Bari Cooking Class: Traditional Focaccia & Orecchiette

Two dishes, two techniques, one afternoon of real Apulian cooking.

A cooking class in Bari where you make focaccia and orecchiette by hand with a local guide, then taste both dishes with wine. The class runs about two hours in a small, intimate setting and includes all equipment and a glass of local wine. A live guide teaches in English or Italian depending on the group.

The Experience

What makes Bari focaccia different from the Genoese version isn't just pride—it's the technique. You'll learn to build the dough, work in the cherry tomatoes and oregano, and coax out that golden, crisp crust that locals line up for on the street. The guide walks you through every step, showing you the gestures that matter. Then comes orecchiette, the small shells the New York Times called a heritage worth protecting. You'll shape them by hand the way Bari grandmothers have for generations, using the ancient technique that makes each one catch sauce instead of sliding past it.

After the lesson, you sit down together to eat. The focaccia comes warm from the oven. The orecchiette is dressed simply so you taste what your hands made. A glass of local wine arrives, and the guide shares the stories that go with the food—the kind of conversation that happens when someone who grew up eating this is teaching someone who just learned to make it. The whole thing takes about two hours, and you leave with the muscle memory of how to do this at home.

What’s included

• All cooking equipment and instruction.
• tasting of freshly baked Bari focaccia.
• tasting of handmade orecchiette.
• glass of local wine.

Good to know

Stroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Velo Service

Is this one for you?Book this for a morning or afternoon when you want to spend time actually making something, not watching someone else make it. The class is small and intimate, so you're learning from a guide who grew up eating this food, and you leave knowing how to do it yourself.

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Top questions

What exactly do I make in this Bari cooking class?

You make two dishes: focaccia from Bari, the soft and crisp street food topped with cherry tomatoes and oregano, and orecchiette, the handmade pasta shells shaped by hand using the traditional Bari technique. Both are prepared from scratch under the guide's instruction.

Do I get to eat what I cook?

Yes. After the lesson, you sit at the table together and taste both the focaccia and orecchiette you've made, served with a glass of local wine and stories about Apulian food and life.

How long is the cooking class?

The class runs about two hours, from the first lesson through the meal and wine at the end.

What's included in the price?

All cooking equipment, the tastings of focaccia and orecchiette you make, and a glass of local wine are included. Transport to the location is not included.

What language is the class taught in?

A live guide teaches in English or Italian, depending on who is in the group that day.

Can I bring small children?

Yes. Infants can sit on an adult's lap or ride in a pram or stroller, and specialized infant seats are available if needed.