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Pasta Making Class in Florence

When planning my trip to Italy, there was one activity I absolutely had to do: a cooking class! Despite my passion for baking, I hadn't ventured much into the world of cooking before but I was determined to change this on my trip! After all, you can't go to Italy and not learn how to make pasta, right?! I was so excited to learn from a local expert and immerse myself in an experience that is very important in the Italian culture, the creation and enjoyment of food. Fortunately, I was able to find a great, affordable pasta making class in Florence on Airbnb Experiences hosted by PastaForever.


If you didn't know, Airbnb offers an incredible array of experiences in every city - from cooking classes to tours, workshops and more. I highly recommend checking out its different offerings on your next trip! If you want to book directly, click here!


A few things I loved about the class:

The class was small, around 12 people in total, so it felt like a more intimate experience. Meeting new people from all over the world. The class was 3 hours long - the perfect length! We were in charge of doing just enough - making the dough, rolling the pasta, filling and shaping the pasta - but not cooking it, which took some of the stress out of it. The instructor, Daniella, was amazing and made the experience really enjoyable! The pasta was so, so, SO good.


Read on to learn more about my pasta making experience!


Pasta Making Class tools set up

The pasta making class was held in the San Frediano neighborhood of Florence, right across the Ponte Santa Trinita, which was about a 30 minute walk from my apartment near Santa Croce, and probably a 20 minute walk from the Duomo. Click here is the address.


Upon our arrival, all the tools and ingredients were ready for us to begin our culinary journey. We learned how to make pasta dough using just 2 ingredients: high-quality flour and eggs. That's it! After kneading the dough for a good 10 minutes and rolling it out into a thin circular shape, we used a ravioli cutter to create squares for our first two pasta dishes.


The filling was pre-made and was a combination of ricotta, parmesan and nutmeg powder. From the square pasta sheets, we crafted both mezze ravioli (half-ravioli) and tortellini. This process took a lot of patience as we were told it was important to make sure the filling did not ooze off the sides. Easier said than done!

Took a quick break to take a picture with the fruits of our labor!

After sending the mezze ravioli and tortellini to the kitchen to cook, it was on to the third pasta of the day, the tagliatelle! Before we tried our hand at it, our incredible instructor, Daniella, introduced us to a tool specifically designed to effortlessly cut the pasta into uniform strips, known as a pasta chitarra - which translates to pasta guitar. And it really did feel like you were playing a guitar! The process involved rolling the same dough used for the mezze ravioli and tortellini pasta into slender strands, then pressing it into the device. With a gentle strumming motion across the top, VOILA, we had beautifully crafted tagliatelle. This part was definitely the most fun!


Away went the tagliatelle to cook and while we 'impatiently' waited for our dishes to arrive, we enjoyed a wonderful glass of wine from the family's Tuscan farm and learned about the family's wine production. It's always a good feeling when to get to try something made with lots of love and care.


Finally, our pasta was served! YUMMY! The tagliatelle was coated in a delicious tomato sauce while both the mezze ravioli and the tortellini were in marinated in a luscious butter and sage sauce. Simple and perfect - I finished every bite!


We couldn't finish the evening without something sweet! We were served a traditional and yummy Tuscan dessert - chocolate salami. Despite the name, it's not meat; but it sure does resemble perfectly sliced salami with chocolate and biscuits rolled into a perfect slice. I regret not having a picture to share, but you can find a similar recipe by clicking here!



1 comment

1 Comment


Maureen Yarusso
Maureen Yarusso
Oct 20, 2023

Looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing.

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