Learn to Cook Fresh Pasta and Traditional Tuscan Dishes with a Local Florentine in Her Home - Day Trip from $138

Patrizia is a cookbook author and wine and food journalist who is an expert on traditional Italian food products. She writes for three national magazines and has traveled all around Italy and Europe to discover the highest quality food products. Patrizia’s mother was from Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s most important region for traditional home made pasta, and she learned to hand-make pastas such as tagliatelle as a young child. Married with an 18-year old daughter, Patrizia’s passion for food and cooking led her to start teaching cooking lessons in her home. She says, “I love to teach cooking classes and I love to meet new people. I'm curious about different ways of living and different cultures.” Join Patrizia at her family’s apartment located in the center of Florence in a traditional building of the area built in 1759. In your hands-on lesson, Patrizia will teach you traditional Italian dishes from Florence and Italy’s Emilia Romagna Region. You will prepare an appetizer, a first course, typically a fresh pasta like tagliatelle, ravioli, or gnocchi, a second meat-based course, and a dessert. Patrizia specializes in seasonal dishes that bring out the flavors of the region – in the summer you might enjoy sauces with fresh tomatoes, or in winter months you might enjoy seasonal winter vegetables like artichokes. Your cooking lesson will last about 2 ½ hours; after you finish cooking, sit down together to enjoy your meal and some delicious Italian wine in a local home. Patrizia’s husband, who is French, and their daughter will join you for your meal, when they are available. Patrizia also offers and optional market tour add-on, during which you can meet Patrizia for a walking tour of the Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio. Walk together through this lively market in the historical center of Florence, where Patrizia point out some of her favorite vendors and food products and you will select fresh products that you will bring home together to use during your cooking lesson. Your market tour will last about one hour, after which you will walk about 15 minutes back to Patrizia’s home to begin your cooking lesson and meal. Please note the market is closed on Sundays, and market tours are not offered on this day. Please also note that if you select a market tour there will be a small amount of walking, about 15 minutes, back to Patrizia’s home, so you should wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for some light exercise. Patrizia lives on the second floor of an apartment building so you will need to climb some stairs to enter her home. The price includes alcohol (up to two glasses of local wine).