Florence Cooking Class in a Gorgeous Countryside Home with Maria
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Florence, Italy
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
·
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Escape the bustle of Florence and join your host, a passionate cook, for a private culinary experience in their countryside home. Craft traditional Italian dishes like handmade pasta, bruschetta, and tiramisu using cherished family recipes. Your host picks you up in Florence, and you can opt for a market tour at San Lorenzo to select fresh, seasonal ingredients before enjoying your delicious, homemade meal in a cozy, authentic setting.
- This private class ensures hands-on guidance and instruction
- Learn how to cook three to four traditional Tuscan dishes
- Vegetarian options are available upon request
- This hands-on cooking class is great for food lovers visiting Florence
Sample Menu
Starter
Bruschetta
Main
Spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli or tagliatelle
Handmade stuffed pasta or cut pasta in a sauce of your choice
Dessert
Tiramisu
Starter
Local Italian wine
What's Included
- Private cooking class and meal with your host Maria
- Alcoholic BeveragesLocal Italian wine
- Round-trip transport from a central meeting location in Florence (for up to 6 guests)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Forno Sale GrossoVia della Mattonaia, 1, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Meet your host Maria at the entrance to Forno Sale Grosso in the Florence city center. She will pick you up in her car and drive you to the market if you choose the tour + class option or drive you to her beautiful countryside home, 15 minutes away if you choose the class only option.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
1
Mercato Centrale
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Service animals allowed
- Stroller accessible
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Menu may vary depending on the season
- For your pasta, Maria offers a choice of sauces: Ragu, broccoli pesto, arrabbiata or butter and sage with parmesan cream. If you have a specific preference, please inform her when making your booking.
- If you are a group of 7 or more guests, Maria kindly requests that any guests beyond the first four arrange their own transportation to her home, as she can only accommodate up to 6 passengers in her car.
- Please note that, as is common in many Italian homes, this residence does not have air conditioning.
- This experience is not suited for gluten-free diets. If you are interested in a gluten-free experience, be sure to book Maria's dedicated "Gluten-Free Pasta Class in a Gorgeous Florence Home".
- Please note that markets are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
- This home has a cat.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Lisa_L
Our cooking class with Maria was the highlight of our trip to Florence! Her home in the Tuscan countryside is beautiful and it was lovely to see the landscape outside of the city. Maria is warm and welcoming and one feels immediately at home. The cooking class prep is informative and fun. The meal shared with our host was not only tasty but felt as if we were friends around a table spending a memorable afternoon together. This excursion is highly recommended!
Reviews
5.0
based on 155 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
B_H, Jul 2026
Fantastic experience. Not inexpensive, but with a wonderful host and such a unique experience I would recommend Maria was warm and fun, and made the experience hands on for all of us. The house is amazing and a great departure from the busy city scene. Food was delicious. Highly recommend
Jessica_H, Jul 2026
This experience was the highlight of our family’s trip! Maria Christina was fantastic! From the moment we met her at the market in Florence she made us feel at home. Her countryside home is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see. It was like stepping back in time. The food was amazing, and she was a great teacher! She shared with us old family recipes and everything was made with pride and love, and you could taste that in each bite. All of us can’t wait to make the recipes again, or at least attempt to live up to what she made! lol! Thank you Christina from the bottom of all of hearts for giving us all one of the most memorable days as a family, and cheers to making new friends (even the bees and hornets)! 😉
Dionne_T, May 2026
We had an incredible time learning to cook with Maria just outside the heart of Florence in the countryside. We met Maria at the market, and we picked up a few tips from her, as well as items for our meal. She then drove up to her home, which was built in the 1200s. It was an unforgettable afternoon, making authentic dishes in her beautiful kitchen and sitting outside on her terrace to eat our delicious meal. There is no doubt that when we come back to Florence, we will do it again, just to hang with her!
Chris_B, May 2026
Skip the large pasta making/cooking classes in the city and join Cristina for this wonderful experience. This was one of the most authentic activities we have participated in during our trip. Cristina takes you to the “locals” market instead of the larger one for tourists. She takes great care to choose produce in season while also considering the guests’ preferences. Her home is beautiful and cozy in the countryside. She is a wonderful host and very knowledgable.
