Cinque Terre Pesto Class & Boat Tour: Make & Taste

You make the pesto, then eat what you made while the coast unfolds from the water.

A hands-on pesto-making class in Manarola followed by lunch with Cinque Terre wine tasting and a small-group boat tour to Vernazzo, led by a licensed English-speaking guide. The experience runs about four hours and includes a short walk through the village before the cooking begins. In rough seas, the boat portion is replaced by train travel between villages.

Step-by-step itinerary

Pesto class, lunch, and boat tour

• Walk to pesto class location
• Make traditional pesto
• Taste pesto with local foods and wine
• Walk down to harbour
• Take small boat trip along coastline
• Pass Corniglia and arrive at Vernazza

The experience

You arrive in Manarola and walk a short way uphill to the pesto location, stopping to photograph the village and the coastline. A licensed guide leads the hands-on class in the traditional method (mortar, pestle, basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and oil), so you learn the technique as you work. Once finished, you sit down to taste what you made, served on local breads with olives, salami, cheeses and a glass of Cinque Terre white wine.

After lunch, you walk down to the harbour for a small-group boat trip along the coast. The boat passes Corneglia and heads to Vernazzo, another village on the Italian Riviera, so you see the five villages and the dramatic cliffs from the water instead of only from land. If the sea is rough, the boat portion switches to train travel, which still connects the villages but keeps everyone safe.

The group stays small, and a guide in English is with you the whole time. Vegetarian options are available if you let the operator know when you book. Children must be with an adult, and the walk and boat are suitable for most fitness levels, though the class is not recommended for anyone with spinal injuries.

What’s included

• Hands-on pesto-making instruction.
• lunch with pesto, local bread, olives, salami and cheese.
• Cinque Terre white wine tasting.
• small-group boat tour from Manarola to Vernazzo (or train if seas are rough).
• English-speaking licensed guide for the full four hours.
• vegetarian meal option upon request.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except TuesdayDeparts at 12:30

AgesAdult (17 and older) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (under 1)

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for back problems

Operated by Cinque Terre Tours snc

Is this one for you?Book this if you have a free afternoon in Cinque Terre and want to do something instead of just walk the villages. The pesto class gives you a skill and a meal, and the boat adds the view from the water that land-based trails don't offer. The small group and the guide's English mean you're not navigating alone or guessing what you're making.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 1).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What exactly do I learn to make in the pesto class?

The traditional Ligurian pesto using a mortar and pestle with basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. You make it yourself under the guide's instruction, then taste it right away on bread, with olives, salami and local cheese.

Does the boat trip go to all five villages?

The boat passes Corneglia and stops at Vernazzo. From the water you see the dramatic coastline and cliffs that connect the villages, though the itinerary focuses on those two rather than all five.

What happens if the weather is bad?

If the sea is rough, the boat portion is replaced by train travel between the villages, so you still move between them and see the landscape, just from a different vantage point.

Is the pesto class suitable for someone who has never cooked before?

Yes. The guide leads a hands-on experience in the ancient technique, so you learn as you go. No prior cooking skill is needed.

What's included in the wine tasting?

Cinque Terre white wine served with lunch after the pesto class. The tasting is part of the meal, not a separate event.

Do I need to arrange my own way to Manarola, or is transport included?

You arrange your own arrival in Manarola. Two purchase options are available at checkout: one includes a Day Rail Pass and 5 Terre Card for getting around the villages, and the other is the class alone. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included.