Rome: Cook & Dine with Local Home Chef & Wine

You're Already Chopping When the Lesson Starts

You'll spend a few hours cooking three Roman dishes from scratch in a local home, then sit down to eat them with your host and local wine. The class is hands-on from the start, the recipes are family traditions, and the meal is included. No restaurant, no performance. Just a kitchen, a table, and food you made yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Private Roman cooking class and tasting

• Arrive at Cesarina's home
• Learn to prepare seasonal starter
• Cook fresh pasta dishes
• Make traditional Roman dessert
• Taste dishes with local wine

The experience

The class begins the moment you walk in. Your workstation is set, ingredients laid out, and your Italian host is already moving through the kitchen with the ease of someone who's made these dishes a thousand times. You don't sit and watch. You stand at your own counter with full equipment and start on the starter while she talks you through the technique. The three recipes you'll make today are Roman classics: a seasonal antipasto, fresh pasta (rigatoni, bucatini or gnocchi, depending on the day), and a dessert like ricotta and cherry tart or Roman tiramisu. She's not reading from a card. These are the dishes her family has cooked for generations, the ones she learned from her own mother and grandmother.

What makes this different from a cooking class in a studio is that you're in her home, not a teaching kitchen. The rhythm is slower, more conversational. You'll ask questions while your hands work the dough, and she'll answer them the way you'd talk to someone you know, not perform for a group. The class takes a few hours, and there's no rush to finish and clear out. When everything is cooked, you sit down at the table together (you, your host, and whoever else is in the small group that day), and eat what you made. Local wines come with the meal, and espresso after. It's the kind of lunch that doesn't feel like part of a tour. It feels like you've been invited to stay.

Cesarine, the network that runs this, has been connecting travelers with home cooks across Italy for years. Every host is reviewed for authentic culinary tradition, which means you're not learning from someone who took a hospitality course. You're learning from someone whose kitchen is her real life. The experience is held in the host's actual home in Rome, and public transportation is nearby if you need it.

What’s included

• Your experience includes a hands-on cooking class where you'll learn and prepare three authentic Roman recipes (a seasonal starter, fresh pasta, and a traditional Roman dessert) in your host's home kitchen.
• You'll have your own fully equipped workstation with all ingredients and utensils provided.
• After cooking, you'll sit down to eat everything you've made, accompanied by a selection of local wines, water, and espresso.

Options for this experience

2 options

Typical Desserts-Only ClassGuide in English or Italian · 10:00 and 17:00Available Friday through Sunday: a three-hour hands-on cooking class where you'll learn to make classic Italian desserts such as Tiramisu and Zuppa Inglese, served with fine wine and authentic Neapolitan coffee

Cooking class with 3 recipesGuide in English or Italian · 5 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 18:00A three-hour hands-on cooking class in which you'll prepare three traditional recipes from scratch alongside your Cesarina

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 18:00

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.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Pets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Cesarine: Cooking Class

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to learn Roman cooking from someone who actually cooks it at home, not from an instructor at a cooking school: the small group and the home setting are what make it feel like an invitation rather than a class.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 8 years); Infant (under 4): free.

How long is the cooking class?

A few hours total, including the cooking and the meal afterward. The exact timing varies by host and group size.

What if I have dietary restrictions?

Contact Cesarine when you book with any dietary needs. Hosts can often adapt recipes, but it's best to confirm in advance.

Is this suitable for beginners?

Yes. The host teaches each step and you work at your own pace. No prior cooking experience is needed.

What's included in the meal?

Water, local wines, espresso, and the three courses you've cooked: starter, fresh pasta, and dessert.

How many people are in the group?

Small groups. The exact number depends on the host's home and availability.

Can I get to the host's home by public transport?

Yes, public transportation options are available nearby. The host will provide the address and directions when you book.

Do I need to bring anything?

No. All ingredients, utensils and equipment are provided.

Is this experience vegetarian-friendly?

The menu typically includes pasta and dessert, which are vegetarian. Confirm with Cesarine if you have specific dietary questions.