Catania: Sicilian Cooking Class & Lunch or Dinner Experience

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.87 (182 reviews) 93% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/17

Duration3h

GroupUp to 16

LanguagesEN · IT

Mobile ticketAccepted

Cook Sicilian classics in Catania then share a meal together

You’ll chop, stir, and laugh your way through classic Sicilian recipes in Catania with a local chef guiding every step. Taste what you’ve cooked over lunch or dinner with new friends and good Sicilian wine—the kind of meal that lingers long after you leave.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cooking class and Sicilian lunch

Arrive at cooking class in Catania
Learn to prepare Sicilian bruschetta
Cook Sicilian sweet and sour caponata
Make fresh pasta alla Norma rolls
Prepare traditional Sicilian cannoli
Enjoy the dishes with Sicilian wine

The Experience

“In Sicily, we don’t rush the eggplants,” Chef Lucia grinned, waving her wooden spoon like she was conducting an orchestra. That’s how our cooking class in Catania started—just a small group of us, aprons tied awkwardly, standing around a kitchen that smelled faintly of basil and something sweet I couldn’t quite place. The windows were open and I could hear scooters buzzing outside, but inside it was all about chopping, tasting, and Lucia’s stories about her nonna’s caponata. I tried to slice eggplant the way she showed me (not quite as thin), and she just laughed and said, “It’s okay, more flavor this way.”

I’d booked this Sicilian cooking class because I wanted to learn real recipes—not just watch someone else cook—and wow, did we get hands-on. We crushed tomatoes for pasta alla Norma until my hands were stained red. Someone spilled olive oil (me), but nobody minded; it actually made the kitchen floor smell amazing for a minute. When we rolled out the dough for cannoli shells, Lucia showed us how to pinch the edges just right—though mine looked more like little hats than tubes. She poured us each a glass of local wine while everything simmered. I liked that part best: everyone pausing for a moment, glasses clinking, steam curling up from the pots.

Lunch felt like sitting down with old friends—even though we’d only met two hours earlier. The caponata was tangy-sweet with raisins and pine nuts; the pasta was silky and rich with ricotta salata on top (I may have grated too much). And those cannoli—I still think about that first bite, crispy shell giving way to cold ricotta cream dusted with pistachio. Lucia told us stories between courses—about her family, about Catania’s markets—and there was so much laughter that I forgot to check my phone even once.

What’s included

Your experience includes use of professional kitchen equipment in a well-equipped space near central Catania, all fresh ingredients for classic Sicilian dishes like caponata and cannoli, plus lunch or dinner paired with a bottle of local wine—all guided by a welcoming chef who shares family stories along the way.

Good to know

Stroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Futuro e Lavoro