Pesto Course in Levanto
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
La Spezia, Italy
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Learn the authentic recipe for pesto Genovese with an hour-long, hands-on cooking class in Levanto. Use a mortar and pestle to turn fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil into a classic Ligurian sauce, then enjoy what you’ve made alongside a glass of wine, and a spread of local products.
- Pesto cooking class in Levanto
- Cook alongside a local chef
- Learn to make Genoese pesto from scratch
- Taste local products with wine
- Fun, hands-on way to explore Italian cuisine
- Perfect for all ages and skill level
Sample Menu
Starter
pesto sauce
Served on bruschetta
Starter
Local olive oil
Served on toasted bread
Starter
wine tasting
What's Included
- Included in the price: pesto course with mortar, pesto tasting with a glass of wine and local appetizers, olive oil tasting, printed recipe.
- Lunch
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Corso Italia, 16, 19015 Levanto SP, Italy
From the train station “Levanto” walk straight to the centre following Corso Roma, which is the main road with trees. Turn on the left in Corso Italia go ahead and before entering the square with public garden, you will reach Corso Italia n. 16 – “LA NICCHIA PESTIFERA”.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.11:00 am
What To Expect
Make your way to a small shop and kitchen that’s walking distance from the Levanto train station, then meet a charismatic local chef who loves to share Ligurian food and culture.
Start the class Italian-style—with a glass of sparkling wine and bruschetta made with local olive oil—then learn how Ligurian chefs make pesto using traditional tools.
Next, roll up your sleeves to make the classic Genoa sauce from scratch. Wash and dry the fresh basil leaves, then pound them with salt, pine nuts, and garlic, finally blending in Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil.
Finally, enjoy a glass of white wine and a spread of local products, such as small, black taggiasche olives, bruschetta with anchovies, and a local pastry made with limoncino.
Start the class Italian-style—with a glass of sparkling wine and bruschetta made with local olive oil—then learn how Ligurian chefs make pesto using traditional tools.
Next, roll up your sleeves to make the classic Genoa sauce from scratch. Wash and dry the fresh basil leaves, then pound them with salt, pine nuts, and garlic, finally blending in Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil.
Finally, enjoy a glass of white wine and a spread of local products, such as small, black taggiasche olives, bruschetta with anchovies, and a local pastry made with limoncino.
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- There isn't any restriction to attend this pesto class.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Kea_A
Great price for a great experience. The host was amazing and the pesto and wine super tasty. Would totally recommend it.
Reviews
4.9
based on 58 reviews
Anthony_G, Apr 2025
Learned all the steps to make pesto and our teacher had easy to follow instructions. I make pesto all the time now.
Lisa_L, Oct 2024
When I book this a month ago on the website, originally, it said focaccia and wine for lunch, which did not happen. We had a few pieces of bread with pesto and a very small slice of cake at the end of the course. It wasn’t very friendly atmosphere. I found the lady teaching Was unfriendly and at times curt.
With that being said, please visit their store because it does have some amazing product that I enjoyed
Jeanette_R, Oct 2024
Such a delightful experience enticing all senses of the mind, body and soul. The aromas, flavors and vino all complimenting the other! The beautiful owner educated us all on the variety of pesto products, serving each on pasta or bread and wines of the region during the class as well. Would highly recommend this to all!
Stephen_O, Sep 2024
I've tried to make pesto in my kitchen and it never was quite right. I took the opportunity to sign up for Giorgia's class and it was worth it. First, with a mortar and pestle you can make individual portions of pesto, versus using a food processor. Second, Giorgia stressed the importance of high quality ingredients if you want a really good result. Finally, Giorgia meticulously explained the techniques to use, and very importantly, the sequence of those techniques, that will produce a perfect pesto. There were five of us in class and we each made our own pesto, following her instructions, and all the batches came out great. Yours will come out great, too, if you attend Giorgia's class!
Erin_H, Jun 2024
This was such a fun family experience, our children really enjoy it as well and is one of their favorite activity. So much so we purchased the tools to make it again at home.
With this course you also get a little history into Levanto and our chef/teacher was very patient and gave great direction.
I highly recommend this experience.
Kea_A, Jul 2023
Great price for a great experience. The host was amazing and the pesto and wine super tasty. Would totally recommend it.
Lie_S, Jun 2023
After not being sure how many people would come we ended up having a private lesson and she taught us all about the different kinds of pesto, pasta and other local foods and drinks like limoncino. She prepared one portion of pesto herself and then each one of us was able to prepare one as well which we got to eat. The class ended with a local lemon cake and limoncino! Unforgettable experience!!!
Geraldine_F, Jun 2023
Wonderful experience in a delightful shop, in the streets of Levanto.
Lots of pesto to sample, including wine and at the end, lemon cake and limoncello!
Came away with a sound knowledge of how to make pesto!
Sinead_A, Nov 2022
Brilliant activity to do when in Liguria. The teacher was very friendly, and the wine , appetizers and pesto are all delicious :)
Jeanette_R, Sep 2022
This was SO fun! The host was lovely, generous with food and wine, and we had a great time making the pesto! Highly recommended!
Samantha_S, Oct 2020
Awesome class! Pesto was some of the best I’ve had. The couple that runs the grocery store is so knowledgeable and friendly.
Response from Host, Feb 2021
Hi Samantha! Thank you for your nice review, we are so glad that you liked the class! Hope to see you again soon!
