Join us in Venice hands-on cooking classes, a Rialto market tour and an unforgettable Bacaro Tour with your private guide taking you into the historic cafes for a taste of cicchetti and a glass of ombra, wine.
As featured in 
June 2012 – Click here to read more!
Venice is a magical place where where food and culture mesmerise – gondolas glide along narrow canals and festive Carnival masks are everywhere. The Rialto market, dating back to the ninth century, bustles with venders selling fish, fruits and vegetables, artisan cheese, herbs, bread and wine. It’s a food lover’s dream where Old World tradition blends with modern innovation. There’s ancient art, literature, and opera. Our English-speaking guides and hosts, Sara and Daniela, welcome you to Venice and share their stories, monuments, tours and tastings. Get ready to cook and explore, and fall in love with Venice.
Venetian Cooking Classes
In the kitchen, Chefs Enzo and Vittorio will teach you the best of Venetian cooking in hands-on cooking classes spanning ingredients from the Renaissance to today. You will learn the traditions and technique using farm-to-table products and produce from the Rialto Market. Fresh fish, meat, fruit, vegetables and produce are used to make antipasto, fresh pasta and sauces, risotto, main courses and desserts. Learn how to make peperonata, a local antipasto with red pepper, capers and olives, creamy risotto, or sea bass and artichokes. You will learn how to make Venetian desserts such as zaletti and bussole, biscotti. Tie on your apron and get ready for a splendid cooking experience with Chef Enzo and Vittorio in their Venetian kitchen!
Venice’s Menus
Cooking Class menus vary by season, a sampler includes:
Seafood Menu
Seasonal vegetables sautéed and served with sea salt, herbs & olive oil
Risotto with shrimp and artichokes
Fresh sea bass encrusted in a bed of sea salt and slow baked
Venetian-style Tiramisu’
Meat-Based Menu
Venetian flan finished with a creamy cheese sauce
Risotto with mushrooms served with homemade sausage
Tenderloin encrusted with herbs
Creamy warm custard drizzled with Marsala wine and served with Baicoli biscotti
Fresh Pasta Menu
Venetian pasta served in a light tomato sauce with Parmesan cheese
Potato gnocchi with a duck sauce ragù
Fresh hand-made ravioli stuffed with fresh spinach, Ricotta,
Mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and sautéed in sage butter
Mixed seasonal salad with fresh fruit, walnuts & extra virgin olive oil
Fresh fruit bavaroise
Menus vary using the highest quality ingredients available at the Rialto Market, and can be tailored to accommodate diet requests and allergies.
Venice Accommodations
Live like a Venetian and step back in time at the privately-owned 4 star hotel in the heart of Venice. The hotel, a 17th century villa property nestled on a quiet waterway just off the Grand Canal, is a very short walk from the Accademia Bridge and vaporetto stop. Check in to your lovely and spacious bedroom furnished with Venetian antiques, beautiful linens, and modern comforts such as air conditioning, mini bar, international TV, private ensuite bath, and in-room wireless internet. A friendly and professional staff is at your service and ready to answer any questions and help you during your stay. An expansive daily breakfast with Venetian cakes, biscotti, fresh fruit, eggs, artisan bread, yogurt, ham, cheese, cappuccino, tea and fresh fruit juices is served in the elegant breakfast room overlooking the garden and waterway. Following breakfast, step outside and stroll along the canal where artisan shops, bookshops, wine bars, museums are conveniently located. The 4-star villa hotel is set in one of the most beautiful areas of Venice.
Rialto Market
Venice’s famous Rialto Market is a bustling place starting at dawn. Venders sail up from their barges, unload their products and set up their stands for what becomes a colorful scene of buyers, sellers and spectators – examining and negotiating between crates and stands. Fish is famous in Venice, along with farm-to-table fruit, vegetables and produce, herbs, spices, fruits and more. This is a landmark marketplace that has been in existence since 1097 with the same generation of established merchants shouting out their specials of the day.
The Campo Margherita
The Campo Margherita is a vibrant and welcoming place and the heart of the Dorsoduro district. The Campo takes its name from the Church of Saint Margherita, dating back to the 9th century. Surrounded by ancient buildings, today it is home to caffés, bookshops, wine bars, and artisan shops. The Campo wakes each morning with an outdoor market where locals vie for the best flower, fish, vegetable and fruit vendors. Caffés pepper the piazza where you can dine on breakfast to lunch, afternoon coffee and late night dinner and drinks.
