Pesto Cooking Class in Santa Margherita Ligure: Make & Taste

Make pesto the way Liguria has for centuries, then taste what your hands just created.

A hands-on pesto cooking class at Villa San Giacomo in Santa Margherita Ligure, where you learn to pound authentic Genovese pesto with a traditional mortar and pestle, guided by a local home cook. The class runs two hours and includes your finished pesto paired with fresh trofie pasta and a glass of local Italian wine, served in the villa's dining room overlooking the sea. English and Italian guides are available.

The experience

What makes a souvenir that actually lasts? A skill. At Villa San Giacomo, a historic villa perched above the Ligurian Gulf just outside Santa Margherita Ligure, you learn to make authentic Genovese pesto the traditional way, with a mortar and pestle, not a food processor. A local home cook walks you through the technique: how to bruise the basil leaves without crushing them, when the garlic goes in, how the pine nuts and cheese transform under the pestle's weight. It's the kind of detail that changes how you cook at home.

After two hours of hands-on work, you sit down in the villa's dining room to eat what you made. Your pesto goes onto fresh trofie pasta (the twisted, hand-rolled shape that catches sauce the way factory pasta cannot), and a glass of local Italian wine arrives with it. The view across the water toward Portofino and the Cinque Terre is there, but the real point is the taste of something you built yourself, still warm.

What’s included

• Hands-on instruction in making authentic Genovese pesto with a traditional mortar and pestle.
• fresh trofie pasta tasting with your homemade pesto.
• one glass of local Italian wine per person.
• use of the villa's dining room and sea views.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 12 May 2027

Book up to1d before

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

GroupUp to 15

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

Operated by Cesarine: Cooking Class

Is this one for you?You do the cooking yourself under guidance from a local home cook, so you leave with a technique you can use at home, not just a memory of watching someone else work. This suits anyone who wants to take a piece of Ligurian cooking back with them, rather than just eat it once.

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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.

How much experience do I need to take a pesto cooking class?

None. The class is built for food lovers who want to learn, not for people who already know how. Your guide is a local home cook who teaches the technique step by step, and the mortar and pestle do most of the work once you understand the motion.

What exactly do I make and eat during the class?

You make authentic Genovese pesto from scratch using a mortar and pestle. After the class, you taste your pesto on fresh trofie pasta (handmade twisted pasta that's traditional to Liguria), with a glass of local Italian wine included.

Where is Villa San Giacomo and how do I get there?

Villa San Giacomo sits in Santa Margherita Ligure, a coastal town on the Italian Riviera. It overlooks the Ligurian Gulf and sits a short distance from Portofino and the Cinque Terre. The operator will provide specific directions and pickup details when you book.

Can I take the class in English?

Yes. The class is offered with live guides in both English and Italian, so you can choose the language that works for you when you book.

Is the wine included, or do I pay extra?

One glass of local Italian wine per person is included with the class. It arrives with your pesto and pasta at the end of the two hours.