Cinque Terre Pesto Making Class, Boat Tour and Lunch

I was doing research on Cinque Terra and learned this region is known for its white wine, anchovies, and pesto. I hopped on Viator and was able to find this special experience. We were a group of 3 families totaling around 13 people. It was no problem having us all in the same group. It also worked out perfect because we were all staying in La Spezia. The guide met us at the train station, led us to our train and handed us our train pass, a map, and a time table. It was a bit of a walk to the restaurant where the class took place. Along the way were plenty of scenic opportunities to take pictures. The walk was completely up hill, which was fine for me but a little harder for others. We arrived at the restaurant. In total there were 45 people there. The owner of the restaurant led us through the class and did a great job explaining the ingredients, why they matter, what makes them different, and how to best use them to get the flavor. You pair off to make the pesto, which was a LOT of fun. After the pesto is done, they give you some CInque Terra white wine (super good and wish I bought a bottle). Then they give you a GENEROUS portion of meats, breads, and cheese to eat. Very few of us finished the whole plate. Once lunch is done you walk back down to get on the boat(s). It's not 1 boat. It's multiple different boats. I went on the "young" boat, which was a speed boat. I loved it but it was NOT for the "grown ups" in the group lol. Overall, one of the best tours I booked for this trip, very special and different!

This was one of the highlights of our trip. The pesto was amazing and the lunch spread with wine was very generous. If you can't do the boat trip, just do the pesto class because that was the main highlight!

This was truly amazing!!!! We spent 2 weeks in Italy and had booked 5 tours and this was by far the best!! Highly recommend!

This excursion was outstanding! The excursion includes train tickets, a boat ride and a pesto cooking class with the owner/chef of a seaside restaurant with magnificent views. We had a little hiccup in at the start due to the schedule of the owner/chef which reversed the order of the day's activities. Our tour coordinator and guide, Gary, was very friendly, helpful and considerate. He explained the change in itinerary and gave us directions with a new meeting place after we explored the Cinque Terre's quaint towns. The train rides between towns were just a few minutes each. Corneglia was especially charming with one of a kind shops, cafes and expansive seaside views. The boat ride to the restaurant allowed you wonderful views of the coastline and towns perched on the cliffside locations with a different perspective of the Cinque Terre. Simone, the owner/chef, was an excellent teacher and historian of pesto's origins. The resulting pesto and lunch was delicious. I strongly recommend this unique excursion to anyone visiting the region.

This tour was the highlight of our trip, would absolutely recommend! We were a group of 6 ranging from 23-85 years old and we all loved it. Gary was a great host and it was so much fun! We got some history, amazing sights, learned the intricacies of making pesto, ate fabulous food, drank lots of Cinque Terre wine, went on a lovely boat ride with breathtaking views and then we were able to explore all the towns. The tour was over at 1ish but we enjoyed Cinque Terre until 9:30, including a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. If you want to stay for dinner you should make a reservation, we weren't able to eat at a sea side restaurant but had a lovely meal in town. Gary was taking photos and he sent them to us along with the recipe, an added nice touch. Really can't say enough good things about this tour.