Top Italy Dining Experiences - page 3

Take a break from the bustle of Rome and experience two pillars of Italian cuisine in the peaceful Franscati countryside with this unique day trip. Visit a traditional family-run winery to sample local red and white wines, then learn the secrets to making perfect pasta from scratch during a hands-on lesson. Cap off your visit with dinner featuring your own fresh pasta topped with a traditional Roman sauce.

Learn the secrets of three of Catania’s traditional pasta recipes—and have the special chance to cook in the home of a “Cesarina,” a certified home cook dedicated to sharing Italy’s culinary traditions—during this private cooking class. Pick between morning and afternoon start times, make your own way to your host’s home, and learn how to prepare three recipes with their guidance. Then, enjoy your pasta accompanied by local wine.

Turn your Amalfi Coast adventure into a hands-on culinary experience. For this cooking class, you’ll be welcomed into a local’s home — in Praiano, between the towns of Amalfi and Positano — where you’ll wander the gardens, sip wine, and get to preparing ancient family recipes. Taste the fruits of your labor, and go home with your own skills for preparing authentic Italian fare.

Discover the secrets to turning out fresh pasta and classic tiramisù like a real Italian 'mamma' with this home cooking class. Join a local cook in her kitchen and learn how to make two different types of pasta from scratch, then try your hand as assembling a creamy tiramisù under her careful guidance. Top off your class with a family-style lunch or dinner featuring the dishes you've created together.

After sampling delicious pizza and pasta in Rome, make sure you know how to recreate the culinary magic at home. Learn to cook these favorite Italian dishes during a half-day small-group cooking workshop in the Italian capital. Get hands-on instruction from a chef as you prepare the dough and sauces from scratch. Then, sit down to enjoy the fruits of your labor, paired tiramisu, wine, and limoncello.

Naples can throw the most careful plans out of whack with anarchic traffic, heat, and crowds. With this skip-the-line guided tour, bypass the often-long ticket lines and break from the drama by going underground, some 130 feet (40 meters) below the city’s historic center. Tour subterranean air-raid shelters, Greek-Roman aqueducts, caves, a garden, and a Roman theater—it’s all part of Naples’ unconventional history.

During this experience you can discover all the secrets of truffle hunting, from dog training to the recognition of plants and where this precious fruit of the earth can grow. You will experience the thrill of an authentic truffle hunt and after that you will be able to taste numerous dishes filled with fresh truffles. All accompanied by an excellent wine.

Take a break from sightseeing and let your hair down in a tipsy cooking class in the heart of Rome. Try your hand at rolling, cutting, and cooking fettuccine pasta and making a traditional carbonara or cacio e pepe sauce, all under the watchful eye of a local chef. Mix three classic Italian spritzes to enjoy while you cook and finish by savoring your own handiwork. For an even more personal experience, upgrade to a private class.

Leave the busy streets of Florence behind and soak up Tuscany's views on this small-group Vespa tour. Hop onto your scooter once you reach the beautiful country roads of Chianti, so you don't have to navigate inner-city traffic. Stop for a traditional Tuscan meal at a farmhouse and taste olive oils and Chianti wines for an authentic taste of Florence's culinary scene. You can also enjoy the journey in a Fiat Topolino e-car.

Take a break from Rome's culture and learn how to make two classic Italian dishes—pizza and tiramisu—during this short workshop with a local Italian chef. Assemble a creamy tiramisu and shape and bake your personal pizza with all ingredients and equipment provided, then relax over a meal with your small group featuring the dishes you've prepared served with wine and limoncello.

Learn how to make pasta from scratch in this interactive cooking workshop in Rome. See how authentic gelato is made up close, then improve your cooking skills with guidance from a chef. Feel like a professional as you use high-quality tools and ingredients to make your meal. The reward for your hard work is delicious food and unlimited wine.

Discover the many delights of Tuscany’s wine country on this small-group tasting tour from Florence. Travel along beautiful hillside roads through vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees. Visit 2 top-rated wineries in the famed Chianti Classico region, tour the cellars and learn how wine is produced using traditional methods. Taste different wines, along with olive oil and Tuscan specialties like fresh cheeses and bruschetta. Group size is limited to twenty-five participants for a more personalized experience.

