink. The meal never felt rushed, and we enjoyed conversations with people from all over the world.  

Most cooking classes are half-day experiences with a minimum of 3 hours, so you’ll need to spend a couple of days in Florence to really enjoy it. The cooking school provides all the recipes, so you’ll have the perfect souvenir to celebrate at home. 

BOOK THIS:  Oltrarno Fresh Pasta Cooking Class

Pizza & Gelato Cooking Class in Florence

My mom and I took this pizza and gelato class in Florence – and it’s still going strong!  (Should I give her credit for helping me realize that cooking classes are some of the best travel experiences ever?  Probably so.)  This class is taught at the same cooking school in Oltrarno as the fresh pasta class above.  It is also limited to 12 students, so you get plenty of hands-on experience. My mom was even brave enough to attempt tossing our pizza like a professional!

Similar to the pasta class, the master chef will teach you how to make pizza dough from scratch. While the dough rests, you learn to make the gelato.  And, as Italians always recommend, we used seasonal ingredients. In mid-September, we made a peach sorbetto and a cream gelato.  Once the gelato in the freezer, you return to the pizza.  We used fresh ingredients to finish off the pizzas before putting them in a wood-fired oven.  (Italians say that’s the mark of a truly good Italian pizza and why it’s so hard to find good pizza in Venice.)      

Like the pasta class, we headed to a community table to enjoy wine, pizza, and conversation with our fellow travelers devouring our dinner together.

Tip: If you wanted to create your own one day cooking school immersive experience, you could book the fresh pasta class for the morning and the pizza and gelato class for the evening.  You would have a slight break between the classes, which would give you a chance to wander the Oltrarno and walk off your meal.  If you’re really into learning more about Italian cooking, I would recommend this!

BOOK THIS:  Oltrarno Pizza and Gelato Class

Gnocchi and Fresh Pasta Cooking Class in Florence

Once you start getting the basics of Italian food and cooking down, it’s time to level up!  Tom, my mom and I spent Thanksgiving in Florence and focused on food and wine experiences. We celebrated by Thanksgiving by taking multiple Florence cooking classes, which I think is the perfect way to celebrate.  

This gourmet fresh pasta class goes beyond the basics of pasta making and truly celebrates the use of seasonal ingredients in Italy. If you’re an adventurous eater and enjoy trying authentic Italian cuisine, this class is perfect for you. The recipes are less rote with interesting ingredients and flavors.

In addition to gnocchi, we made egg-based fettuccine and pumpkin ravioli. You will make the pasta dough by hand before rolling it out using a manual pasta machine. It’s a great workout since it is a four-hour cooking class.  My mom was very into throwing the gnocchi dough. She told another woman in our group to “throw it like you mean it.”  (Absolutely hilarious.)  We made a meat sauce for the gnocchi, an eggplant sauce for the fettuccine, and butter-sage sauce for the ravioli.

Dessert was an easy recipe for individual cups of tiramisu.

We were fortunate to be in a group where everyone enjoyed flavor. The other group had someone who didn’t like garlic. Literally.  Someone was taking a cooking class in Italy and didn’t want to use garlic in the food!  (Imagine our disappointment when they mixed all of our pasta and sauces together.)

What I loved about this class is how adaptive the chef was to dietary considerations. There was a couple that couldn’t use coffee in their tiramisu, so the instructor showed us how to use a berry substitute. (One of my favorite restaurants in Florence offers a berry tiramisu, so it’s totally a thing.) The cooking school staff was incredibly adept and resourceful in how they were able to navigate different dietary requirements on the fly!  I was really impressed!

As far as recipes, Tom and my mom liked the gnocchi the best.  I preferred the pumpkin ravioli, because honestly, when am I going to eat fresh pumpkin at home?!  (Butter sage ravioli is a Florentine specialty, too.)  

The red wine served with our meal was delicious.

This cooking class is a little outside of the Florence city center. You can certainly walk, but make sure to give yourself enough time to get there!

BOOK THIS:  Gnocchi and Fresh Pasta Cooking Class in Florence

Florence Central Market Tour & Cooking Class

I highly recommend taking a Florence market tour and cooking class as part of your Italy itinerary.  Despite having been to Florence multiple times (and studied there), this tour allowed me to try new things in the Mercato Centrale. The recipes we made after the market tour were absolutely incredible.  I’ve adapted the Bolognese sauce recipe, and I use it most often when cooking for friends and family.

