Hands-On Cooking Class, 4 Hours

Spend 4 hours cooking regional dishes from scratch in a Padua kitchen. Your instructor demonstrates each technique, then hands the tools to you.

Overview

This four-hour experience begins at Piazza delle Erbe in Padua's historic centre, where host Catia Gambelli takes her guests through one of Europe's oldest markets. Stalls are piled with fruit, vegetables and spices, and Catia shares the history of the market as the group walks through.

From the market the group heads to Catia's home to cook. The centrepiece is pasta made from scratch, specifically bigoli, pressed using a bigolaro, a device dating to the 1600s. Before the cooking starts there are cicchetti, the Venetian appetizer, and the class finishes with tiramisu, a dessert that originated in this region. Alcoholic beverages are included, with a minimum drinking age of 18.

This is a private activity, so only your group takes part. Travellers describe it as less a lesson than a meal in an Italian home, with several warning that the amount of food is generous and arriving hungry is wise. It suits anyone who wants both a walk through Padua's food history and hands-on time in a kitchen, including families with children; one reviewer cooked alongside her teenage daughter.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at Piazza delle ErbeThe experience starts at 10:00 in Piazza delle Erbe, in Padua's centro storico.
2. Guided market visitWalk through the historic market, one of the oldest in Europe, with its fruit, vegetable and spice stalls, while hearing its history.
3. Travel to the host's homeThe group moves on to Catia's home, where the cooking takes place.
4. Cicchetti welcomeCooking begins with Venetian cicchetti served as an appetizer.
5. Make bigoli pastaPrepare pasta from scratch, using the bigolaro press invented in the 1600s to shape traditional bigoli.
6. Make tiramisuFinish with tiramisu, a dessert invented in the Veneto region.
7. Return to meeting pointThe activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points will help you get the most out of this class.

• Come hungry. Several travellers warned that there is far more food than expected, with one describing what began as a simple class turning into a multi-course meal. Arrive with an empty stomach, as more than one reviewer advised.
• Private format. The listing states this is a private activity, so only your group participates. Reviewers describe feeling welcomed into the host's home, with one solo traveller noting how included she was made to feel.
• Seasonal menu. The market visit shapes the cooking. One reviewer described how fresh fennel spotted at a stall became an extra dish, so what you cook can depend on what looks good that day.
• Alcohol included. Alcoholic beverages are included, with a minimum drinking age of 18. Wine is served during the class, including while pasta dough rests, according to one reviewer.
• Accessibility. The listing states the experience is wheelchair and pushchair accessible, with surfaces and transport described the same way. Service animals are allowed and the meeting point is near public transportation.
• Children. Infants must sit on laps, per the listing. One reviewer praised how welcome her teenage daughter was made to feel, so families with older children have had good experiences.

Common issues. The class lasts four hours and includes both a market walk and substantial cooking, so it demands a reasonable chunk of the day. The listing rules out participation for anyone with heart problems or other serious medical conditions. Food is abundant, which one reviewer framed bluntly as advice not to eat beforehand or afterwards. Infants must sit on laps, and the minimum age for the included alcoholic drinks is 18.

Common Questions