Florence: Tuscan Farmhouse Cooking Class & Market Tour

Summary

Florence food market walk then hands-on pasta class in the Tuscan hills

You’ll wander Florence’s bustling food market with a local guide before heading into the Tuscan countryside for hands-on cooking at a rustic farmhouse. Prepare classic dishes—from fresh tagliatelle to tiramisu—and share a long lunch on the terrace with Chianti wine. Expect laughter, real flavors, and moments you’ll want to bring home.

What’s the experience like?

You know that moment you step into Florence’s Mercato Centrale and it just smells like everything good about Italy? That’s how we started—shoulder to shoulder with locals, our guide Paola weaving us through stalls stacked with tomatoes so ripe they almost burst if you look at them wrong. She chatted with the butcher (who winked at me when I tried to pronounce “prosciutto” properly), and I swear I’ve never seen anyone pick basil leaves so seriously. It was loud, kind of chaotic, but in a way that made me feel like I’d landed right in someone else’s daily life.

After we’d filled our bags—Paola insisted on these tiny onions I’d never cooked with—we hopped into a minibus for the short drive out of Florence. The city just faded behind us and suddenly it was all olive trees and those pale green hills you see on postcards. The farmhouse smelled like wood smoke and something sweet baking, even before we started cooking. We rolled up our sleeves (literally—my shirt still has flour on it) and got to work: slicing bread for bruschetta, kneading pasta dough until my arms ached, laughing when my tagliatelle came out wider than everyone else’s. Paola showed us how to make roast pork with potatoes that sizzled in the oven, and she let me taste the sauce straight from the pan—so simple but somehow perfect.

Lunch happened out on the terrace under this faded awning, sun drifting in and out of clouds. Four courses: bruschetta so garlicky I worried about my breath, silky tagliatelle with beef tomato sauce, pork that fell apart at a nudge, tiramisu that tasted like cold coffee clouds. We passed around bottles of Chianti (maybe more than four glasses if I’m honest), and for a while nobody said much—just forks scraping plates and birds somewhere off in the olive trees. It felt like being part of a family I’d just met that morning. I still think about that view sometimes.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Cooking class and market visit in Tuscany

• Visit Florence central food market
• Travel to Tuscan farmhouse
• Prepare bruschetta appetizer
• Make fresh tagliatelle with meat sauce
• Cook Tuscan roast pork with potatoes
• Prepare tiramisu dessert
• Enjoy 4-course meal with Chianti wine

Top questions

How long does the cooking class last?

The full day tour includes both the market visit and cooking class, lasting several hours including lunch.

Is transportation from Florence included?

Yes, transport by air-conditioned minibus from Florence to the farmhouse is included.

What dishes will we cook during the class?

You’ll make bruschetta, handmade tagliatelle with meat sauce, Tuscan roast pork with potatoes, and tiramisu.

Are vegetarian or gluten-free options available?

No, alternative dietary requirements such as vegetarian or gluten-free cannot be catered for on this tour.

Will we visit a local market?

Yes, you’ll visit Florence’s historic central food market unless it’s Sunday or a public holiday; then you’ll pick ingredients from the estate garden instead.

Is wine included during lunch?

Yes, up to four glasses of Chianti wine are included throughout your meal.

Do I need previous cooking experience?

No experience is needed—the class suits beginners as well as those who already cook.

Will I get recipes after the tour?

Yes, recipes will be sent by email after your day at the farmhouse.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup by minibus from Florence to the farmhouse and back again, all ingredients from either the city market or estate garden (depending on day), hands-on cooking instruction led by a local guide, your own four-course lunch paired with Chianti wine (up to four glasses), plus recipes sent by email after you return home—and even a little diploma if you want proof for friends back home.