Pasta and Tiramisu Cooking Class in Varenna: Learn From a Local

Roll pasta by hand in a local's kitchen, not watch a demo from a stool.

A small-group cooking class in Varenna where you learn to roll fresh pasta by hand, make two pasta recipes from scratch, and prepare tiramisu in a Cesarina's home kitchen. The class runs three hours with a live English or Italian-speaking guide, includes an Italian aperitivo, and ends with tasting your dishes paired with local wine. Maximum twelve people per session.

The Experience

You start with an Italian aperitivo—prosecco and nibbles—in the home of a Cesarina, one of Italy's network of local home cooks who open their kitchens to travelers. From there, the guide walks you through rolling sfoglia (fresh pasta) by hand, then making two different pasta types from scratch. The recipes are seasonal, sometimes filled, sometimes flavored, and you cook and dress them with a simple sauce. It's hands-on the whole way: you're not watching someone else work.

After the pasta, you make tiramisu from scratch—the creamy, layered coffee dessert that finishes almost every Italian meal. By the end of the three hours, you've made three things you can actually recreate at home. Then you taste everything: the two pasta dishes and the tiramisu, all paired with local wine and nibbles. Water and coffee are included throughout.

The class caps at twelve people, so it stays intimate and the guide can give real attention. The Cesarina's home is in Varenna or nearby Bellano, and public transportation options are available to reach it. You'll need to bring an appetite and a willingness to get your hands into dough.

What’s included

• Italian aperitivo with prosecco and nibbles to start.
• instruction in rolling fresh pasta by hand and making two seasonal pasta recipes from scratch.
• tiramisu-making lesson.
• tasting of all three dishes paired with local wine.
• water and coffee throughout the class.

Good to know

Public transport nearby

Operated by Cesarine: Cooking Class

Is this one for you?Book this class if you want to learn recipes you can actually cook at home, not just watch a chef work—the hands-on format and small group size mean you get real guidance, and the three-hour window gives you time to move slowly through each dish without rushing.

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Top questions

What exactly do I make in this cooking class?

You make two iconic pasta types from scratch by rolling fresh pasta by hand, then prepare tiramisu. Both are cooked and tasted at the end, paired with local wine.

Is this class in English, or do I need to speak Italian?

The Cesarina guide speaks either English or Italian—you choose the language when you book.

How many people are in the class, and will I be crowded?

The class has a maximum of twelve people, keeping it small enough for the guide to give hands-on attention to everyone.

What's included in the price, and do I pay extra for food or wine?

The price includes the Italian aperitivo at the start, all ingredients for the pasta and tiramisu you make, the wine and nibbles you taste at the end, water, and coffee—nothing extra to pay for food or drink.

Where is the class held, and how do I get there?

The class takes place in a Cesarina's home in Varenna or nearby Bellano. Public transportation options are available to reach the location.

Can I choose between different pasta recipes, or is the menu fixed?

The pasta recipes are seasonal and chosen by the Cesarina—sometimes filled, sometimes flavored—but you have a choice at checkout between the full three-recipe class (two pastas and tiramisu) or the Express option (ravioli making only).