Market tour & cooking class at a local's home in Lucca

Cook Lucca's recipes in a local kitchen, then eat what you made

A market tour and cooking class in Lucca held at a local cook's home, where you learn to make regional pasta and a full meal, then sit down to eat it with Tuscan wines. The host is part of Cesarine, Italy's network of home cooks who open their kitchens to travelers. The experience runs 3.5 hours and includes a 4-course menu, cooking instruction, and all drinks.

The experience

The morning starts at a local market in Lucca, where your host picks out seasonal ingredients and explains what makes them right for the day's recipes. You'll see how a real cook shops: what she chooses, what she skips, how she talks to the vendors. Then you walk to her home, a private space where you'll spend the rest of the time cooking and eating together.

In the kitchen, you get a hands-on cooking demo focused on Lucca's signature dishes: you'll make fresh pasta (Tordelli Lucchese or Maccheroni tortellati, depending on the season), and learn the techniques your host's family has used for generations. The recipes come from her own family cookbooks, not a printed card. You're not watching. You're working alongside her, learning by doing. The full meal you cook together includes a seasonal starter, the pasta course you made, a main dish with a side, and a typical Lucca dessert like Castagnaccio or Buccellato cake.

Once everything is ready, you sit down to eat at her table. Water, a selection of red and white wines from Tuscan cellars, and coffee come with the meal. This is the point of the whole thing: you taste what you made, in the place where it was made, with the person who taught you. The experience is held entirely in English or Italian, depending on which language your host speaks.

What’s included

• Market tour with your host.
• private cooking demo in her home kitchen.
• hands-on pasta-making instruction.
• 4-course meal you cook together.
• seasonal starter, regional pasta, main course with side dish, and typical Lucca dessert.
• water, selection of Tuscan red and white wines, and coffee.
• live guide in English or Italian.
• local taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDeparts at 10:30

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.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 2 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Cesarine: Cooking Class

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to actually cook, not just watch a demonstration, and if sitting down to eat with your host matters as much as the food itself. The small group (just you and the cook) means real instruction and real conversation, not a class of strangers.

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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 pasta will I learn to make in the cooking class?

The pasta changes with the season. You'll make either Tordelli Lucchese, Maccheroni tortellati, or Matuffi, all regional specialties from Lucca, and your host will teach you the hand techniques her family has passed down.

Do I need cooking experience to join this class?

No. The class is suitable for all physical fitness levels and all skill levels. Your host walks you through each step of the cooking demo and works alongside you in the kitchen.

What's included in the 4-course meal?

The meal includes a seasonal starter, the regional pasta you cook, a main course with a side dish, a typical Lucca dessert, and all drinks: water, a selection of Tuscan red and white wines, and coffee.

How long does the whole experience take?

The market tour, cooking class, and meal together take 3.5 hours from start to finish.

Who is the host, and what makes Cesarine different?

Your host is a local cook who is part of Cesarine, Italy's network of over 1,000 home cooks in more than 500 cities. Cesarine hosts open their own homes and kitchens to travelers for private, immersive meals, not restaurants, not group classes, but real cooking in a real home.