Florence Cooking Classes: Fresh Pasta, Pizza and the Farm

As of October 2026, the six classes on this page were all taking bookings, with dates on 7 or 8 October when we checked. Two teach fresh pasta in the centre of Florence, one teaches pizza, two take you out to farms in the Tuscan countryside, and one is a perfume workshop for anyone who would rather make something to take home than something to eat.

The 2026 rule on cooking schools

Florence regulates what may open in its historic centre, the area it protects as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In April 2026 the city council extended that regulation to 2031, and the amendments in force since 30 April 2026 add a rule for cooking schools: for five years, no new cooking school may open in the historic centre, or move into it, unless it runs inside an existing licensed restaurant or bar. The same regulation confirms the ban on new restaurants and bars in the centre.

The rule stops new openings and moves. Its text does not order the schools already there to close, so “cooking classes are banned in Florence” is wrong. Every class on this page was bookable when we checked, among them one in a restaurant, one in a tower kitchen near the Duomo and two at farms outside the city.

The class on this page

Florence with Elvis’s pasta class costs from $20 as of October 2026, and it is rated 4.8 from 16,376 reviews, the most of any class here. The operator describes its kitchen as a medieval tower from the 1200s, a stone’s throw from Brunelleschi’s dome, and says the tower belonged to the family of Dante’s wife. The listing gives no street address and no duration, so check the meeting point and the length with the operator when you book.

A chef takes you from flour to dough to three fresh pastas, such as ravioli, tortelli and pappardelle, with sauces to match: butter and sage, arrabbiata and an old-fashioned Tuscan ragù. You bring nothing; ingredients and equipment are provided. At the end everyone sits down to eat what they made, with Tuscan wine, which the title sells as unlimited, and unlimited soft drinks. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.

If you want to make fresh pasta by hand in the centre of Florence, for $20, this is the class to book.

See dates for the pasta class →

Pasta, pizza or a farm

Cooking Italy’s pasta and tiramisu class (from $20, 4.9 from 8,722 reviews) runs inside a restaurant in the heart of Florence: fresh pasta from scratch and a tiramisu, then the meal with wine, and limoncello or coffee to finish. Its meeting point varies with the option and time slot, so check yours after booking. It does not teach dairy-free, gluten-free or vegan versions, though it can supply such food if told in advance, and it is not suitable for people with lactose intolerance.

Towns of Italy’s pizza class (from $53, 4.9 from 1,398) is the one for families. You mix, knead and stretch your own dough, make a tomato sauce and top your pizza, and watch a gelato demonstration while the dough rests. Then you eat, with unlimited wine for adults and soft drinks for children, and as much gelato as you like. A family option takes up to 50% off for kids and teens, and every under-18 must come with an adult. You take home a digital recipe booklet and a certificate. The listing does not name the venue; hotel pickup and tips are not included, and the class is not suitable for people with gluten intolerance.

Two classes leave the city. Walkabout Tours’ farm class (from $90, 4.9 from 1,691) includes the transport from Florence to a farm estate and back, though the listing does not name the meeting point. There you choose pizza, topped with vegetables grown on the estate and baked in a wood-fired oven, or two fresh pastas with sauces such as ragù alla salsiccia and butter and sage; you also make a gelato, finished with a liquid-nitrogen demonstration. Wine and beer come with the meal, and you take the recipes home. The ground is uneven and steep, so it is not for anyone with walking difficulties. Beyond a vegetarian option it cannot cater for gluten-free or other diets, and it is not suitable for people with food allergies.

Pastamania’s farm day (from $111, 4.9 from 768) is at its farm in Fucecchio, about 45 minutes from the centre of Florence by its estimate. After welcome refreshments you spend about an hour on foot in the vineyards and botanical garden, visit the cellar for a tasting of 5 organic wines of its own production, with Vin Santo and its olive oil, and then make fresh pasta together and eat it at a long table: lunch in the morning session, dinner in the afternoon one. The round-trip minivan from Piazza del Tiratoio costs €20 a person on top, paid by card to the driver; it is optional. Groups are capped at 20, and the day is not suitable for children under 12, vegans, diabetics or people with gluten intolerance.

For a workshop with no food at all, Ciaoflorence Tours & Travel’s perfume masterclass (from $79, 4.8 from 694) runs at the Antica Spezieria Erboristeria San Simone in the heart of Florence. A master perfumer takes you through a kit of essences to a fragrance of your own, which you take home in a 30 ml bottle with its formula and a certificate. A coffee break is included. It is not suitable for wheelchair users, and luggage and large bags are not allowed.

Who each class suits

The two $20 pasta classes suit a first class in the centre at the lowest price; pick Cooking Italy’s if you want a dessert as well. Families have the pizza class, with its family option and soft drinks for children. If you want the countryside without arranging transport, Walkabout Tours includes it; if wine is the point, Pastamania’s day is built around a tasting of its own wines, for adults, and costs more once the minivan is added. Vegans and people who cannot eat gluten will find no class here that says it caters for them, so ask the operator before booking.

cooking-class-florence.com goes through the pasta, tiramisu, pizza and farm classes one by one, with what to expect on the day and how each handles dietary restrictions.

How long to allow

The listings for the two pasta classes in the centre and for the pizza class give no duration, so ask the operator before you plan the rest of the day. The farm days take most of it: by the operator’s estimate, Pastamania’s morning session is back at the meeting point at about 4:30 to 5:00 pm and its afternoon session at about 9:30 to 10:00 pm. Walkabout Tours gives no times in its listing.

To eat your way round instead of cooking, the food tours page compares five tasting walks.