Bolognese Cooking Class with Margherita in the Historic Center

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Bologna, Italy

3 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Margherita grew up in Bologna and learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. Join her on this journey into Italian history and traditions while you share a traditional Bolognese meal. Perfect Bolognese cooking class for beginners, families and food lovers!

Private Italian cooking class in Bologna in a local home
Learn to cook pasta from scratch in a hands-on Bolognese cooking class
Learn tips and tricks on how to cook a traditional, home cooked Italian meal
Introduction to Italian cuisine, culture and culinary traditions
Enjoy an Italian meal served with wine, dessert and some traditional music
Lactose free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan meals are available, on request
If you choose the market tour option, meet Margherita in Piazza Giuseppe Verdi and walk to the ancient market of Quadrilatero, a mecca for foodies and historic architecture buffs

Sample Menu

Starter

Antipasto

Frittata di cipolle or Spuma di mortadella or Bruschetta

Main

Primo

Tortellini burro e salvia or Strichetti al sugo di tonno or Pasta e fagioli or Spaghetti alla Bolognese

Main

Secondo

Pollo alla cacciatora

Dessert

Dolce

Tiramisu

What's Included

Private cooking class with your host Margherita
Home cooked meal
Alcoholic Beverages
If you choose the market tour option, enjoy a guided tour of the ancient market of Quadrilatero

Hotel pick up and drop off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

P.za Giuseppe Verdi, 4, 40126 Bologna BO, Italy
Please meet Margherita at Piazza Giuseppe Verdi 4, in the heart of the historical center of Bologna. Please check the 'Before you go' section on your voucher for the exact address, the above only offers neighborhood details. Exact address can be located in your ticket after confirmation.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
If any travelers in your party have any allergies, dietary restrictions or cooking preferences please advise at time of booking

Menu may vary depending on the season
Private, personalized experience
Margherita can accommodate a lactose free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan diet, if informed in advance
Margherita's apartment is on the 1st floor and there is no elevator, so you need to walk up 39 steps.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Margaret_M

Margherita gave us a fantastic, personal cooking class in her charming home. It was a magical evening. Nextdoor a student was practicing opera singing which added to the wonderful ambiance! Once we receive a copy of the recipes from Margherita, we plan to make the dishes at home. We highly recommend her class!

Reviews

4.8

based on 33 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Choose this cooking experience!

Rhonda_G, Jul 2026

Margherita is a breath of fresh air. I chose going to the market with her and learned so much about how the market works and the different stands and their products. Her home is lovely! We made fresh frittata, tortelloni, and tiramisu together. We shared life stories and the meal we cooked. Thank you Margherita!

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the local market with Margherita and learning about the different vendors and their products. It sounds like preparing fresh frittata, tortelloni, and tiramisu together, while sharing stories over a homemade meal, made for a truly memorable experience. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words to Margherita. Thank you for choosing Traveling Spoon, and we hope to welcome you to another culinary adventure in the future!

Excellent Experience!

Alyson_M, Jun 2026

Margherita was lovely. She speaks English fluently and took us to the market prior to our cooking began. We learned some interesting facts along the way and very much enjoyed walking the streets, seeing the shops and fresh vegetables. Her home is intimate and inviting and very organized for the food we were to make. We made a frittata, tortelloni and tiramisu. She had the steps timed out well to have a steady flow of activity and food being ready at the proper time without feeling rushed. Nothing was too difficult but did learn some tips, techniques and tricks that I’m grateful for as well as the delicious recipes themselves. We created a wonderful meal and are so glad to have booked this opportunity with Margherita. Time well spent and a great memory we’ll take with us!

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Thank you for your thoughtful review! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time with Margherita. It's wonderful to know that you appreciated the market visit, learning about local ingredients and culture, and spending time in Margherita's welcoming home. We're also glad that the cooking experience was well-paced and that you picked up new techniques while preparing such delicious Italian dishes together. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We're thrilled that the class became a special memory from your trip, and we hope you'll recreate those recipes at home for years to come!

Wonderful Cooking Experience in Italy

Joanne_R, May 2026

This class is a wonderful cultural experience for the whole family. The host is very warm and welcoming into her home. The host was very a accommodating as we had a 13 month old baby with us.

