3 h

Class

Instant confirmation

About this activity

Meet your local guide, also an expert cook, at La Spezia Centrale railway station in the morning. La Spezia is located east of Cinque Terre, only a few minutes away by railroad.

Take a leisurely walk through the narrow winding streets and reach a large, bustling marketplace. Enjoy the almost overwhelming sight: rows of crates stacked on top of one another, laden with fish, colorful produce and cheese, and people standing before the dozens of stalls trying to make the freshest selections.

Join their ranks with your guide leading the way. Be introduced to the fish sellers and learn how to pick out the right mussels and the most recently caught fish. At the produce stands, find the regional vegetables and perhaps bite into a succulent tomato. Pick up the seasonal ingredients required for your cooking class, which could include artichokes, mushrooms and asparagus.

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After the marketplace, walk to the town center and enter a quaint restaurant, a charming and simple establishment with an ‘Old World’ feel.

In the kitchen, don an apron and listen to your guide talk about the philosophy behind slow-food cooking, which is to create traditional food, using local ingredients, in a way that has the least impact on the environment.

Take a look at your recipe and ask any questions you may have before beginning. Cook alongside your guide, and chat with your fellow cooks in a real Italian kitchen.

When the food is ready, sit down to your freshly prepared 3-course lunch and marvel at what you have just made with only a few ingredients. Enjoy the company of your guide and fellow diners as the drinks and conversation flow.

After hours of cooking, eating and talking, your culinary experience draws to a close.

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Included

Expert cook/guide
Cooking class
Lunch
Wine
Water and Soft Drinks
Printed Recipes

Not included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Please note that you might deal with crustaceans, mollusc, shellfish and fish. Please advise any allergies or specific dietary requirements at time of booking.
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative date or full refund;

Features

Food

80%

Cultural

80%

Tourism

75%

Original

40%

Reviews

5.0

14

J

Jayne S

5 | 2019-07-25

My daughter and I had a blast shopping and cooking with Daria! I will be sure to use some of the cooking techniques that we learned that day. I consider myself a pretty good cook but I prepped and cooked things that I've never done before! We were supposed to get recipes for the dishes that we cooked but we got distracted at the end and didn't get them. Maybe she can send them to us?

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Nobia S

5 | 2017-10-06

We recently took a Best of the Western Mediterranean cruise with Celebrity Cruises. Our first stop was in La Spezia and there were many choices for excursions including Florence, Pisa and several different Cinque Terre options. We have been to Florence and none of the Pisa or Cinque Terre options really interested us in the time we had to spend in port, but we ran across this activity and given our love for Italian food and cooking, felt that we would give it a try. What a great experience! We could not have been more pleased. We were met at the train station by the chefs husband who took us and one other couple to the open air market to shop for ingredients for our meal. Afterward, we went to a charming local restaurant and were greeted by the chef and her team and immediately went to work preparing our lunch. There were four of us and we each felt that we had the full attention of the staff even though we were there right before their busy lunch time. We prepared stuffed mussels, seafood risotto and sea bass. The chef and staff were very welcoming and patient with our questions and gave many opportunities for photos while we were prepping and cooking. We all felt that we were given an authentic experience. After our food was prepared, we were seated in the restaurant and served our food with a wonderful local wine. We never felt rushed at all and afterward we were given a printout of the menu and each person also received a can of risotto to take home. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip and we would highly recommend this to anyone who desires an intimate, small group authentic Italian cooking experience in a charming, working restaurant.

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Shelley R

5 | 2017-10-05

Andre and Silvia hosted the cooking class. Andre took the market tour where we bought our supplies. We returned to their restaurant, and led by Silvia the chef we cooked three seafood courses from scratch in her commercial kitchen. It was fun, interesting and we learned a lot. The restaurant is very modern and stylish. We then were given a table and served the food we had each prepared. This was followed by the house desert plate which was sensational. Wine, water and coffee were also provided for the table. We took a day out from walking the trails of Cinque Terre and were so glad we did. It was by far the best cooking class I have done. The hosts were open and warm and made us feel very welcome. The food was delicious! Highly recommend to people who love seafood. This is not your usual pasta/pizza cooking class. Thank you so much Andre, Silvia and team. Shelley and Pete

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Chris B

5 | 2017-01-09

This tour was amazing!

D

Denise D

5 | 2016-10-30

The trip to the open market was both educational and fun. Alessandro is very kind and allow me to participate and selection of the ingredients and menu. Sonya, the chef and his wife, was just wonderful too! I learned some great techniques with seafood and risotto. Enjoyed every minute of my lesson, and eating the results I MADE! The other staff at the restaurant were so lovely and kind also. I thoroughly enjoyed this private lesson with them, and would recommend!

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David S

5 | 2016-06-05

This rewarding and engaging experience was a true delight. From our trip to the market with Andres to watch him select and purchase the ingredients for the dishes we would be making to our time in the kitchen with Silvia, learning recipes and techniques for three delicious dishes, to sitting down in the dining room and being served the meals we had prepared, as well as an additional treat Silvia prepared for us, along with all the wine we requested and a tasty desert surprise, this was an incredible experience that we will treasure for years to come.

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Kathleen F

5 | 2016-05-16

Loved it. Both Chef and staff were friendly, food was of course good. A very good experience for me, the only student!

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