Ligurian Cooking Class in Chiavari: Make Fresh Pasta & Pesto

You make the pesto and the pasta. The guide teaches you why they matter.

A hands-on cooking class in a historic Chiavari apartment where you prepare fresh Ligurian dishes (handmade pasta, pesto ground in a mortar, and focaccia) under the instruction of Fabio Bongiorni, a local food expert. The class runs about two and a half hours and includes lunch, wine and coffee. Children from age five are welcome, and the guide teaches in English or Italian.

The experience

The class happens in a noble apartment inside an ancient Genoese-style building in Chiavari's old town, a setting that shapes how you learn. You're not in a commercial kitchen. You're in a space built for living, which means the cooking feels less like a demonstration and more like being invited into how people here actually eat. Fabio Bongiorni, the guide, teaches as a "foodteller". Someone who explains not just the recipe but the history and the reason behind each dish. The atmosphere is deliberate: you're working in an apartment from the 1900s, surrounded by the weight of how long these recipes have been made.

You start with an aperitif of real Genoese focaccia, bruschetta topped with homemade pesto, and salted anchovies from the Riviera, paired with local olives. Then you move into the active part: making fresh pasta by hand using a "guitar," an ancient wooden tool that cuts the dough into thin, even strands. You grind pesto in a mortar, not a food processor, and taste it with the pasta you've just made, all accompanied by white wines from the territory that Fabio will talk you through. The meal ends with Italian coffee and a digestive liqueur from Genoa.

The class sits between Portofino and Cinque Terre geographically, but Chiavari itself is quieter than either: a working harbor town where the cooking class feels like a real part of how locals spend their time, not a performance for visitors. You'll need to be ready to use your hands and follow instruction, but the class welcomes children from five years old and suits all fitness levels.

What’s included

• Ligurian aperitif with focaccia, bruschetta and anchovies.
• fresh pesto made by hand in a mortar.
• handmade fresh pasta prepared with a traditional guitar tool.
• lunch featuring the dishes you've made.
• selection of local white wines DOP.
• Italian coffee and digestive liqueur.
• instruction from Fabio Bongiorni throughout.

Options for this experience

2 options

Wine tasting alongside a pesto experienceGuide in English or Italian · 17:00Wine tasting alongside a pesto experience

Ligurian cuisine cooking class in Chiavari, covering focaccia and winesGuide in English or Italian · 18:30Lunch with an aperitif

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 17:00 and 18:30

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (17 to 89 years) · Child (5 to 16 years) · Under 5: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 12

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.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by RIGATONI EXPERIENCES

Is this one for you?Book the Cooking Class if you want to learn the technique and the story behind Ligurian food from someone who teaches it as a living tradition, not a tourist routine. The hands-on format means you're making every dish yourself, not watching a chef demonstrate, and the historic apartment setting is part of how the experience works, not decoration around it.

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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 (5 to 16 years). Under 5: they can't be included in the booking.

What exactly do I make during the class?

You prepare fresh pasta by hand using a traditional guitar tool, grind pesto in a mortar, and make focaccia. All three become part of your lunch, served with local white wines that Fabio explains as you eat.

How long does the cooking class take?

The class runs two and a half hours from start to finish, including the aperitif, the hands-on cooking, lunch, wine and coffee.

Where exactly in Chiavari does the class happen?

The class takes place in a historic apartment inside a Genoese-style building in Chiavari's old town center. Public transportation is nearby if you need it.