Lucca Market Tour & Cooking Class at Local's Home

Cook three Lucca dishes in a Cesarina's home kitchen, then eat what you made.

A market tour and cooking class in Lucca where you shop with a local Cesarina, cook three authentic regional recipes in her home kitchen, and eat the meal you've prepared with local wines. The class runs 4.5 hours in a small group, with all ingredients and equipment provided. Instruction is in English or Italian.

The experience

The morning starts at Lucca's local market and traditional food shops, where your Cesarina guide points out the seasonal produce and specialty ingredients that define the region's cooking. You'll pick items for the dishes you're about to make, learning what to look for and why each ingredient matters. Then you head to her home kitchen, where you have your own workstation with utensils and everything measured out.

You'll make three dishes: a seasonal starter, fresh pasta (Tordelli Lucchese, Maccheroni tortellati or Matuffi, depending on the day), and a Tuscan dessert like Castagnaccio, Necci pancakes, Buccellato cake or Tiramisu. The Cesarina walks you through each recipe, showing the techniques and the small tricks that separate a home cook's version from what you'd make guessing at it. Everyone works at their own pace, and there's room to ask questions and watch how she handles the details.

When everything is ready, you sit down to eat what you've cooked, with a selection of local red and white wines, water and coffee included. The meal is the payoff. Three courses you made with your own hands, tasted in the place where they were born.

What’s included

• Shared guided market tour in Lucca.
• small group cooking class with three regional recipes.
• your own workstation with utensils and all ingredients.
• three-course lunch or dinner of the dishes you've made.
• local red and white wines, water and coffee.
• local taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDeparts at 10:00

Book up to10h before

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

GroupUp to 10

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 2 days ago

Good to know

Public transport nearby

Operated by Cesarine: Cooking Class

Is this one for you?Join a small group if you want to cook alongside other travelers in a Cesarina's home kitchen, with the guide teaching you the techniques and the market visit building the foundation for what you'll make. The fixed itinerary (market first, then cooking, then eating) means you'll understand where each ingredient comes from before you use 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 (4 to 8 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What kind of pasta dishes do you learn to make in the Lucca cooking class?

The fresh pasta changes with the season, but you'll make one of three traditional Lucca shapes: Tordelli Lucchese, Maccheroni tortellati, or Matuffi. Your Cesarina will choose based on what's best that day.

Do I need cooking experience to join the class in Lucca?

No. The class is built for small groups of all levels. Your Cesarina teaches the techniques step by step, and you work at your own workstation with all the ingredients ready.

What happens at the market at the start of the tour?

You walk through Lucca's local market and traditional food shops with your Cesarina guide, who shows you the seasonal produce and specialty ingredients used in the three dishes you'll cook later that day.

Is wine included with the meal at the end?

Yes. You'll taste a selection of local red and white wines with the three-course meal you've prepared, plus water and coffee.

How many people are in the small group?

The class is kept small so everyone has their own workstation and attention from the Cesarina, though the exact number varies by date.