Lisa_L, Apr 2026
Our cooking class with Maria was the highlight of our trip to Florence! Her home in the Tuscan countryside is beautiful and it was lovely to see the landscape outside of the city. Maria is warm and welcoming and one feels immediately at home. The cooking class prep is informative and fun. The meal shared with our host was not only tasty but felt as if we were friends around a table spending a memorable afternoon together. This excursion is highly recommended!
Corey_D, Apr 2026
We had an amazing time with Christina. She is the kindest and sweetest lady. She has a beautiful home and this was an amazing experience. We learned how to cook some amazing food. Our dinner was absolutely amazing. Words can’t describe how great this experience was for my family. Highly recommend!
Denise_M, Apr 2026
This cooking experience was fantastic! Maria was so sweet, the food was delicious and her house was really cool! It’s a great way to get out of the city for a few minutes and enjoy the countryside. We made pasta from scratch, meatballs, dessert and some delicious appetizers. Maria is warm and kind and a terrific hostess. Highly recommend!!
Faith_B, Mar 2026
The most amazing experience!!! It was a dream, we felt like adopted family. Maria is AMAZING don’t think twice book it now!!!
Brent_S, Mar 2026
Christina (Maria) was the most gracious host we could have asked for. This tour was everything and much more than we expected. What an amazing day it was, learning about Florence and the surrounding countryside. The drive into the country was beautiful, as was her home. We learned and cooked several wonderful authentic recipes. The meal was delicious and we look forward to replicating the recipes and techniques at home (she provided us with her recipes and links to her cooking equipmemt). The morning trip to the local market was a fabulous addition to learn about the culture and the Florentine specialties. We learned where to buy fresh produce, and preferred meat and cheeses. We were also able to taste and buy some delicious parmegiano cheese that they vacuum packed for us to bring home. Christina was a wonderful hostess and made this day spectacular. Anyone interested in the local culture and cooking should take this tour. It was a special day for our family that will be remembered forever.
Jessica_J, Feb 2026
Our cooking class with Maria was hands down one of the highlights of our time in Florence.
First of all, I do not cook. At all. And somehow, under Maria’s guidance, I made the most delicious pasta dish I’ve ever had in my life. I’m still thinking about it. Even more shocking? I don’t like kale… and her kale bruschetta absolutely blew my mind. I would order it in a restaurant tomorrow.
The experience was so much more than just cooking. Maria began with a market tour where we learned about local ingredients, food traditions, and even how to properly order and enjoy caffè like a Florentine. It was such a cool cultural deep dive and made us feel like we were seeing a side of Florence beyond the typical tourist experience.
Then we went to her home in the countryside, and it was pure perfection. She’s an architect by trade and rebuilt the home herself. It’s stunning, thoughtful, and full of character. You can feel the creativity in every detail. Even though we didn’t meet her husband, we loved hearing that he’s a jazz enthusiast. It just added to the charm and personality of the whole experience.
Getting out of the busy heart of Florence and into the countryside for an afternoon of cooking, learning, and connecting was unforgettable. Maria is warm, knowledgeable, funny, and incredibly talented. If you’re visiting Florence, this is an absolute must!
Suzanne_F, Dec 2025
This authentic Italian cooking class in Maria Christina’s beautifully renovated home was the high light of our trip in Florence! Not only did we learn some wonderful Italian cooking skills but we feel we have made a new friend. We would definitely recommend this activity to anyone visiting Florence!
Charlie_A, Nov 2025
Maria, her home, her cooking, her personality and warmth are all fantastic! We had a wonderful afternoon! We will plan another trip to Florence just to visit Maria again!
Aubrey_G, Nov 2025
Miss Maria provided us with a very enjoyable experience both at the market and in the kitchen of her beautiful home. We very much enjoyed the opportunity to prepare a delicious meal using fresh ingredients. Very excited to get home and try her recipes in our own kitchen. Great experience, a highlight of our visit to Florence!