Our guide introduced us to some of the most authentic and popular market stalls in Florence.  We learned more about how to order meats and cheeses, and we were also able to try a few new things, too.  (Who knew wild boar and truffle could be so good together?  Scratch that – who knew wild boar could be so good?) While the Mercato Centrale has given away to tourism in many ways, our guide helped us to navigate to the less touristy parts of it.  

After shopping for ingredients at the market, we had a short walk to the cooking school.  We made a bolognese sauce and a tomato sauce to complement our pastas.  This class was less hands on than the others, particularly in preparing the sauces, but we were able to take plenty of video and photos while the chef prepared the sauce.  

Once he started letting the sauces simmer, we returned to our workstations to start making the tiramisu.  We were in groups of six. The chef led us through the steps and walked around to critique and praise our form.  (Chef was quite feisty. Just go with it)  Once the tiramisu was chilling in the refrigerator, we enjoyed a light appetizer of bread and cheese with various pestos, balsamic vinegars, and olive oils.  The chef took this opportunity to show us how to make the pasta dough.  Again, he made the rounds to check our dough and show people what they were doing wrong.  (It was in good spirits, but he did want us to learn correctly.)  

Unlike previous classes, we rolled out our dough entirely by hand in this class.  (Maybe I could get some definition in my arms if I start making fresh pasta by hand as a workout.)  We made a fettuccine and a ricotta ravioli in this class.  The fettuccine was served with bolognese sauce and the ravioli was served with the tomato sauce.  Both were absolutely delicious.    

This class is larger than the others, so it would be great for groups or families.  We had a couple of kids in our class and they seemed to really enjoy it.

BOOK THIS:  Florence Market Tour and Cooking Class     

Traditional Tuscan Cooking Class

During 2020 and 2021, I took virtual cooking classes from Patrizia Cantini via Curious Appetite. All of her recipes were focused on Tuscan traditions, and everything we made was tasty. She was so engaging on zoom that I knew I wanted to take a cooking class with her in Florence. In November 2023, my mom, my sister, my husband and I all joined her for shopping at the Sant’Ambrogio market and a cooking class in her home.

When you register for a private cooking class, you can share your preferences. I wanted to learn how to make some of my favorite Tuscan dishes – Pappa al Pomodoro, Peposo, coccoli, etc., so I shared that on my form.

When we arrived at the market, we couldn’t find very good tomatoes. We, however, did find some porcini mushrooms that were huge. Patrizia helped us navigate what was in season and what would meet our specific preferences. We ended up making a wonderful pasta with the porcini mushrooms and peposo. We paired it with a lovely Chianti wine and enjoyed a leisurely meal around Patrizia’s table.

It’s hard to say what made this class so much more special than the others, but it was truly one of the best experiences we’ve had together as a family. There is a certain authenticity that comes from cooking with someone in their home that can be hard to replicate. If you are looking for a more personalized cooking class in Florence, I can’t recommend this enough!

Other Florence Cooking Classes & Food Tours

There’s never a shortage of things to do in Florence and enjoying the culinary delights between tours and resturants are some of our favorites.  These are just a few other foodie experiences in Florence that we’ve enjoyed:  

• Taking a Florence Food Tour. We’ve done the sunset food tour in Florence. (If you are going to Rome, don’t miss the Trastevere tour or the Testaccio tour.)  We’ve done a lot of tasty tours in Florence, and I’m excited to try the Oltrarno food tour or a truffle hunt!  
• Curious Appetite’s Florence Cocktail Tours. Anything Coral hosts is going to be good, so sign us up for any and all of her tours in Bologna, Florence, or Tuscany.
• Olive Oil Tasting – We’ve done this at San Gimignano winery, but my mom and I took a class in Florence in 2010.  I’m still trying to find the place where we did it in the Oltrarno.  

While I know there are a lot of tours for wine tasting and Tuscan farmhouse cooking classes, I think your Italy itinerary should include a few nights in Tuscany.  You can find plenty of Tuscany content to convince you, I promise. SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave