Lecce: Hands-On Orecchiette Cooking Class & Wine Tasting

Summary

Make orecchiette from scratch in lecce with local wine & laughter

You’ll step into a Lecce kitchen where you’ll knead fresh orecchiette dough by hand, laugh with a local chef over coffee and limoncello, craft two classic sauces together, then linger over a homemade dinner with Salento wines. Expect floury hands, new friends, and recipes (plus your own pasta tool) to bring a bit of Puglia home with you.

What’s the experience like?

We ducked out of the afternoon sun and into Anna’s kitchen, where the air was cooler and smelled faintly of flour and something sweet — maybe almond milk? She handed us tiny glasses of limoncello, then set out a plate of olives and cheese that looked too pretty to touch. I’m not sure if it was nerves or excitement, but my hands felt clumsy as she showed us how to swirl the Leccese coffee over ice. Anna laughed when I tried to say “pasticciotto” (I definitely butchered it), but she just grinned and poured another round.

Making orecchiette isn’t as easy as it looks on YouTube. The dough is soft but stubborn, and the little pasta ears kept sticking to my fingers. Anna had this way of rolling them with her thumb that made it look like magic — she said her nonna taught her when she was five. We took turns using the ferretto for maccheroni, which is basically a skinny metal stick that makes perfect tubes if you don’t press too hard (I pressed too hard). By now we were all dusted in flour and giggling every time one of us dropped a piece on the floor.

The sauces simmered while we sat around the table with glasses of local red — honestly, I can still taste that tomato sauce, bright and simple and nothing like jarred stuff at home. Dinner stretched out for hours; bread passed around, stories traded in half-English, half-Italian. Anna’s husband popped in to pour more wine and tell us about his favorite beach near Otranto. For dessert there was something lemony, then another tiny glass — this time homemade limoncello, sharp but sweet at the same time. Walking back through Lecce’s quiet streets after all that food felt like floating. I keep thinking about how ordinary it seemed for them, but how special it felt to me.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Hands-on pasta cooking and dinner

• Arrive and enjoy welcome aperitif
• Drink traditional Leccese Coffee
• Learn to make Orecchiette pasta
• Prepare Maccheroni al Ferretto pasta
• Cook fresh tomato and chickpea sauces
• Dine on homemade pasta and bread
• Enjoy typical dessert and limoncello
• Toast with local wines
• Receive recipes and pasta tool

Top questions

Is this cooking class in Lecce suitable for beginners?

Yes, the class is hands-on but guided step by step by a local chef—no experience needed.

What dishes will we make during the Lecce cooking class?

You’ll make orecchiette pasta, maccheroni al ferretto with two sauces (tomato; chickpea/vegetable), plus enjoy appetizers and dessert.

Are drinks included in the cooking class?

Yes—local red, rosé, white wines are served during dinner along with coffee and homemade limoncello.

Is there vegetarian or dietary accommodation?

If you let them know in advance about dietary restrictions, they can adapt some dishes.

How many people are needed to book this class?

A minimum of two people per booking is required for this activity.

Do I get to take anything home from the class?

You’ll receive printed recipes and your own ferretto pasta tool to use at home.

Where does the cooking class take place?

The class takes place in Lecce—the baroque capital of Apulia—in a local home kitchen setting.

What’s included

Your evening includes a welcome aperitif with Salento specialties, Leccese coffee on ice, hands-on instruction making orecchiette and maccheroni al ferretto alongside a local chef, two classic sauces prepared together, plus dinner with homemade bread, dessert, local wines (red/rosé/white), homemade limoncello—and you’ll leave with recipes and your own pasta tool as souvenirs.