Susan_F, Oct 2025
Truly the most experience- it was like we were cooking with a nonna. Marie was amazing, taking all the time in the world to make us feel like guests in her house and sharing her many years of secrets to cooking genuine Italian cuisine. Her countryside cottage is like something out of a fairy tale. She allowed us to be hands on in the whole cooking process and even showed us how to prepare the beautiful table we shared our meal. By the end, we felt we not only knew how to cook and present an Italian meal, but also had made a new friend. Recommend to everyone
Timothy_S, Oct 2025
She was right on time picking us up. Very welcoming at our first meeting. A short drive through the countryside to a rustic farmhouse/estate that Maria (who is a restoration architect) restored with her husband. The property is idyllic and the kitchen space a perfect classroom for Maria to begin your class. Incredible hospitality. You felt like family visiting over a holiday. The pasta and tiramisu instruction was easy to follow and delish, but the sweet yellow pepper cream sauce was one we had never had in any restaurant and has become our favorite sauce of the trip. She paired a delicious wine to our lunch, which included - black cabbage bruschetta, anti pasta tray, linguini with yellow pepper cream sauce (taught to her by her husbands grandmother), Asiago/prosciutto/chicken breast rolled and covered in seasoned bread crumbs and cooked in olive oil and white wine, and tiramisu for desert. The lunch was exquisite. We sat outside as we ate, enjoying the view from her stone porch with a grape vine covered arbor that she designed and restored to its current glory. Such a welcoming host who had lead a fascinating life culminating in this gorgeous classroom for learning Italian family recipes and variations on some of your favorite dishes. And she emails out the complete recipes so you can give it a shot at home. Highlight of our trip.
Liz_C, Sep 2025
We had a wonderful experience with Maria. We brought our 1 year old daughter along and she was super accommodating and made us feel like part of her family. This will be a memory we will always cherish and highly recommend to anyone. This cooking class and entire experience was the highlight of our trip.
Adriana_G, Sep 2025
wonderful experience with Maria. We had a lot of fun and she was a great teacher. Beautiful setting - her home is amazing. She is a great hostess and very knowledgeable.
Melinda_N, Sep 2025
We had the best time with Maria.. It’s a truly authentic experience in her beautiful Italian countryside home. We really enjoyed learning how to make pasta with her (it’s easier than you would think). If we would have had the time, I would have booked the going to the market portion too. My husband loves to cook and really enjoyed the experience as well. He thanked me for booking it.
Patricia_D, Jul 2025
Wonderful experience. We were a group of two children 3 teenagers and two adults. The kids thoroughly enjoyed learning to cook homemade pasta with Maria in her meticulously restored historic home in the countryside. For the younger children they were able to run around among the various fruit trees and eat fresh plums and apples. We had a lovely time with Maria and Marco.
Zachary_H, Jul 2025
My wife and I spent a morning with Maria going to the market and cooking a wonderful meal. Maria‘s home is absolutely beautiful and she could not be more welcoming. We enjoyed making the pasta and enjoying some new things like fried zucchini flowers. The weather was lovely and we enjoyed a nice lunch on her patio. I highly recommend if you are in Florence, Maria even shared a bunch of recipes after the trip. Five stars!
Gordon_R, Jun 2025
We did this with a family of 4, 2 college age kids.
It was the perfect relaxing fun day away from crowded and hectic Florence. Marie is the ideal host attending to everyone and making them fell at home. I strongly recommend doing the shopping at the locals only market that morning; it’s not something you get with run of the mill experiences. Her county farmhouse is beautiful charming and rustic. We drank wine made our own pasta and Caprise; it was some good and light. The best thing we did in Florence by far. Late May 2025.
Emily_B, Jun 2025
Myself, my husband, and two of our best friends traveled throughout Italy for close to 2 weeks, we spent 4 days in Florence and all agreed after our cooking class with Maria that it was the highlight of our trip. After meeting at the market she drove us about 20 minutes out of town to her gorgeous home with the most stunning views! The food was DELICIOUS…starting with assorted meats and bread, next she taught us how to make the best bruschetta we have ever had, followed by homemade pasta with spicy red sauce and fried eggplant, and finished the meal off with tiramisu. We had a variety of wines while cooking and enjoying the meal and really enjoyed getting to know Maria throughout the day, she was extremely welcoming, kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about cooking. This was by far my favorite thing I did in Italy and if I ever find myself back in Florence I will definitely be booking a cooking class with Maria again. I can’t recommend this experience enough, it is a must do!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We're absolutely delighted to hear that your time with Maria was a highlight of your Italian adventure. From exploring the market to cooking in her beautiful home with stunning views, it sounds like a truly unforgettable day. Maria’s passion for food and hospitality shines through in everything she does, and we know she’ll be so touched by your kind words. We’re so glad you enjoyed the meal, the company, and the connection. This is exactly the kind of meaningful travel we hope to create. We’d love to welcome you back anytime you're in Florence!
Judy_V, May 2025
We enjoyed getting away and going to cook with Christina at her beautiful home in the country. First going to the market to buy fresh foods. Making pasta, yellow pepper sauce and Tarimasu. Lunch, wine and great conversation. Lovely people.
