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Florence Cooking Course with Historic Local Market Visit

Badge of ExcellenceFlorence, Italy

Florence Cooking Course and Local Market Visit

5 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Try your hand at Italian fare during this cooking course and market tour in Florence. Begin with a walking tour through the San Lorenzo Market, choosing fresh ingredients for your dishes. Then head back to the kitchen and learn how to prepare a 4-course Tuscan meal under the guidance of a chef. Sit to feast on your creations and take recipes home at the end of your class.

Walking tour through San Lorenzo Market
Purchase cooking ingredients and experience local life in the market
Prepare and enjoy a Tuscan starter, two main courses and a dessert, with wine
Tuscan recipes to take home

Sample Menu

Starter

Croutons with black cabbage and beans

Main

Pappardelle with truffle

Main

Peposo beef stew

Dessert

Cantucci with vin santo

What's Included

Lunch with drinks
Recipes to take home
Cooking class with expert chef (maximum 15 people per chef)
Walking tour through local historic Market
Assistance at the Meeting Point
Suitable for vegetarians (to inform in advance)

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza di San Lorenzo, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
At 09:40 am - Piazza San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo Square), at the Statue located in the center of the square An Assistant waits for you wearing blue clothing with Caf Tour & Gray Line Florence logos

Start time

09:50 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your cooking class begins in central Florence, where you meet up with your small group. Follow your chef inside the historic central market of San Lorenzo as you shop for fresh and local ingredients. While traveling through the hub of activity, watch the animated exchanges between stall owners and Florentines.

After gathering everything necessary for your meal, walk to the cooking school, where with your expert chef and learn how to turn your ingredients into a traditional appetizer, two main courses, and an Italian dessert. Then, reward your hard work in the kitchen by sitting with your fellow chefs to feast on your creations. Your instructor pours wine to complement the meal and toast to your success.

At the end of your Florence cooking experience, you are provided with Italian recipes to recreate at home.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Kids younger than 10 not admitted
The cooking class will be operated by professional Chefs. The class might be divided in smaller groups, and each Chef will look after 15 participants

All Cooking Class Team is vaccinated for Covid-19
It is mandatory to arrive at the meeting point at the mentioned check in time. In case of delay it will not be possible to join the group, nor to have a refund or reschedule the course.
Please inform us in advance of food intolerances or allergies
Severe and contact celiacs may not attend the event due to probable contamination.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Leigh_T

This outing was one of the highlights of my trip. I enjoyed the old market, the Balsamic Vinegar exposition, truffle exploration, and espresso. Francisco is so knowledgeable. Then to cook with some of our purchases was also interesting, informative, useful, and delicious. sharing the meal with the others was the perfect end. Wine pairing good as well. Highly recommended!

Reviews

4.5

135 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 135 reviews

Excellent experience....

Jessica_S, May 2024

Excellent experience. Only critique is that I would have loved to make a more “classic Florentine” meal. Walking through the market was amazing and I never would’ve discovered it if not for this tour. Learning to make pasta in Italy… a dream!

Response from Host, May 2024

Dear Jessica, Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We're thrilled to hear that you had an excellent time during your Florence Cooking Course and Historic Local Market Visit. It's wonderful to know that you found the market visit to be amazing and that you enjoyed the experience of learning to make pasta in Italy. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back again for another memorable adventure. Warm regards,

Outstanding

Leigh_T, Mar 2024

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Good morning from Caf Tour & Travel, Dear Leigh, Thank you for sharing such a wonderful review of your experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that our Cooking Class was one of the highlights of your trip. It sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed exploring the old market! It's fantastic to hear that you found the cooking session interesting, informative and useful, especially with the opportunity to share the meal with others. We're glad that you enjoyed the wine pairing as well. Thank you for recommending our activity! We greatly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back for more memorable experiences in the future. Best regards

Chefs kiss!!

Amit_P, Feb 2024

We started with an informative trip to the Mercado Central, where we had chance to try some amazing truffle, cheese, produce and salamis. After this, we went to the cooking school and made an amazing lunch with Tuscan kale and bean bruschetta, fresh pasta with an olive caper sauce, chicken with balsamic vinegar, and a lemon ricotta cake. Katelina took her time to explain everything and we did ALL the work. Afterwards, we enjoyed the lunch with wine and got the recipes as well. Absolutely recommend this tour. There are others that are twice or even 3x the price, I’m not sure if they are worth it.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Good morning from Caf Tour & Travel, Dear Amit, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed every aspect of our cooking class, from the informative visit to the market to the hands-on cooking experience at our school. It sounds like you had a truly immersive and delicious journey through Tuscan cuisine! We believe that getting hands-on in the kitchen is the best way to truly appreciate the flavors and techniques of Italian cooking, and we're glad that you enjoyed doing all the work! Providing high-quality experiences is something we strive for, and we're glad that it resonated with you. Once again, thank you for choosing our tour, and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for another culinary adventure in the future! Warm regards

Wonderful experience, great cooking class!

