Pasta Making Class in Rome
Is it Worth it?
Is there anything truly better than homemade pasta? What about homemade pasta in the heart of Italy with a glass of Prosecco…with a heaping serving of tiramisu for dessert? On our recent trip to Italy with two of our closest friends, we made a last-minute decision to add this experience to our plans for the week and we are spilling all the details below!
Why last minute? Welllllll… I have a really difficult time spending gift cards. For some reason, I always think a better opportunity may come along in the future to treat myself to whatever thing the gift card promises. So, naturally, I ALMOST let a Viator gift card expire before booking an experience just in the nick of time! What was that experience you ask? A pasta & tiramisu making class right in the heart of Italy. And, because the gift card was large enough, we even brought two of our dearest friends along on the experience with us!
Is a pasta making class in Italy worth the price tag? Or is it a touristy gimmick? We’re sharing all about our experience to help you decide whether or not this excursion may be a good addition to your Rome itinerary.
Our experience was not sponsored (we paid full price…at least on our gift card!), but this post does contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a small commission if you choose to book (at no additional cost to you).
Location
Our specific class was very close to Vatican City (though there are other options available in Trastevere & the City Center!), which was convenient for us, though we were a bit concerned that this would make it crowded or take away from the ambience of the experience. Luckily, this was not the case! The restaurant was tucked away from the main thoroughfares, making it convenient, but still a nice respite from the crowds!
This company partners with local restaurants, offering the classes at off times that helps maximize the restaurant’s space, while still providing the perfect environment for a cooking class.
The spot we met in was at a restaurant only two blocks from the Ottaviano metro stop, making it a convenient spot to access via public transit, as well.
The Food
Alright, alright. It’s the whole reason we’re here, right?! Let’s dive into the food situation in this experience…we’ll handle the logistics below!
Tiramisu: We began the class by making the tiramisu with the full group of ~20 people. This gave the dessert time to meld & chill while we were making, cooking, & eating our pastas! Our instructor did a fantastic job explaining each of the steps, pulling us in individually to participate in various parts of the process before we each crafted our own individual cup of delicious tiramisu.
Wine Break: Throughout the class, we were offered red wine & Prosecco to sip on throughout the class. We were warned that it might be difficult to manage our wine while making the pasta (they were right on this!), so we mostly saved the wine for our class break & our meal. The wine was free-flowing, though, and we each left the class having had several glasses of delicious Italian wine!
Pastas: After our short wine break, we moved over to the pasta-making tables where we each had a work station prepared for us. Our instructor taught us how to make two separate pastas
Fettucini: We rolled out the pasta, folded it, and rolled it out some more before cutting it into very, very long strands of delicious fettuccini! The pasta was sent to the kitchen & came back to us with a rich tomato basil sauce.
Ravioli: We rolled out the pasta, cut the individual ravioli pieces, stuffed them with a ricotta filling, and then sealed the ravioli before it was sent off to the chef to be finished off with a sage butter sauce (that I’m still dreaming about).
We had such a great time making (& eating!) this delicious pasta & while chatting with our table mates from ALL over the world. If this food sounds delicious to you, you can head over to Viator to book this experience!
What to Bring
There’s very little that you need to bring with you for this experience, but here are the few items you’ll need!
Tickets: Make sure you have your tickets accessible on your phone as you may have to show them at the front door of the restaurant.
Shoes: It really doesn’t matter what kind of shoes you have on, but make sure you wear something that you don’t mind getting dusted with a bit of flour!
Camera: The experience is fast-paced & your hands are often covered in pasta dough, but there are still a few great photo ops!
The Details
Here are a few of the other details of our experience:
Individualized Instruction: Our instructor was knowledgable, exuberant, and provided clear instructions that made the class easy to follow. After giving the general instructions for each step, she would walk by each of our workstations to give us specific feedback in order to help improve our pasta-making techniques and ensure we were reaching the right textures/levels of thinness. She definitely made the experience a great one!
Hygiene: Each member of the class waited in line to wash their hands at the start of class & we were all given a plastic apron to protect our clothes from flour and egg. While we made the tiramisu as a group (with a watchful eye of our instructor!), the pastas were separated by party. Everything was exceptionally hygienic!
Group Size: There were about 20 of us in the group. We were able to stay in our groups for both the pasta-making portion of the experience, as well as the eating portion! The dining seating was family-style (at long tables), so we were seated across from a couple from Homer, Alaska (where we recently visited!).
Cost: We booked through Viator where we paid $68 per person, but there are plenty of dates/times available for under $50 per person!
Time: Our class started at 10:30am and lasted for 3 hours from start to finish. It was plenty of time to get the instruction we needed and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Take Home Items: Each member of the class was given a recipe card with instructions for each of the dishes we made and we were offered take-home boxes for any leftover pastas - our group had a lot of pasta left!
To be honest, we just made homemade pasta this week and it took us straight back to this class in Rome. We weren’t sure what to expect, but the chef made it super easy & approachable from start to finish. We were so glad we booked the class!
Is it Worth It?
If you’re a pasta fan, I would say without hesitancy…yes! It’s worth it! We loved the experience, enjoyed learning from our instructor, and had the best time making & eating delicious pasta with some of our closest friends (while enjoying several glasses of Prosecco!).
Hopefully this sounds like a good fit for you & you’ve decided it will be the perfect addition to your Rome itinerary. If you’re ready to book the experience, you can book the pasta making class on Viator here!
This post, while not sponsored, does contain affiliate links! This means that if you choose to book the experience, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). I only recommend this experience because I enjoyed it myself!
