Traditional Cooking Class in Lecce: Make Pasta & Lunch

Make handmade pasta and cook a two-course lunch in a star-vaulted room

A traditional cooking class in Lecce where you learn to make fresh orecchiette and maccheroni pasta by hand, then cook and eat two dishes you've prepared yourself in a 14th-century restaurant. Giorgio Grassi, the maestro di cucina, and his mother Rosalba (a UNESCO-recognized expert in Puglian culinary heritage) guide the lesson. The class runs about four and a half hours and includes wine, dessert, coffee and limoncello.

The experience

Four and a half hours inside Alle due corti, a 14th-century building with star vaults and crystal chandeliers, where you work at an oak and iron bench to learn handmade pasta, then move to the kitchen to cook at the stove. Giorgio Grassi and his mother Rosalba teach you orecchiette cu li pummitori scattariciati (fresh tomatoes, oregano and pecorino), and cocule te marangiana allu sucu, eggplant polpette in tomato sauce. The recipes belong to Puglia's culinary heritage, and Rosalba's knowledge of both the rich and humble versions of the tradition runs deep: UNESCO chose her as a case study in 2010 for her mastery of the region's food history.

You cook almost entirely with your own hands while Giorgio and Rosalba watch and correct. The kitchen itself is vivid (colored tiles and steel benches, marble countertops), and the work is real: pasta-making at the counter, then the stove. Lunch arrives as the dishes you made, paired with a bottle of Salento wine that Giorgio selects for your preferences. Dessert is Leccese Spumone, traditional ice cream with hazelnut and chocolate, stuffed with salted chocolate chunks: eat it with a fork, not a spoon. Coffee and limoncello close the meal. If food remains, you can take it back to your hotel.

The class runs in English or Italian, and the restaurant welcomes service animals. Guests under 18 receive non-alcoholic drinks instead of wine. If you have allergies, intolerances or ingredient restrictions, write in advance so the kitchen can plan around them.

What’s included

• Use of the entire restaurant space, including the work counter for handmade pasta and the kitchen with steel benches and marble countertops.
• instruction from Giorgio Grassi and Rosalba De Carlo.
• two prepared dishes cooked at the stove.
• Salento wine paired with lunch.
• Leccese Spumone ice cream with hazelnut and chocolate.
• coffee and limoncello to finish.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 10:30

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Under 16: can't be booked

GroupUp to 6

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.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Pets welcomeNot recommended during pregnancy

Operated by Alle Due Corti Traditional Cooking Classes

Is this one for you?The class takes place inside the restaurant in Lecce's historic center, so you don't need a car or transport to reach it: walk from your hotel or the old town. You'll learn from Giorgio and his mother Rosalba, who teaches you the recipes rather than just watching a demonstration, so you leave knowing how to make the dishes yourself.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

What pasta do I actually make during the class?

Orecchiette and maccheroni, both by hand at the work counter. You learn the traditional technique and shape them yourself before they're cooked.

Who teaches the cooking class?

Giorgio Grassi, the maestro di cucina, leads the lesson. His mother Rosalba De Carlo often joins. She's renowned for her knowledge of traditional Puglian recipes and was recognized by UNESCO in 2010 as a case study in the region's culinary heritage.

What do I eat for lunch?

Two dishes you've prepared during the class: orecchiette with fresh tomatoes, oregano and pecorino cheese, and eggplant polpette in tomato sauce. Both are paired with Salento wine, followed by Leccese Spumone ice cream, coffee and limoncello.

Can I take leftover food back to my hotel?

Yes. If food remains after lunch, you can take it with you for a light dinner elsewhere.

Is the class accessible for wheelchair users?

The restaurant itself welcomes guests with wheelchairs, but the cooking class cannot accommodate them because the kitchen layout doesn't allow it for structural reasons.