Lecce cooking class: Market tour and 3 recipes with a local chef

Cook three regional dishes and eat them the same afternoon in a local's kitchen.

A private cooking class in Lecce where you visit the local market with a Cesarina (a home cook from Italy's network of 1000+), then return to her kitchen to make three authentic regional recipes (a seasonal starter, fresh pasta, and a dessert) before tasting everything you've prepared with local wines. The class runs 4.5 hours and includes all ingredients, equipment and beverages. You choose between a morning experience with market tour or an afternoon class without the market stop.

The experience

You start by walking through Lecce's vibrant market and traditional food shops with your Cesarina, who points out the ingredients and producers she uses at home. This is not a sightseeing tour. You're there to understand where the food comes from and what makes the local products worth buying. Then you head to her kitchen, where each person gets a full workstation with utensils and everything you need to cook.

Over the next few hours you make three dishes: a seasonal starter (Italian-style aperitivo, the way it's served in a typical home), fresh pasta (orecchiette, ravioli or tagliatelle, filled or flavored depending on what's in season) dressed with a simple sauce, and a dessert like tiramisù or zeppole on traditional biscuits. The Cesarina teaches you the techniques as you work, revealing the tricks that make these dishes taste the way they do in Lecce. You're not watching a demonstration. You're doing the cooking, and she's there to guide you through it.

When everything is ready, you sit down and taste what you've made, accompanied by a selection of red and white local wines. Water and coffee are included throughout. If you pick the morning experience, the market tour comes first. If you choose the afternoon class, you skip the market and go straight to cooking. Public transportation options are available nearby if you need them to reach the Cesarina's home.

What’s included

• Private guided market tour with a local Cesarina (morning option).
• private cooking class with three authentic regional recipes.
• all ingredients and cooking equipment.
• three-course meal you prepare and eat together.
• local red and white wines.
• water and coffee.
• local taxes.

Options for this experience

2 options

Afternoon class, without the market visitGuide in English or Italian · 17:00Small group, 3-hour class where you prepare two fresh pasta recipes from scratch and a classic tiramisù alongside your Cesarina

Morning experienceGuide in English or Italian · 10:00Morning experience

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 17:00

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (9 and older) · Child (4 to 8 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Public transport nearby

Operated by Cesarine: Cooking Class

Is this one for you?Choose the morning experience if you want to see where Lecce's ingredients come from before you cook with them. Pick the afternoon class if you have a free few hours and want to go straight to the kitchen.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 8 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What's the difference between the morning and afternoon options?

The morning experience includes a private guided tour of the local market and traditional food shops before you cook. The afternoon class starts directly in the kitchen without the market visit. Both cover the same three recipes and last 4.5 hours total.

Do I need cooking experience to join this class?

No. The Cesarina teaches you the techniques as you work, and each person has their own workstation. The class is built around learning, not assuming you already know how to make these dishes.

What exactly do I cook and eat?

You make a seasonal starter (an Italian-style aperitivo), fresh pasta (orecchiette, ravioli or tagliatelle, filled or flavored by season) dressed with a simple sauce, and a dessert like tiramisù or zeppole on traditional biscuits. You taste everything you've prepared with local red and white wines.

What's included in the price?

The private guided market tour (morning option only), all ingredients and equipment, the private cooking class, the three-course meal you cook and eat, local wines, water and coffee, and local taxes.

Who is the Cesarina, and what makes this different from a cooking school?

A Cesarina is a home cook from Le Cesarine, Italy's network of 1000+ passionate home cooks in over 500 cities. You cook and eat in her home kitchen, not in a commercial school, and she teaches you the way she actually cooks for her own family.