Elaine_C, Feb 2024

Wonderful experience going through the market with the chef and the cooking lessons. Small group, great instructors, very hands on, fun experience.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Elaine, Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed your cooking class and market visit in Florence. Our team takes great pride in providing memorable and hands-on experiences, and it's fantastic to know that you found the instructors engaging and the overall atmosphere enjoyable. We genuinely appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back for another culinary adventure in the future! Warm regards,

Cooking in Florence

Roberta_B, Oct 2023

Visiting the Mercato Centale was a highlight of the cooking class. Also making the food we purchased from scratch. Making new friends and sharing a meal we prepared together was priceless.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Dear Roberta, Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that your visit to Mercato Centrale was a standout experience during the cooking class. Creating a meal from the ingredients you purchased and bonding with new friends over the delicious dishes you prepared is indeed an unforgettable and priceless moment. We're thrilled that you enjoyed your time with us, and we hope to see you again soon for more culinary adventures! Warm regards

Great experience

irene_w, Oct 2023

Enjoyed much the walk in the market. Cooking was fun and well demonstrated by Stefano, specially making the pasta. Lunch was delightful! Would recommend this event to every wanna-be cook out there.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Dear Irene, Thank you so much for your positive review! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your cooking class with market visit and had a fun and informative cooking experience with Stefano. It's always wonderful to know that our guests had a delightful lunch. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back for another enjoyable adventure soon!

Waste of money - not accommodating at all

Rismma_A, Sep 2023

We were unable to make the workshop - tried to cancel 24 hours before hand, weren’t able to tried calling the number provided to cancel, they weren’t helpful! Asked on the day if they could wait for us or provide further information for where to meet them - were not helpful. Save your money and do not book the course

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Rismma, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We regret to hear that you encountered difficulties when trying to cancel or reach Viator on the day before the tour. As you can imagine, we’re not responsible for any lack shown by their Customer Service. We understand your frustration regarding the situation, and we would like to clarify our policy regarding check-in and departure times. As clearly stated in the "before you go" section of your voucher, “It is mandatory to arrive at the meeting point at the mentioned check in time. In case of delay it will not be possible to join the group, nor to have a refund or reschedule the course”. Hoping that the above clarifications meet your understanding, Best regards

Great experience to learn how to make local dishes

Kimberly_M, Aug 2023

This was a well organized, fun experience for my daughter and I. Meeting in the market and having an explanation of truffles and the olive oil was very informative. Having fresh ingredients straight from the market was awesome! Once at the school, we learned how to make tiramisu, pasta, bruschetta, and a chicken dish. Our group was small so we got to participate a lot. It was so fun learning new things in the kitchen and I would highly recommend this to anyone.

Amazing and yummy

Tracy_H, Jun 2023

Such a great experience! We are a family of 4, with two teenagers. They loved the market and learning to cook. The guides were so lovely and helpful. It was wonderful to get to know others here in the city. I would highly recommend this experience.

Highlight of our Florence trip!

Lindsey_L, Jun 2023

Amazing experience. Going to the market and then cooking was fabulous. Greta, was a great teacher! We'll organized and informative.

It has minimal cooking

Judith_C, Jun 2023

The chef was nice but there were too many people to get any real instruction. The market can easily be visited without a guide. The cooking facilities were clean and comfortable

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Good afternoon from Caf Tour & Travel, Dear Judith, thank you for sharing your review on Viator. We regret to know that your recent experience did not meet your expectations. Our client’s satisfaction is of paramount importance to us. That being said, it is also important to clarify that, as per your voucher and per our online Viator’s page, it is clearly specified that the experience has a maximum of 15 participants for each Chef. Concerning the market, being a public local market, can be surely visited without a guide but we think is a great added value to have the Chef by your side, telling you interesting details about typical local products. During the visit at the market, our customers also have the opportunity to select seasonal and organic ingredients to be used during the cooking course. On the other hand, we’re glad to see you appreciated the cooking facilities. Hoping that the above clarifications would meet your understanding. Best regards,

Delicious Experience

Donna_L, Jun 2023

Greta was wonderful. The entire day was a lesson in Tuscan cooking The market experience prior to cooking was great

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Good afternoon from Caf Tour & Travel, Dear Donna, Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are so glad to see that you enjoyed so much your Cooking Course with ancient local Market Visit! Your review represents the best reward for all the efforts and passion that we daily put in our job and we are sure that you'll soon surprise all your friends with your first Italian meal. We hope to welcome you soon again in another of our activities. Best Regards

The Italian cooking experience

Cynthia_O, May 2023

Loved the open market experience. The cooking class was great and learned a few tricks we can apply at home. However, the walk from the market to the cooking school was very difficult. My suggestion would be to have a car transfer pickup from the market to the school.

