Italians are very proud of their cuisine and their relationship with food, which is an essential part of local lifestyles. Do you love good food and enjoy cooking? A vacation with cookery classes in Italy provides you with a fantastic and inspiring way to taste new and familiar flavors, discover traditional recipes and improve your chef skills, whether you are an amateur or a professional.How can you make the most out of your cooking vacation in Italy? We have some ideas for a full immersion in Italian lifestyle, alternating hands-on cooking courses with other food experiences in some of Italy’s most beautiful art cities.
Florence: from the market to the dish
One of our partner cooking academies in Florence offers a unique experience involving a guided visit to the Market of San Lorenzo. Here, participants personally select the fresh and healthy ingredients needed for their cooking lesson. Following the market visit in the morning, participants proceed to the school where they learn how to prepare typical Italian dishes using those ingredients under the guidance of a chef.The visit to the Mercato di San Lorenzo is a must in Florence. This historic place includes an indoor market, known at the Mercato Centrale (home to all things food) and the outdoor section in the surroundings streets (selling leather, clothing and souvenirs). Mercato Centrale is a two-level food market in a beautiful building designed by Giuseppe Mengoni and built in the 1870s when Florence was still Italy’s capital.
Photo Credit: Mercato Centrale
Siena: seasonal flavors & medieval cuisine
Our partner cookery school in Siena specializes in hands-on courses that have a thematic flair that includes seasonal recipes and traditional Italian and Tuscan cooking. For example, you can learn how to cook vegetable and meat dishes in spring; fish dishes in summer; truffles, cabbage and mushroom dishes in fall; and poultry dishes and sweet cakes in winter. Here you can also learn notions of medieval cuisine with some ancient recipes dating back to the Middle Ages!
Bologna: “green” cooking classes & foodie festivals
Bologna is renowned for its culinary tradition, which relies heavily on meats. Just think of local specialties such as the well-known Bolognese sauce, and cured pork meats such as prosciutto and mortadella. Of course, you can sign up for a cookery course that will make you an expert in traditional meat dishes. But if you do not eat meat or are interested in other types of cuisine, in our cooking academy in Bologna you can also join Vegetarian, Dietetic and Gluten-free cooking courses.This city is also known as La Dotta, La Grassa e La Rossa (the Learned, the Fat and the Red), respectively because it is home to the oldest university in the Western world; because of its culinary treasures, and due to the terracotta color of its brick buildings and of its communist past. Truthful to its nicknames, Bologna offers several interesting cultural and artistic events, as well food festivals that will complement your culinary vacation. Examples are the MortadellaBò Festival and CioccoShow.
Cookery Classes for all tastes
The team at Studiainitalia has personally selected the cooking schools for your culinary travels in Italy. The lessons are held in full-professionally equipped kitchens and the teachers are professional chefs. Apart from the examples mentioned above, you will also find specific courses about: homemade pasta, pizza, pastry, gelato, as well as cooking classes for families. Curious to know more? Have a look at our Cooking Courses in Italy or Contact Studiainitalia for more info.