A highlight to our trip to Modena was our cooking class hosted by Maria Luisa and her close friend IIaria. Both women were expert in their cooking and patient teaching of how to make 2 kinds of pasta and tiramisu. But the best part for my wife Karen and I was the warmth and friendship we developed with these two smart, interesting women. They truly made us feel welcome like old friends in their home. We would highly recommend this experience to meet,eat and interact with these welcoming people.

Elena is amazing! Everything was perfect, she listened to what we envisioned and then made it happen! From the informative walk to the market, getting to see how the locals shop, to making the pasta and dessert at her beautiful home! I'm glad she was so accommodating, we went in wanting to make traditional Modena dishes and that's what we did; Elena even went as far as to let us use her homemade apricot jam grown right outside. If you want to experience traditional home cooking you have to try this experience!

We took the class with Louisa and Ilaria on a visit in September. What a phenomenal experience. From the moment we walked in we felt like family and the pasta we made was outright phenomenal. It's not easy, but the work is worth it (think lots of kneading and flattening.) They were a great couple of women to work with. We had wine, there was music in the background and they helped us along. We made 3 types of pasta, tortellini, tagliatelle, and bowties. The initial item we started making though was the tiramisu, which was AAAAAMAZING! It had to be made first so it could set in the refrigerator. We filled the tortellini with the spinach and ricotta (learned how to make that too..Check) and put the Ragu (which is pretty much the best darn Bolognese I have had in my LIFE...sorry, getting excited about it) on the tagliatelle and the bowties. We had some wine, some giggles, took loads of pics and just loved every moment of life with these women. They can be contacted at luisanicolini65@gmail.com so if you are looking for an excellent class (with the work, so you can feel it...AND the recipes)..contact them and set it up. They also have a great little apartment for stays right in Modena. Not great for me as I have some walking difficulties and there were stairs, but perfect location in the center of town. If you are looking for an honest to goodness pasta making class in Modena with some wonderful women and lots of joy thrown in, and recipes included, contact them. They want to share the love and joy they have for good food. Happy gals and happy tummy's when we sadly departed after our afternoon of fun! Our hearts and tummy's were full. Thank you so much Louisa and Illaria~

Imagine making tortellini, tagliatelle, risotto, and mascarpone from scratch! I was able to do all of this thanks to the wonderful experience provided by Elena. She welcomed me into her home and provided an authentic experience with grace and generosity. Having a taste of her family's own balsamic vinegar was icing on the cake. This was hands down my favorite time spent during a two week trip throughout Italy. Thank you!

The Caesarine was so Flexible, we were able to make what we requested. The ingredients were outstanding!

What a wonderful way to spend a dinner and cooking with a Modena local. Luisa was fantastic. Despite picking a day the market was closed the evening was great! Thank you

If I could give 10 stars I would - amazing teacher, very cool person and so THOUGHTFUL!! Learned how to make tiramisu and tagliatelle con ragu - she also mentioned we can learn more next time if you ever want to learn other recipes! Great course Luisa, grazie!!

It was a wonderful evening! It should be mentioned that, at least for us, it was more of an "experience" than a hands-on cooking class. We mostly just sat and watched one of the hosts make the tiramisu and pasta dough, the only hands on thing I did was roll out the dough for the pasta and shape a few tortelloni. We did not even watch them actually cook the pasta. So I would describe the experience more as you were invited over for dinner than a class of any sort. Although definitely the best part was just hanging out with the two hosts. They were both very welcoming, kind, had vibrant personalities, and overall just very pleasant to get to know and spend the evening with. All the food and wine served was also very good!

Had SUCH a great time…made me feel very welcome. Very warm and kind. And food was delicious! Thank you Luisa ❤️

We had a great time Learning how to cook two different pastas. Raffaella is a great teacher, very patient. A very lovely way to enjoy our evening

here were 4 of us (family members) in this private class held at Raffaella's lovely home. I had requested that we prepare 3 typical Emilia-Romagna dishes which Raffaella was happy to teach us. It was a very hands-on class, ending with a beautiful dinner with wine in Raffaella's dining room. All the dishes turned out beautifully and it was a wonderful experience. I suggest that if you think you'll want the recipes that you ask for them in advance of the class.