Pizza course and tasting on Lake Maggiore: Learn to make and cook

Make pizza, drink wine between batches, pick herbs straight from the garden

A pizza-making class at an early 1900s villa near Lake Maggiore where you learn dough, shaping, topping and oven technique, then cook and eat your own pizzas over three hours. The class includes lunch, beer, wine and water. A live guide teaches in English, Spanish, Italian or German. Children under 18 are not served alcohol.

The experience

You start by learning how to prepare dough and work through leavening, spreading and garnishing: the operator walks you through the techniques that make a pizza taste good, then shows you the high-temperature steel oven where everything cooks. The ingredients are laid out for you to choose from: San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, local cold cuts, Alpine cheeses, olives, anchovies and vegetables grown nearby. Fresh basil, rosemary and other herbs come straight from the villa garden, and you pick what you want to use on your own pizza.

Between batches while the oven works, you sit in the kitchen or the garden with a glass of wine or beer and water. The villa dates to the early 1900s and sits in a town near the shores of Lake Maggiore. At times a live accordion player performs while you wait and eat. Lunch is included, and the whole experience runs three hours. The guide speaks English, Spanish, Italian or German.

If you want to recreate what you've learned at home, the operator can point you toward the same high-temperature steel ovens they use. The kind you can buy for your own garden.

What’s included

• Instruction in dough preparation, shaping and cooking technique.
• lunch.
• beer, wine and water.
• access to the villa garden to pick fresh herbs.
• use of the high-temperature oven for cooking your pizzas.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 11:00 and 18:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (18 to 65 years) · Senior (66 and older) · Youth (11 to 17 years) · Child (4 to 10 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, German 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 9 days ago

Good to know

Stroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Experience Lago Maggiore

Is this one for you?This works best for small groups or couples who want a hands-on experience rather than a demonstration. You're making the pizza yourself, not watching someone else make it. The three-hour format with wine and food built in suits an afternoon when you're not rushing to another stop.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, German and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 17 years); Child (4 to 10 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What ingredients do I get to choose from for my pizza?

San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, local cold cuts, Alpine cheeses, olives, anchovies and fresh vegetables are set out for you. You can also pick basil, rosemary and other herbs directly from the villa garden to add to your pizza before it goes in the oven.

How does the cooking part work?

You prepare and shape your pizza, then it goes into a high-temperature steel oven. The operator handles the cooking, and you watch it cook and come out ready to eat.

What's included in the three hours?

Lunch, beer, wine and water are included. You spend the time learning technique, making your pizza, and relaxing in the garden or kitchen between batches while you eat and drink.