Private Market Tour and Cooking Class in Bologna with Giovanna C

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Bologna, Italy

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

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Overview

Sample Menu

Starter

Crescentine or tigelle filled with salame

Typical Bologna pastry filled with local salames such as mortadella, prosciutto or ciccioli and cheeses like the soft sqauccherone or parmigiana.

Main

Pasta Bolognese

Tagliatelle al ragu or lasagne or gramigna (pasta in a meat sauce)

Main

Seasonal vegetable side or salad or homemade bread

Dessert

Typical Italian seasonal dessert

What's Included

Private market tour and cooking class with your host Giovanna
Alcoholic Beverages

Local wine (1-2 glasses)

Hotel pick up and drop off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Neptune's Fountain
Piazza del Nettuno, 40124 Bologna BO, Italy
Meet your host Giovanna at the Fountain of Neptune, located in the square, Piazza del Nettuno which is close to the market. Giovanna will be holding a piece of paper with your name on it.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.5:00 pm

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Near public transportation
Stroller accessible
Not wheelchair accessible

Please note that, as is common in many Italian homes, this residence does not have air conditioning.
Giovanna can accommodate a vegetarian diet, if informed in advance, at the time of booking.
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

Alice

Giovanni, the tour operator was just lovely. We met at Piazza Maggiore and as we headed out on our cooking adventure she pointed out important buildings along the way and their historical importance. We wound our way through narrow streets to the Old Market and we stopped and picked up a few supplies for our lunch. Giovanni kept the conversation going with her knowledge about Bologna in general and local food specifically. She has a wonderful sense of humor and a gift for making one feel comfortable and engaged. We then walked to the outskirts of Bologna to her lovely home where we made homemade pasta for lasagna with bolognese sauce and she put together a very tasty Salume platter. My time with Giovanni was the highlight of my travels in Italy and Croatia. Giovanni is so charming and I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to spend an afternoon in a real Italian kitchen with a kind, funny, knowledgable and caring Nonna.

Reviews

4.9

based on 20 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Dinner with family.

Mike_P, Nov 2025

Giovanna, Laura and Francesca gave us the best experience of kindness, friendship and family! The market tour with Giovanna was lovely as she shared her love of Bologna and her knowledge of local fare. As we arrived at her home we were greeted by her daughters like longtime friends. The cooking class was like a lesson from your favorite grandmother and cousins. The food was amazing but the fellowship was the highlight. Definitely an experience I will treasure for years to come.

Cooking and conversation with Giovanna and family

Jennifer_F, Nov 2025

This was an incredible experience and one of the highlights of our trip so far. Giovanna and her family were warm and welcoming and great teachers. We learned a lot walking through Bologna and going to the market with Giovanna and I was able to practice my Italian with her. Loved learning how to make ragu and tortellini and the food was delicious. Sitting down to enjoy the meal together and have wonderful conversation made the night even better. This is such a treat and I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to learn these dishes and have more of a one on one experience. If I could give this more stars I would. Grazie!

Private Cooking in Bologna

Alice, Jun 2025

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Thank you so much for your wonderful and heartfelt review! We’re absolutely delighted to hear that your experience with Giovanna was such a highlight of your travels. She truly has a special gift for sharing her deep knowledge of Bologna’s history and culinary traditions with warmth, humor, and genuine hospitality. We especially appreciate your kind words about her engaging personality and the memorable cooking experience you shared in her lovely home. Your recommendation means the world to us, and we’re so glad you were able to enjoy the joy and authenticity of cooking in a real Italian kitchen with such a gracious host.

Evening with Giovanna and the family

Dino_D, Mar 2025

Spectacular! We loved our time with Giovanna and her family. We learned some key tips on making pasta and a bolognese sauce. We laughed, learned that Francesca is a New England Patriots fan! The family simply loved the evening. The wine just like the conversation continued to flow. Simply a must

Very authentic and...

MURRAY_H, Apr 2024

Very authentic and traditional. A great way to spend a day in Bologna. A couple of tips that make all the difference.

A thousand times YES!!

DIANE_B, Feb 2024

I wish we could leave more stars. This was such a fantastic experience. Paola and her family were a joy to get to know. It was our favorite part of vacation. They were wonderful hosts. The food was amazing and they were helpful with giving us tips for our stay in Bologna. We hope to come back and do it again. Highly recommend booking this experience!

Amazing experience

Julie_L, May 2023

What a fabulous experience . Charming warm lady shopped with us while giving us history about the town. Then we went back to her home and helped her make a delicious meal. So much food and wine! ❤️ I would recommend this to everyone

An excellent tour

Gemma_G, Oct 2022

Giovanna is very warm, inviting, knowledgeable and charming. She welcomed me into her home with open arms & introduced me to her two daughters Who also cooked with us. Our market walk was lovely with her pointing out all the different foods and going into different shops where she knew most of the vendors. We walked to her house and began to make Tortellini in a butter & sage sauce. We also made a Bolognese sauce to show me how the traditional sauce is made. Because it takes four hours to cook we did not eat it but I did taste it all along the way. To round out the meal we made a Polpettone which is a fancy word for meatloaf in a traditional Bolognese style along with vegetable gratinee. We had a traditional antipasto starter with prosciutto, mortadella, salami and pancetta with parmigiano Reggiano cheese. We had a little wine to cap off the meal that we devoured & I was so full that I passed on cookies for dessert. I can’t say enough good things about Giovanna and her family. I would highly recommend this tour and when I come back to Bologna I will look her up again.

I made tortelloni

Dawn_H, Oct 2022

We were lucky enough to get Giovanna all to ourselves! She gave some history on the market and we followed her as she went into different proprietors for meat, vegetables and cheese. We were warmly welcomed into her kitchen where her daughter joined us for a lovely meal and lively conversation. We felt like we made a new friend in Bologna. Highly recommend if you want an immersion into Bolognese Culture.

Highly recommended!

ravien_s, Mar 2022

Highly recommended! I had a wonderful time with Giovanna. Walking around Bologna, sitting at her kitchen table, discussing travel plans and cooking together. She speaks some English, so it helps if you speak a little Italian, but it all added to the feeling of authenticity and warmth I felt during our time together. Hope to repeat the experience soon!