Response from Host, May 2023

Good afternoon from Caf Tour & Tour, Dear Cynthia, Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are really glad you enjoyed your Cooking Class with Market visit. This is a unique experience to live in Florence. We will certainly treasure your advice to improve our services. Hoping to welcome you in Florence soon, Best Regards

Create a memorable meal in a memorable city

Randall_S, May 2023

What a great way to spend a day in the magical city of Florence! To see the Central Market, meet some of the vendors and taste some of their products was just the start of our culinary adventure. Our wonderful chef then led us to our kitchen where we cooked a delicious meal with appetizer, pasta, chicken, and dessert, which we shared with all our fellow chefs. A memorable day indeed!

Response from Host, May 2023

Good afternoon from Caf Tour & Travel, Dear Randall, Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with us. We are so proud to see that you enjoyed your Cooking Course in Florence, having the chance to learn how to prepare real Italian dishes. Your review represents the best reward for all the efforts and passion that we daily put into our job and we are sure that you'll soon surprise all your friends with your first home-made Italian Pasta! We hope to welcome you again in another of our activities. Best Regards

Not really a cooking course!

Julia_H, May 2023

There is not much actual cooking done on this “Cooking Course” and the menu bore no resemblance to the one advertised. The first course was Bruschetta- so we chopped tomatoes and garlic to put on crusty bread. That was followed by Gnocchi, which we shaped from pre prepared potatoes, but did not actually cook- the chef took our prepared gnocchi away and did something with it which we did not see! We then chopped peppers and onions and floured some chicken pieces which two of us (out of ten people) were allowed to stir in one frying pan, then the chef threw in some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, put the chopped veg on top and left it on the hob to cook while we ate our first two courses. The pannacotta dessert involved heating one pot of cream mixture on a single hob, which five of us took turns to stir. The chocolate topping which was on it when it was served appeared on top without any participation from any of us! We had sixteen people on this tour and there were three single electric plates, so for most of us it was a vegetable chopping course, not a cooking course. There was a very hurried walk from the market to the kitchen building- one poor lady had real trouble keeping up with Stefano, the chef/guide, who wasn’t the friendliest Italian we met on our trip. Having said all that, the market tour was interesting and included tasting tiny pieces of cheese, salami, balsamic vinegar and truffle oil. The lunch that we didn’t really cook tasted delicious, as did the wine served with it, so we did enjoy the experience. However, anyone looking to learn how to actually cook Italian specialities should look elsewhere.

Response from Host, May 2023

Dear Customer, thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We regret to hear our Cooking Course didn’t fully meet your expectations. Our goal is to provide all our customers with a memorable experience and, based on the feedback we usually receive, most of the time we are able to do that. However, you may feel assured that we take notes from your precious observations in order to keep improving our activities in Florence. On the other hand, we are grateful to read your positive comments about the Local Market tour and the tasty lunch you had after the experience. We truly hope to welcome you again in one of our tours! Best regards

Fun, tasteful, great people

Trenton_C, Oct 2022

The experience was great, learning new cooking styles meeting new people I come from a cooking background but I still learned the new things.

A great day in Florence

Doug_H, Oct 2022

Francesco was lots of fun teaching us to cook some Italian dishes, which turned out great despite the fact that I helped. He has a great sense of humor and answered questions well. The market tour involved some tastings at a couple of the stalls, which made it all the more enjoyable. This was definitely one of the highlights of our vacation.

Cooking & shopping in Florence

Robert_T, Sep 2022

Francisco was incredible as a chef & entertaining the group! The market visit was very informative & making the 3 dishes was fun to make & were delicious. It was a great way to spend several hours in Florence!

How to have fun with chicken, chocolate, tomatoes and flour

Maria_W, May 2022

Our chef Catarina was terrific. We made bruschetta, gnocchi from scratch with a beautiful ragù, balsamic chicken and of course tiramisu. The market tour was informative with tasty treats! Great way to spend the day.

I enjoyed the market...

Jennifer_B, Oct 2021

I enjoyed the market tour. Amazing to be surrounded by so Many great and fresh foods. Many we do not have in our Markets. Our chef, Stephano, was very well prepared and able to handle the various personalities in our group. Our group was a mix of strangers (unfamiliar to each other) and we all enjoyed each other's company.

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Dear Jennifer_B, thank you so much for having shared your opinion with us and our common readers! We are happy to know that you have appreciated your Florence cooking class with local market visit! There's no better way to know a Country than by knowing its cuisine. And now we are sure that you will be able to surprise your friends with some typical Tuscan meals ;) Hope to see you again in the future! Our best regards

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