Florence Cooking Class in a Gorgeous Countryside Home with Maria
Description
This is a unique opportunity to enjoy a private and immersive Tuscan cooking class in a beautiful Florence home with a lovely retired Italian couple. This is a perfect experience for anyone looking to connect with local culture over food. Your hands-on cooking class takes place in a local home kitchen where Maria teaches you 2-3 traditional Tuscan dishes. You'll learn traditional Italian cooking techniques that are easily replicated at home. After cooking, enjoy your meal together with this lovely Italian family. If you choose to add-on a market tour, Maria gives you a guided tour of San Lorenzo market, the historic food market of Florence, perfect for food lovers. This experience includes round-trip transfers (up to 6 guests) in Maria's car from downtown Florence to her beautifully designed countryside home. During your car ride, Maria regales you with stories of the city. Vegetarians and guests with dietary requests are welcome!
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- 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.
Reviews(157)
This was by far my family's favorite part of our trip to Italy! Every part of the day was great! Meeting Maria at the farmers market and touring it with her, the drive to the countryside and cooking with her was truly an unforgettable day. Our youngest son did the cooking with Maria and she was so gracious and kind. Plus, she spoke of her architecture experience with our eldest. Something for everyone! Her house is beautiful and she was the ultimate hostess! We were blown away by the entire day and our friends planning on visiting Italy next year are already planning to book this with her! She literally is one of the most interesting and kind person we've ever met! Thank you Maria for the unforgettable memories!!!
What a lovely authentic experience! My husband and I enjoyed this morning and afternoon excursion (approximately 6 hours) vey much. The day started with a tour of the oldest market in Florence where Maria purchased fresh food for our custom menu. We enjoyed a cappuccino and pastry while she told us about the market. The day then continued with a scenic drive back to Maria's beautiful Tuscan home. The cooking class was fun and informative. The food was delicious. Maria shared the recipes and links for the ingredients so that we could replicate the meal at home. Maria was such a gracious hostess; we felt as though we were visiting an old friend. What a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of travel and touring. I would highly recommend this experience!
Unbelievable experience. Maria was the best. Beautiful house, great food, and she was so generous with our entire family.
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
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)! 😉
Maria’s home is beautiful! We had so much fun. She was so kind d and felt like family by the end of the evening. I have never made homemade pasta before. It was so much fun. The tiramisu was the best I’ve ever tasted! This experience was definitely a highlight of our Florence trip!
Our cooking class in the hills of Florence was a highlight of our trip. Maria Christina was incredibly welcoming, kind, and patient, making the experience feel relaxed and enjoyable. She taught us how to make fresh gluten-free pasta, homemade sauce, beef filet, and tiramisu, guiding us every step of the way. Everything was delicious, but what made it truly special was her warmth and passion for teaching. An authentic and unforgettable experience—I highly recommend it!
My husband and I traveled to Italy to celebrate my 40th birthday, and the day we spent cooking with Maria was actually on my birthday. Honestly, I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way to celebrate it. From the moment I met Maria, I instantly knew it was going to be a wonderful evening. She picked us up and drove us through the beautiful hills of Tuscany to her gorgeous countryside home, which felt like something out of a dream. During the class, we learned how to make fresh pasta, a delicious sauce, tiramisu, bruschetta, fried zucchini flowers (my favorite — and she even stopped on the way to her home to pick some up for me!), and more. Everything was absolutely delicious, but what made the experience truly special was Maria herself. She was kind, patient, knowledgeable, and so welcoming. She made us feel completely comfortable from the start and kept such great conversation throughout the evening. She even bought a bottle of sparkling wine to help celebrate my birthday, which was such a thoughtful touch. This was honestly one of the highlights of our trip and such a memorable experience. Thank you, Maria, for hosting us and sharing your home, your cooking, and your kindness with us. I truly hope that someday I’ll return to Italy and have the pleasure of cooking with you again! Gina
What a beautiful way to celebrate such a special milestone—thank you so much for sharing this with us! We’re absolutely delighted that your birthday experience with Maria was everything you hoped for (and more). From the scenic drive through the Tuscan hills to cooking such a delicious spread together, it sounds like a truly magical day. Maria will be so touched to hear how much her warmth, thoughtfulness, and little birthday surprises meant to you—it’s exactly the kind of experience she loves to create. We’re so glad this was a highlight of your trip to Italy, and we truly hope your travels bring you back for another unforgettable experience in the future. Warmest wishes (and happy 40th again! 🎉),
Marie was amazing. She welcomed us into her beautiful country home with open arms. The cooking class was so informative and the food delicious.
This was an absolute amazing experience. Maria was the nicest and best teacher and her home is beautiful. We made so much delicious food and seemed so easy. She provided tips, tricks and tools that we used and we got to enjoy eating it all with Maria out on her patio. It was such a great day. We started at the Market and that was the biggest market with all kinds of food, oils, grains, cheese etc. everything you could think of! The whole day was a highlight of our Florence trip for sure.
