Fresh Pasta Class at Local's Home in Venice

Four delightful hours in Giulia's kitchen and we are now pasta enthusiasts! We found her chic and bright apartment with easy to follow guidelines and got down to introductions and basic instructions pretty quickly. First we mixed up a batch of pasta dough by hand and then watched as Giulia skillfully kneaded the dough as she talked about childhood memories of pasta making with her nonna. Her hands moved the pasta dough with practised skill we could only admire. Then the dough rested while Giulia talked us through the types of pasta we were going to cut and the sauces to accompany them. We loved the idea of using simple ingredients to the fullest - even the water in which spinach cooked became the base for our first sauce. The real fun happened when we started to roll out the pasta with her electric pasta machine. It was easy and fun and kept both of us busy. Giulia demonstrated how to fill the pasta with a ricotta and spinach mix and then fold into the tortelloni shape. A quick plunge into boiling water and it seemed in just minutes we were eating plates of luscious pasta, glistening with a buttery, light spinach essence. Of course, glasses of prosecco accompanied the first course. At that point we had to warn Giulia that our appetites couldn't deal with two more courses! So we agreed on tasting portions and began cutting more pasta, this time sending sheets of pasta through the machine into thin linguini. We made piles of pasta while Giulia talked us through a typical Venetian anchovy and shallot based sauce. A quick, partial cook in boiling water and then the pasta went into the bubbling sauce to finish cooking. She topped it with toasted pine nuts and freshly grated lemon zest. Giulia demonstrated a simple restaurant style plating which we will use at home. This pasta was our absolute favorite, especially when it was accompanied by more prosecco. And then we continued on making a final dish from the edges and scraps of pasta. Maltagliati in basil pesto, with a crunchy parmesan tuile, was delicious. The pasta eating was better than restaurant quality, but there was so much more to the experience. Giulia created an environment of Italian hospitality and sharing. She demonstrated skill and practise. She topped things off with flourishes of genius - the parmesan tuile. And she was just so charming and approachable, the time flew. This pasta making class is the first thing we talk about when people ask. "How was the trip?"