Best cooking classes in Florence, Italy. My opinion and review

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If you want to learn how to cook the yummyest dishes of Italian cuisine, the best way is to take a cooking class! In this post you will find the best cooking classes in Florence, selected by me. Being a local licensed tour guide in Florence, I personally know most of the cooking schools that I selected for you in this post, and I can vouch for their professionalism, competence and quality.

I am sure that one of the main reasons why you have chosen Italy as a travel destination is the food. Italian cuisine is a national pride, and is one of the most appreciated abroad. Food is a staple of Italian culture and lifestyle. Food is not only nourishment, but also pleasure, a pleasure to be shared with other people.

During a cooking class in Florence you will learn how to make the most famous dishes of Italian cuisine: of course pasta! But also pizza, gelato and other yummy desserts like tiramisu. And you’ll find it’s easier than you think. Italian cooking is very simple, made of fresh and seasonal ingredients, and a few easy-to-learn rules.

I recommend you to book your cooking classes on Viator, because it is the most reliable and well-stocked marketplace where you can book tours and experiences online. Free cancellation is often available within 24 hours of the start of the experience. I have personally used it for years, both as a traveler and as a tour guide.

FLORENCE TRAVEL GUIDE

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Best cooking class in Florence, Tuscany

This cooking class in my opinion is really the best cooking class in Florence, and you can easily understand that from the thousands of positive reviews. It’s probably the most complete experience, because it lasts 7 hours, and includes a tour of the central market of Florence (Mercato Centrale) to buy fresh and seasonal ingredients. The cooking class takes place in the countryside, in a traditional Tuscan farmhouse, where you will learn how to cook local dishes and where you will then enjoy lunch together with a glass of Tuscan wine. The tour also includes transport by minivan (with air conditioning) from Florence to the farmhouse and vice versa.

The menu includes:

Bruschetta
Fresh tagliatelle with meat sauce
A pork roast with potatoes
Tiramisu

At the end of the experience you will receive a diploma and a recipe booklet to continue cooking Italian at home.

This cooking class cannot welcome vegetarian people, sorry. You’ll find vegan and vegetarian options below.

best cooking classes in Florence, Tuscany

Cooking class in Florence with market tour – Wanna Be italiano

This is also one of the best cooking classes in Florence, as good as the first one. Wanna Be Italiano lasts 5 hours and includes a market tour at the Mercato Centrale (central market of Florence). During the market tour you will learn how to choose the best seasonal ingredients, and then at the cooking school you will transform them into tasty dishes. After eating the dishes you made, you will receive a booklet with recipes to take home a diploma.

The cooking class plans to do:

Bruschetta
Tagliatelle
Ravioli
Tiramisu

The two pasta dishes will be served with two different sauces, which can vary according to the season and the ingredients available on the market.

The menu can be adapted to become vegetarian: just request it when booking.

Top private cooking class in Florence, Italy

If you want to have a more intimate experience and a totally customizable menu, then book a private cooking class. This private cooking class is run by my friend and professional chef Varinia (also known as chef Vary) in her beautiful place next to Pitti Palace, in the Oltrarno district. She runs with her husband (a certified sommelier) the store “Tuscan Taste Florence”, which is a cooking school, a shop with high quality local food and wines, and a cozy place where you can do cheese and wine tasting experiences. I think her cooking classes are among the best in Florence because they involve many more dishes to prepare than the others, and because Vary provides tons of useful tips to learn the basics of Italian cuisine and continue cooking at home.

The experience lasts 3 hours, and being private is totally customizable. Vary will be happy to listen to your requests and turn them into a yummy tuscan menu that you will learn to cook. She’s also a certified vegan and gluten-free chef.

Cheap cooking class in Florence

This 4 hours cooking class is the cooking class in Florence with the best value for money you can find on Viator! The lesson lasts 4 hours, and takes place in an ancient Florentine building in the heart of the city, easy to reach on foot or by public transport. You will learn to make 4 different dishes:

An appetizer
A first course (pasta, ravioli or risotto)
A meatloaf in a bread crust
A dessert

And at the end of the class you can eat what you cooked, accompanied by a glass of Chianti wine.

pasta and gnocchi making classes in Florence, Italy — making gnocchi in Florence

Best pasta making class in Florence

The best pasta making class in Florence is probably Pastamania, and the name says it all. The course is focused on pasta and only pasta, for real pasta lovers! The cooking school is located in the San Frediano district, in the Oltrarno area (south of the Arno river). The cooking class lasts 3 hours and involves the preparation of 3 different types of pasta: tagliatelle, ravioli and tortelli. And of course a fresh tomato sauce to accompany them. After making the pasta you will be able to eat it, cooked by a professional chef, together with organic local wine.