With no train service and notoriously overcrowded buses, the Amalfi Coast can be a hassle to explore by land. Avoid the stress and delays with this boat tour from Salerno that takes in some of the most picturesque corners of the coast from the waters of the Mediterranean. Enjoy free time in Positano and Amalfi to sightsee and shop and swim breaks to cool off in the crystalline waters.

Master the art of making fresh pasta just like Italian grandmothers did with this group cooking class. Your instructors guide you through every step, from preparing various pasta shapes to crafting delectable sauces. No need to bring anything, as all the necessary equipment and ingredients are provided. After cooking, savor your creations over fine Tuscan wine.

Cruise out to explore the island of Capri on this full-day tour from Sorrento. Set sail along the Sorrento coast; take in Capri highlights such as the White and Green Grottos and the Faraglioni rocks; then head ashore to dine at a seafront restaurant or enjoy swimming and sunbathing at the island’s beaches.

Make two fresh pasta dishes by hand during a small-group cooking class in Varenna, Lake Como. You’ll skip the impersonal feel of a larger cooking class, and rustle up creations in the home of a local, who is part of the Cesarine network of Italian home cooks. Prepare and eat pasta and a tiramisu as you learn about the wider Lombardy region in the best place — an Italian home kitchen.

Learn to make pasta by hand with a professional chef-instructor for a truly memorable experience in Rome. Your small-group cooking class takes place in a private location in a traditional Roman neighborhood and covers the basics of creating incredible Italian pasta. Nibble on light appetizers and sip on prosecco as you begin to prepare the pasta meal. Or, opt for the pizza-making class to prepare your own pie.

Take a break from sightseeing to learn how to make an authentic Spritz cocktail and fresh pasta like a Roman. This cooking class explores traditional recipes with a local chef in the heart of the city. Working alongside the chef, prepare pasta dough from scratch, cut it into fettuccine and maltagliati, then assemble a bruschetta starter and tiramisu for dessert. Afterwards, sit down for lunch or dinner featuring the dishes you've prepared served with wine, limoncello, and espresso for the perfect introduction to Italy’s remarkable food traditions.

Learn to prepare Southern Italian cuisine like a local with this private cooking class. Meet at the home of your instructor and learn the secrets of famous Neapolitan dishes such as spaghetti with fresh clams or paccheri pasta with potatoes. After watching a cooking demonstration, try your hand at cooking from your workstation with all the needed tools and ingredients. Then, enjoy the fruit of your labors with local wines.

Learn to create classic dishes of the Lombardy region with a small-group cooking class in Lake Como. A member of the acclaimed Cesarine network of chefs will welcome you into their home for a lesson in Milanese-style cuisine as you help prepare a 3-course menu featuring northern Italian favorites such as a seasonal starter, various kinds of fresh pasta, and a local dessert such as a *torta miascia*, *cutizza* pancake, or tiramisu. When the cooking’s done, sit down with your host and small group to enjoy the homemade meal with wine.

Discover the dazzling beauty and captivating culture of Capri and Sorrento on a small-group or private boat tour. Whichever option you choose, you’re treated to an intimate and truly personalized Italian experience. Have your camera ready for the Natural Arch, Villa Malaparte, Cala di Mitigliano Waterfall, and of course, the Blue Grotto (admission tickets additional expense). Later, enjoy free time to explore the island at your own pace.

Satisfy your food cravings and expand your Italian cooking repertoire in a local home with this hands-on pasta and tiramisu class. Avoid big crowds in this intimate small-group experience hosted by welcoming Cesarine cooks. Learn to make two types of pasta and the signature Italian dessert tiramisu, with a chance to taste all your gastronomic creations after the class.

You can eat pasta to your heart’s content while in Rome, but what happens after the vacation ends? Learn how to recreate classic Roman pasta dishes like cacio e pepe or amatriciana during this small-group cooking class. Get hands-on instruction within the home of an Italian nonna in an intimate group, with vegetarian options available. After the course, sit down to enjoy your freshly prepared meal.

Discover scenic locations along the iconic Maddalena Archipelago during this full-day, small-group excursion. Highlights include a cruise by pink-pebbled Spiaggia Rosa, a swimming stop in the white-sand island of Spargi, and a visit to the cliffs of Razzoli. Tours include a traditional Sardinian lunch, with vegetarian and fish options available.