Rosalba/Arbaspàa staff
Mark_M, Aug 2019
We had a lovely time learning to make pesto with Mornia. She demonstrated and then let us (family of 3) make some. We tasted delicious samples of everything. It was about one half hour. A perfect way to experience Levanto!
Chris_C, Jun 2019
We knew we wanted to do a pesto class whilst we were visiting the area but a lot of the classes were very expensive. We saw this one and though we'd give it a go. We were not disappointed and had such a wonderful time making and trying pesto. We first got to try pesto made by blender and compared to homemade, then we got to have a go at making the pesto too. There were lots of local ingredients to try and we had a lovely glass of local wine followed by lemoncino to finish. I would recommend this class to everyone, it was really enjoyable. Don't let the price fool you, it is a 5* experience and apart from having to travel to Levanto (which has a lovely beach) the experience would be exactly the same in the Cinque Terre towns.
Trek781685, Sep 2018
Class was very fun and entertaining, more of a demonstration than a hands on class. The instructor was wonderful and very nice! It was great that the class was right in the center of Levanto.
annasY3593LJ, Aug 2018
I have never been a great pesto fan, but learning how to make fresh pesto was a fun & I’ll make as soon as I get home for friends and family
Margaret_J, Jul 2018
My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed this class! It was intimate and hands on, plus it tasted great! Wonderful recipe. Purchased pesto and pasta before we left and enjoyed one of our best meals later that day! Highly recommend.
Liezlann_D, Jan 2018
My sister and I had a lovely time learning how to make pesto and eating! A fun experience in a part of the area i may not have visited. Loved it!!
Sharon B, Oct 2017
This was such a fun lesson and the owners are lovely people! Bring home some of their jarred pesto sauces, they are amazingly delicious!!!!
Jennifer B, Sep 2017
Fabulous experience. Very engaging host that made the experience quite enjoyable!
Heather W, Aug 2017
Loved this course! It was such a beautiful and delicious way to spend a Sunday morning. Levanto is beautiful and a little outside the crazy tourists parts of Cinque Terre- but easily accessible by the main train line.
Kimberly K, Jul 2017
We had so much fun on this tour. Not only did we learn how to make amazing pesto, but we sampled several different oils, enjoyed tasty wine and got to try a couple of different anchovy preparations. We also got to meet lots of different people. I would highly recommend this tour.
Leanne D, Jul 2017
We had such a wonderful time learning about the regions delicacies. Not only pesto, but olives, wine, pasta..educational and so much fun. The wine and chocolates were delicious, but the pesto was just out of this world. We very much enjoyed our class and would recommend to anyone visiting Levanto!
Deborah A, Jun 2017
My girlfriend and I loved doing this. We started our Cinque Terre adventure here and it was memorable. The pesto we made was fantastic. I am only sorry I didn't purchase some oh the pesto at the store.
Mallory W, Jun 2017
We loved this Pesto making class! The instructor was friendly, the ingredients were fresh and the pesto was honestly the most delicious pesto we have ever tasted. We bought a jar to take back to the U.S. Highly recommend.
Michael P, Apr 2017
One of the best experiences my wife and I had during our recent trip to Italy. Luigina our hostess provided an excellent course for making pesto. We made our pesto with another small group. We each sampled and compared the pesto we made - it was all great - while sampling appetizers and wine. It was all hands-on fun, with instructions to make the pesto included to take home. Optional purchases that are available at the store include: mortar and pestle, pesto ingredients, as well and foods, wines, and liquors. Luigina was friendly, enthusiastic, and engaging during the time we spent with her. We highly recommend the Pesto Course with Luigina!
Diane_K, Oct 2016
We had so much fun at this class, learned so much and enjoyed the stories as well as the food. If you have the time to do this class we totally recommend that you do, it was so worth it and we can't wait to try making it ourselves.
Trevor_Y, Jul 2016
This was so fun! I would highly recommend it. The shop where it takes place is awesome and our instructor was very nice. Her family has been involved in pesto making for a while now and her passion for it shows through! It includes snacks and wine with a couple of small surprises thrown in. Very relaxing and hands on activity, and the pesto you make is delicious! What a great way to delve into the culture of Liguria! This course really is as cool as it sounds!
Blanca_H, Jun 2016
Amazing experience! She was very friendly and knowledgeable about the origins of all the products and the pesto making process itself. The pride she had was contagious. The shop itself is full of souvenirs but they never even pitched us anything to purchase but we did. We had some transportation issues getting there so we were almost 45 minutes late but she accommodated us and just restarted the course for us we did call when we realized we were going to be late. Wine tasting was awesome as were the olives and anchovies. We bought our two teenagers and they enjoyed it just as much as we did. Will visit again!
Sara_U, May 2016
One of our favorite activities on this trip!! The staff was warm, friendly, helpful, and excited to share their expertise. The pesto was out of this world! We were able to watch a demonstration before making our own - both of which tasted amazing! The class is located inside a shop that has everything you could ever possibly want to send home, but there is no pressure to purchase anything. We did, however, ship things home and they arrived shortly after we did, impeccably packed and ready to be enjoyed!! Really glad we found this course. There's no better place to learn how to make pesto than in the birthplace of pesto itself!
benedicte_b, Nov 2023
Un moment très agréable permettant de découvrir des saveurs de ligure et d'apprendre à faire le vrai pesto!
From $52.76
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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