Another great experience that a lot of my guests have enjoyed is this pasta making class with unlimited wine. You’ll learn to make 3 different types of pasta in a medieval tower built in the 1200s. And yes, there’s unlimited wine!

Learn how to make pizza and gelato

Pizza and gelato are two staples of Italian food culture, and Florence is the perfect place where you can learn how to make both of them. There are two interesting options for a gelato and pizza making class in Florence:

Pizza and gelato cooking class in a farmhouse (5 hours)
Pizza and gelato making class in Florence (3 hours)

The biggest difference is that the first tour is held in a beautiful farmhouse outside of town (so it takes longer), and includes round-trip transportation from the center of Florence. The second tour is instead centrally located in Florence downtown.

Both cooking classes offer:

Dinner with wine tasting
Booklet with recipes
Diploma

gelato and pizza making in Florence, Italy

Top cooking class for families with kids

Cooking is one of the most important and at the same time fun things you can teach your children! This family-friendly cooking class has been specially designed for families with kids, who will have fun kneading, baking and then eating the food prepared with their own little hands.

The cooking class is focused on pizza and gelato.

The experience lasts 3 hours and takes place in the historic center of Florence, a stone’s throw from the Palazzo Pitti, in the Oltrarno district.

Gluten free cooking class in Florence

If you are gluten intolerant no worries! Florence has something tasty for you too. This gluten-free cooking class is given once again by Chef Vary, she’s so passionate and knowledgable about Italian food. Chef Vary is a certified gluten free chef and her kitchen is totally equipped to avoid any contamination.

Her cooking class is for small groups (max 10 people) and lasts 3 hour. You’ll learn how to make gluten-free versions of the most popular Italian dishes and how to use alternative flours to make pasta, gnocchi, pizza, tiramisù and much more. Everything is made from scratch with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Chef Vary is also giving a virtual gluten free ravioli making class that you can take from home!

Vegan and vegetarian cooking class in Florence

This vegan and vegetarian cooking class is again run by my friend Chef Vary. She’s also a certified vegan and vegetarian chef, and she’ll teach you the secrets to keep animal products away from the best dishes of Italian traditional cuisine. You’ll learn how to make fresh pasta without eggs, so you can make vegan tagliatelle, ravioli and gnocchi, and how to make a delicious vegan version of Bolognese sauce.

Her vegan and vegetarian cooking class lasts 2.5 hours, and are held in the same beautiful place that I mentioned before, her store “Tuscan Taste Florence” in via Romana.

Chef Vary is also giving a virtual vegan and vegetarian cooking class that you can take from home!

Florentine Steak Experience: dinner and food history

This is not really a cooking class, in the sense that you won’t be taught how to cook. The Florentine Steak Experience it’s a hearty dinner like a banquet, where the Florentine Steak is the queen. During the dinner, the history of each dish you will eat will also be explained to you. The Florentine Steak Experience is not only an (excellent) dinner, but also a fascinating lesson in the history of Florentine food. You will find out what the peasants ate in the Renaissance, and what was served at the Medici’s table.

In addition to the steak, different types of bruschetta, a pasta dish and two different desserts will be served. All dishes are paired with local wines and accompanied by Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.

Read my blogpost about the best places where to eat a Florentine steak in Florence.

top cooking classes in Florence, Italy — making tiramisu

Faqs about the best cooking classes in Florence

If you have any other question about the best cooking classes in Florence, Italy, please leave me a comment down below. I will be happy to answer you and to update this post with new questions and answers.

Are cooking courses in Florence worth it?

In my opinion cooking classes are definitely worth it. Dishes like fresh pasta can become really simple if an expert teaches you the basics of preparing it. Once you learn the basics, you can indulge yourself in creating variations and new culinary experiments.

How much does it cost to learn to cook in Florence?

Prices for cooking classes in Italy and Florence are starting from around 55-60 euro per person. If you want to take a private class the prices will start from 100-150 euros.

Where in Italy is best to take a cooking class?

Italy is made up of 20 regions, and each of them has a different culinary tradition, with different ingredients, recipes and typical dishes. Italian regional cuisines are so different from each other that it is really hard to say which is the best place in Italy to learn how to cook. For sure I can tell you that Florence and Tuscany are a perfect place, because they are very rich in local flavors and traditions.

What to expect at a cooking class?

You should expect:

A professional chef to teach you
A fully equipped kitchen
Fresh local ingredients
Tips about ingredients, preparation and serving.
A lunch or a dinner with the dishes you prepared
Local wines and other beverages during the meal