HANDS-ON FOOD EXPERIENCES IN SOUTHERN TUSCANY
Cook, eat and experience Tuscany through two hands-on classes personally arranged by Fabrizio, your Local Tuscany Host.
Make fresh pasta with Fabrizio and his friend Alessandro at Alessandro’s farmhouse near Pienza, or learn the art of authentic pizza with a professional pizzaiolo in the historic center of Montepulciano.
Hands-On | €150 Per Person | Pienza or Montepulciano | Meal Included
Choose handmade pasta or authentic pizza.
A Pienza farmhouse or Montepulciano pizzeria.
You prepare the food rather than simply watch.
Fabrizio personally arranges and stays involved in your experience.
WHICH EXPERIENCE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Both experiences are hands-on and relaxed, but the setting, food and atmosphere are quite different.
| Experience | Location | Approx. Duration | What You’ll Make | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh Pasta Class | Pienza | About 3 hours | Fresh pasta, homemade sauce & dessert | €150 per person |
| Pizza Making Class | Montepulciano | About 2.5 hours | Pizza dough, toppings & wood-fired pizza | €150 per person |
FRESH PASTA IN PIENZA
The pasta experience takes place at the Tuscan farmhouse of Fabrizio’s friend Alessandro near Pienza.
Fabrizio is part of the experience as your Local Tuscany Host, while Alessandro welcomes you into his home and kitchen for a relaxed countryside cooking experience.
The menu changes with the seasons and the ingredients available, so the exact dishes can vary throughout the year.
Rather than following a restaurant-style menu, the experience is centered on simple, homemade food and the traditions of cooking and eating together in Tuscany.
FROM DOUGH TO THE TABLE
Learn how to make fresh pasta dough by hand, including how the flour, texture and handling of the dough affect the finished pasta.
You’ll prepare a sauce using ingredients chosen around the season and the meal being served that day.
Complete the cooking experience by preparing a homemade dessert to enjoy after the meal.
The finished meal also includes a Tuscan appetizer before the pasta course. Once the cooking is finished, everyone sits down together to enjoy what you’ve made.
The exact appetizer, sauce and dessert can change according to the season.
PIENZA PASTA CLASS
Approximately 3 hours · Hosted at Alessandro’s Tuscan farmhouse near Pienza
A seasonal meal built around making and enjoying traditional Tuscan food together.
✓ Hands-on fresh pasta making
✓ Homemade seasonal sauce
✓ Traditional Tuscan appetizer
✓ Homemade dessert
✓ Seasonal meal using local ingredients
✓ Enjoy the meal you prepare
✓ Fabrizio and Alessandro hosting the experience
PIZZA MAKING IN MONTEPULCIANO
If pizza is more your style, Fabrizio can arrange a hands-on cooking class in the historic center of Montepulciano.
At Lieviti Pizzeria, a professional pizzaiolo leads you through preparing, stretching, topping and baking your own pizza, while Fabrizio is there as your host to help make the experience relaxed and enjoyable.
You’ll learn why dough texture, fermentation, hand stretching and oven temperature make such a difference — then enjoy the pizza you’ve made.
This is a particularly fun option for travelers looking for a hands-on cooking class in Montepulciano without committing to a full-day experience.
DOUGH, TOPPINGS & THE OVEN
Learn the fundamentals of mixing, handling and stretching the dough by hand.
Learn about classic ingredients and create your own pizza before it goes into the oven.
See how the intense heat of a traditional pizza oven affects the crust, toppings and final texture.
Once your pizza comes out of the oven, sit down and enjoy it as part of the experience.
MONTEPULCIANO PIZZA CLASS
Approximately 2.5 hours · Montepulciano
A lively, hands-on introduction to one of Italy’s most famous foods in a real local pizzeria.
✓ Hands-on pizza making
✓ Dough preparation and stretching
✓ Ingredient and topping instruction
✓ Wood-fired baking experience
✓ Your personal pizza
✓ Professional pizzaiolo leading the cooking experience
✓ Fabrizio as your Local Tuscany Host
THIS ISN’T A DEMONSTRATION
These experiences are designed for travelers who want to participate rather than sit back and watch someone else cook.
You’ll work with the ingredients, learn the techniques and then eat what you’ve helped prepare.
You don’t need previous cooking experience. The atmosphere is informal and the goal isn’t perfection — it’s learning something new, sharing good food and enjoying the experience together.
TWO CLASSES, TWO TUSCAN SETTINGS
BUILD FOOD INTO YOUR TUSCANY DAY
Depending on timing and availability, Fabrizio can also help incorporate food experiences into a broader private itinerary.
Build a private day around cooking, wineries, countryside, local food and the places that interest you most.
Create a Custom TourExplore the historic towns and countryside surrounding the two locations where these cooking experiences take place.
Explore Pienza & MontepulcianoMeet family-owned wine producers and experience more of southern Tuscany’s food and wine traditions.
Explore Private Wine ToursPLANNING YOUR COOKING EXPERIENCE
Have a question about your dates or which class is right for you? Ask Fabrizio directly.
The pasta class takes place at the Tuscan farmhouse of Fabrizio’s friend Alessandro near Pienza. Fabrizio joins you as your Local Tuscany Host, while Alessandro welcomes you into his farmhouse and kitchen for the cooking experience.
The pizza class takes place in Montepulciano at Lieviti Pizzeria, where a professional pizzaiolo leads the hands-on pizza-making experience and Fabrizio participates as your host.
Yes. Fabrizio personally arranges the experience and remains involved with you, while the cooking itself takes place with Alessandro at the Pienza farmhouse or with a professional pizzaiolo in Montepulciano.
Both the Pienza pasta-making class and the Montepulciano pizza-making class cost €150 per person.
You’ll make fresh pasta from scratch, prepare a homemade seasonal sauce and make dessert. The meal also includes a Tuscan appetizer. The exact menu can vary depending on the season and available ingredients.
The pasta-making experience lasts approximately three hours, including cooking and time to enjoy the meal together.
The Montepulciano pizza-making experience lasts approximately two and a half hours.
No. Both classes are suitable for beginners. The cooking host will take you through the techniques step by step.
Yes. These are participatory experiences where you’ll work directly with the ingredients and prepare the food rather than simply watching a cooking demonstration.
Both can work well for families. Pizza making can be particularly fun for guests who enjoy a lively, interactive activity, while the pasta class offers a slower farmhouse experience centered around preparing and sharing a complete meal.
Depending on timing and availability, yes. Fabrizio can help determine whether a cooking experience can fit naturally into a custom Tuscany itinerary.
Earlier is recommended, especially during Tuscany’s busiest travel months. Both experiences depend on host availability, so advance planning gives Fabrizio more options.
COME HUNGRY. LEAVE WITH SOMETHING YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME.
Choose pasta in a Pienza farmhouse or pizza in Montepulciano, then send Fabrizio your date and group size so he can confirm availability.
