Cecilia was absolutely amazing! She truly was the best part of the whole Italy trip! The food was delicious and the best tiramisu I’ve had in my life! She was truly the sweetest and I will be booking again for every Italy trip!

Tamara is a fantastic host, and Alfredo is an engaging cook and teacher. We had a wonderful; afternoon in their home with three other couples. We were welcomed with a glass of prosecco, and the we drank delicious wines, as Alfredo showed us how to prepare fresh pasta. He then demonstrated how to prepare a ricotta and spinach stuffing, which he used to stuff tortellis in front of us, explaining where to get the material, and how to proceed. Then, with the remaining fresh pasta, he showed us how to make tagliatelle, which we continued to do ourselves. It was really a fun time. But the best, was that we got to eat all sort of good food: bruschetta, other typical Tuscan appetizers, and then the tortellis Alfredo preapred earlier were served in a marjoram butter sauce, followed by the tagliatelle we prepared, served with a typical Tuscan ragu (meat sauce) or with a Sugo finto (typical Florentine vegetarian sauce) according to your preference. Then we ate a tiramisu, prepared earlier by Alfredo. Following this event, we received the recipes of everything I mentioned by email, so we can attempt to do it at home. I just completed my first attempt at an homemade tiramisu! Really, this was one of the highlights of our trip to Italy. I wholeheartedly recommend this experience: you will have a blast, you will learn a lot and you'll eat like a king. Tamara, Alfredo, thank you for this really pleasant afternoon in your home. What a treat! Chantal and Stéphane

My husband was in disbelief that we would be in Italy and especially Florence without having booked a Cooking Lesson! I hesitated to since he doesn't cook and thought he'd be bored on our planned Italy trip for our anniversary celebration. Nonsense, he said. You really like cooking, and it will be fun to do together. So, off I went to find a cooking school - but, I didn't think he would be interested in a large group instruction in a formal school. Then I came across Cesarine! And, boy, did I read review after review about this wonderful program bringing students into the real homes and learning time-tested traditions from gracious home chefs passionate about sharing their love of their culture and food. What we didn't know and were overwhelmed by was the abundant personality and patient instruction by Cecilia. We loved every minute in her presence in her amazingly comfortable home and kitchen. She made us feel so welcome and was so patient in her instructions, never rushing or talking over us. It was such a lovely way to see Florence and share the traditions and love of creating delicious food, which we will share and continue in our home and family. The views were amazing from her home and we enjoyed our walk from the center of the city where our hotel was (about 35 minutes). It was perfect and truly memorable, and most assuredly a special highlight of our Italy trip! Thank you for this amazing program, and special thanks to Cecilia to share her love and recipes with us!

We had a superb experience that surpassed all our expectations. Chef Andrea showed us how to make tiramisu, and we made raviolis and tagliatelle from scratch. His English is good and he explained what we should do but did not do it for us. Neither of us had made pasta by hand before but it came out perfectly. Then it all disappeared inside us along with some excellent Tuscan wine! Well worth the price.

Good Evening Tamara and Alfredo. Wow! What an incredible afternoon you gave us today. Thank you so much for inviting us in to your home. Please, once again extend our deepest gratitude to your neighbours for not only helping us to the train station, but also adding even more hospitality to the whole experience. Such joy and love was given to all. Alfredo, you teaching and cuisine is second to none. Wonderful sights and tastes. A fantastic learning and cultural opportunity. We will treasure this day , our 20th wedding anniversary because you made it. Love and best wishes to you both and your beautiful neighbours. Alan and Jo Inglis-Faulkner

Cecilia breaths passion for Italian food; I really enjoyed this workshop and I have learned lot's of things about Italian food (brusschetta, fresh pasta pomodoro and tiramisu). Thanks Cecilia!

Cecilia is a wonderful hostess and fantastic cook! We enjoyed every minute of our experience! I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a home cooked meal in a local’s home!

We had a wonderful evening with Cecilia learning to make fresh egg pasta, spinach and ricotta ravioli, and tiramisu. Cecilia welcomed us into her lovely home, and she both entertained and educated us on the art of Italian cooking. Everything was delicious, and we all left confident that we will be able to recreate these dishes at home. Thanks for a great night! We highly recommend this experience!

This experience was great! I was welcomed into the home of the cutest couple that were so warm and welcoming. Definitely would do again next time I am here.

My family of four were hosted by Lucrezia and Christina for a private pasta-making class and the experience was magical. The setting, an old farmhouse nestled into the Tuscan vineyards that provided our wine for the evening, was breathtaking. Lucrezia was warm and welcoming, and both she and Christina were excellent instructors. We gathered our ingredients from the property’s garden and then made two types of bruschetta, a zucchini salad, two types of pasta, and tiramisu for dessert. Lucrezia and Christina kept all of us engaged, laughing and learning the whole way through. Highly recommend this experience!

We recently visited Italy with our two grown daughters and their husbands and of all our experiences in all of the places we visited, our cooking class in the home of Maria Cristina was one of our favorites. Since we had 6 people, Maria Cristina and her husband, Marco, picked us up in town and drove us out into the country outside of Florence to their beautifully restored farm house that was originally built in the 1300’s. They were so welcoming and Maria Cristina got to work teaching us how to make a traditional Italian meal including homemade pasta and fresh sauce, bruschetta, roast pork with a prune sauce and tiramisu for dessert. It was delicious and we had so much fun helping and learning together. Over dinner, Marco gave us a history lesson about some of the effects of WWII in the area. They are such a warm and welcoming couple and we truly felt like we had just had dinner at a good friend’s home. I would highly recommend adding this experience to any visit to Florence. Sincerely , Karen & Kevin Londeen -and family.

I would highly recommend this option if you are looking for a cooking class! It was SO much more than a cooking class! It was very personal and so lovely to spend time with our host. She welcomed us into her beautiful home just outside the city. We visited in her living room for a bit just to get to know each other and I instantly fell in love with our host. She was so informative and shared fun stories about life in Italy. We then moved to the kitchen and made tiramisu and pasta, drank wine and enjoyed treats. Once the meal was ready we all sat at her dining room table overlooking the city and ate a meal together while we shared more stories. It felt so personal and perfect, as it was just me, my daughter and our host. It felt more like having lunch with a friend, all the while experiencing more than just good food! I would absolutely not only recommend, but encourage this activity. It was wonderful and a highlight of our trip!

Cooking and dining with Cecelia was the highlight of our family’s trip to Italy. To be invited into her kitchen and learn to make ravioli and tiramisu was a treat. Cecelia is a warm and welcoming host and teacher and to enjoy our own handiwork over a bottle of Chianti while overlooking Florence was unforgettable. This is a perfect way to spend a night in Italy.

We had a wonderful time! We really enjoyed speaking with our host, learning traditional Italian pasta dishes, and eating the delicious meal. (It honestly may have been some of the best pasta we tried in Venice...) Loved it so much, we purchased a pasta machine for use at home to carry on what we learned!

My daughter aged 6 and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Cesarine and her husband were great at instructing and involving my daughter in the cooking. A great one of a kind experience.