A Must Do

Cynthia_F, Oct 2025

This was an incredible experience for us. Margherita was a Fabulous host, chef and teacher. We laughed, learned and ate what we cooked. It was an Amazing Meal.

Don’t miss out, great experience, great person!

Joseph_A, Sep 2025

Wonderful cooking experience. Margherita is knowledgeable and engaging and very welcoming. A genuine pleasure, thank you, I learned a lot and felt very humbled to be welcomed in to her home. A brilliant experience and will take away great lessons and tips. Would highly recommend

Highly recommended. Very...

Rachael_M, Jun 2025

Highly recommended. Very friendly and knowledgeable teacher. The food we made was delicious. Very nice way to spend a morning.

Awful Experience and I did not even get to cook!

DARLEEN_R, Jun 2025

We were confirmed and had vouchers for months for a cooking class in Bologna with Margerita at 4:30pm. I received a message from her in the morning that she was looking forward to meeting us for our cooking class, I responded that we were too. About an hour later I received a message from her asking where we were, that the class was now going to be at 10am, I sent her a message immediately and then callled her and told her that I was not contacted about a change in the time that my voucer said 4:30pm, she said that she could not do it at 4:30pm, then proceeded to hang up on me! I will never book another tour with Viator, even though I called lthem and they issued a refund, I will never book another thing with them, the woman was beyond rude; and I did nothing wrong. So if you elect to book this cooking class, good luck.

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Dear Darlee, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I am truly sorry for the frustration and disappointment you encountered. This is not the kind of experience we strive to provide, and I completely understand how upsetting it must have been, especially after you had looked forward to the class for so long. I want to offer some clarity, not as an excuse, but in the spirit of transparency. Your class was originally booked for 4:30 PM. When the host confirmed the booking, she had limited availability and requested to shift the time to 10 AM. We sent you a message to ask if the new time would work, and you mentioned needing more time to decide. Unfortunately, we did not follow up after that, and the time was updated in our system to 10 AM. Your original Viator voucher still reflected the 4:30 PM time, which led to a very unfortunate miscommunication. We take full responsibility for not ensuring you were clearly informed and aligned on the final class time. We also sincerely apologize for the interaction you described with the host. It sounds like something may have been lost in translation, but regardless, it is not the kind of communication we find acceptable, and we are addressing this directly with her. While we are glad that Viator processed your refund, we know it does not make up for the disappointment of missing an experience you were excited about. Please know we are taking steps to improve our communication process so that this does not happen again in the future. We truly hope you might consider giving us another chance to provide the warm, authentic, and memorable experience that Traveling Spoon is known for. Warm regards, Aashi Founder, Traveling Spoon

Fantastic food and cooking

Vicki_T, Jun 2025

Very interesting tour of the markets, great cooking class and delicious food & vino. Marguerite was generous with her time, knowledge and experience. We loved that it was so personal

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Dear Vicki, Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed your Traveling Spoon Bologna market tour and cooking class, and of course, the delicious food and wine. Margherita truly loves sharing her time and knowledge, and we’re so glad her warmth and hospitality made the experience feel personal and memorable for you. We hope your time in Bologna was filled with wonderful flavors and that you’ll continue cooking what you learned at home. We would love to welcome you back for another experience in the future! Warm regards, Aashi Founder, Traveling Spoon

Delicious and enchanting cooking class!

Margaret_M, Apr 2025

Cooking and lunch with Marghertia

Diane_M, Apr 2025

Super walk, shopping, cooking and dining! A coffee in town on a terrace overlooking the two towers, a great beginning.

Wonderful lunch lesson

kimgunn, Apr 2025

Thank you for a wonderful cookery lesson, lunch and tour today. We both thoroughly enjoyed it and are looking forward to the left overs tonight! We have shared the photos and videos with our family so they are expecting a high standard of cooking when we get home. We are off shopping for ingredients and pasta cutting tools next.

Wonderful experience

rebecca_f, Sep 2024

Margherita was a fantastic host, explaining all the history of Bologna, taking us to a wonderful food market and showing us how to cook amazing Italian food. We would 100% recommend this wonderful experience with such a warm and welcoming lady. Thanks once again Margherita 😊