Nathan_B, Jan 2025
This was one of our favorite experiences from our trip to Florence. A short drive to the countryside was a great escape from the hustle of the city. The food and company were amazing.
Gina_B, Nov 2024
Maria made this an experience we will never forget. Starting off at the market was truly special. The quality of ingredients there was superb. The ride to her countryside home was beautiful even on a rainy day and Maria made for wonderful company. Her home is truly beautiful. I felt at home the moment we walked through the door. We made an amazing lunch together. The recipes were not over complicated and absolutely delicious. If we return to Florence in the future, we would love to see Maria again!
Lester_W, Oct 2024
Excellent food, excellent wine, excellent location, and amazing company.
Maria is a wonderful host and teacher and her home is a beautiful country home in the hills. It would be a shame to come to Florence and miss an opportunity to spend a night with Maria learning about Florence and Italian cooking.
Charles_H, Oct 2024
We enjoyed our market tour and cooking class. The results were delicious! Maria was a great host and spoke very good English.
Mason_C, Oct 2024
Maria was an excellent host. Talking with her felt like you were talking to a friend that you’ve know for years and years. My wife and I really loved being immersed in the Tuscan landscape of Maria's property. We made a couple classic Italian dishes that her grandma had showed her. Everything we made tasted excellent and we can’t wait to show off our new Italian cooking skills to our friends and family. We both recommend taking this once in a lifetime opportunity to learn to cook traditional Italian dishes with Maria!
Michael_G, Oct 2024
Cristina has assembled a very nice vegan menu for us. We started with bruschetta, followed by selfmade tagliatelle with broccoli sauce and finnished with peach cake. Cristina was very welcoming and we immediately felt alsmost like home. We learned some new techniques and had a loveley evening in cristinas amazing house from the 12th century in the middle of nowhere.
Dion_F, Oct 2024
Unbelievably wonderful experience. My wife did the market, which she loved, then the ride up to her home in Florence's surrounding hills was phenomenal. Her house was 12th century and the road she lived on was the route to Bologna during that period. Very rural and fascinating.
The food was made very well and was excellent.
Tagliatelle with white sage sauce, roast beef, bruschetta with black cabbage and tiramisu. She would have fed us more, but we said that was enough. Oh, and wine.
Again, unbelievable experience.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Dear Dion,
Thank you so much for your amazing review! I’m thrilled to hear that you and your wife had such a memorable experience. It sounds like the market visit and the scenic ride to Maria's home really set the stage for a fantastic culinary adventure.
I’m glad you enjoyed the dishes, especially the tagliatelle in a sage sauce, and were able to share traditional recipes in a historic setting. We appreciate you mentioning the abundance of food; Maria loves to ensure her guests leave satisfied!
Thank you once again for your kind words. We hope to welcome you both back for another unforgettable experience in the beautiful hills of Florence!
Warm regards,
Aashi
Likely to Sell Out
From $285.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Likely to Sell Out
Florence Cooking Class in a Gorgeous Countryside Home with Maria
155
4 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$285.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Florence, Italy
- Livorno Cruise Port (Livorno Terminal Crociere) Tours & Tickets
- Florence Central Market (Mercato Centrale) Tours & Tickets
- Cattedrale dell’Immagine Tours & Tickets
- Bargello Museum (Museo Nazionale del Bargello) Tours & Tickets
- Florence Duomo (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) Tours & Tickets
- Palazzo Vecchio Tours & Tickets
- Florence American Cemetery and Memorial Tours & Tickets
- San Frediano Tours & Tickets
- Piazza della Signoria Tours & Tickets
- Sant'Ambrogio Market (Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio) Tours & Tickets
- Arno River Tours & Tickets
- Pitti Palace Palatine Gallery Tours & Tickets
- Piazza Santa Croce Tours & Tickets
- Piazza della Repubblica Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Florence, Italy
- Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell'Accademia) Tours & Tickets
- Michelangelo's Statue of David (Il Davide di Michelangelo) Tours & Tickets
- Florence Duomo (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) Tours & Tickets
- Uffizi Galleries (Gallerie degli Uffizi) Tours & Tickets
- Ponte Vecchio Tours & Tickets
- Piazza della Signoria Tours & Tickets
- Brunelleschi’s Dome (Cupola di Brunelleschi) Tours & Tickets