The Accademia Museum
The perfect ending to any day is a visit to the Accademia, home to a collection of Venetian paintings from Veneto, as well as from the Byzantine and Gothic fourteenth century. There is a beautiful collection of Renaissance art from Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto and Tiziano to Gianbattista Tiepolo and Vedutisti. A must on every guest’s visit!!!
Itinerary ~ 4 days, 3 nights
Day 1: Arrival & Chef’s Tasting Dinner
- Arrival to Venice at the train station. Meet your Captain for a water taxi transfer to the hotel. Check in, relax and enjoy your welcome Prosecco.
- Later in the evening, enjoy your Chef’s Welcome Dinner featuring local fare of antipasto, pasta, main course and dessert. Wine & beverages are not included.
Day 2: Rialto Market Tour & Cooking Class
- Breakfast is served.
- Explore the best of culinary Venice with your Chef as you discover the Rialto Market. The Rialto Market is a historic place where venders have been selling their fruits, vegetables, fish, artisan cheese, wine and bread since the 9th century. Learn about the local cuisine as you discover its history and products.
- After the market visit, head into the kitchen for your hands-on cooking class 2 preparing an antipasto, fresh pasta or risotto, main course and dessert. Following the cooking class, everyone enjoys the food that was prepared in the cooking class. Wine, water and dessert included.
- Afternoon free, suggestion: visit Saint Mark’s Square, Saint Mark’s Cathedral and Palazzo Ducale on your own. Or, you may choose to add-on a 2-hour guided tour for an in-depth look into the famous square.
- Dinner on your own, suggestions provided.
Day 3: Food Loving – Cicchetti & Vini – Venetian Bacaro Tour
- Breakfast is served.
- Morning free. We suggest to visit the Accademia Museum: After lunch a few steps will lead you to the Accademia. The Accademia Galleries is located in the prestigious center of the Scuola Grande of Santa Maria della Carità. The church of Santa Maria and the monastery of the Canonici Lateranensi, built by Andrea Palladio, are integral parts of the Accademia. This world-class museum houses the most precious masterpieces in Venice including a very important collection of Venetian paintings spanning the Bizantine and Gothic 14th century to the Renaissance, Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto, and Tiziano until Gianbattista Tiepolo and the Vedutisti of the 18th century, Canaletto, Guardi, Bellotto, Longhi. English-speaking guided tour available upon request, guide’s fee not included.
- In the afternoon, meet your guide for your Bacaro Tour. This walking tour includes a 3-hour stroll through Venice with stops in historical bacari, the typical Venetian bars, where cicchetti, small bites and ombra, wine, are served, This tour explores the tradition of the aperitivo in Venice in relaxing stroll, with wine and tastings included along with our English-speaking guide who shares history, food notes and delicious food and wine with you.
- Dinner is on your own.
Day 4: Departure
- Breakfast is served.
- Ciao – Arrivederci!
*Note: This schedule may vary due to inclement weather, saint days or festivals. All activities, in the event of rescheduling, are always included during the program.
Program Includes:
- 4 days, 3 nights in 4 Star boutique hotel set on a beautiful canal. A superior room with canal view is available upon request.
- Daily breakfast and maid service.
- Welcome Dinner including a Chef’s Tasting Dinner featuring a full course menu. Wine and beverages not included.
- 1 Hands-On Cooking Class including the preparation of a full course Venetian menu. Lunch follows and includes the food that was prepared in the cooking class with wine, water and dessert included.
- Rialto Market Tour with English-speaking guide.
- Bacaro cicchetti tour with food tastings and traditional Venetian wine included lead by our English-speaking guide.
- Cooking Vacations Welcome Bag with Chef’s apron, Prosecco and recipe booklet.
Program Prices
$2,125 per person, based on 2 guests, in 4 star boutique hotel set on a beautiful canal. Upgrade to a superior room with canal view is available upon request.
For Single Guests: If you are traveling on your own, please call us for the best group price. We are happy to welcome you into an already scheduled group.
Transfers to and from Venice Marco Polo Airport or the Venice Train Station, including a hostess to meet you and accompany you from the airport to to your hotel, are available at a surcharge. Please call us for pricing, as prices vary depending on the number of guests in your group. Please call us for pricing based on times, guests in your group and the amount of luggage.
*Supplement may apply during fair dates. An Italian visitor tax may apply in some cities and must be paid directly on site at check out.
2024 Dates: This program is available throughout the year.You can check in and start your cooking program any day of the week. Rates are subject to change based on currency exchange. Call for updated rates. Airfare not included. Group transfers for any cooking tour or tours that include transfers, are for the group and are not private. Transfers before, after or to another destination outside of your cooking tour are not included in the program price. If you would like to add on a private transfer or transfers, let us know and we will send you pricing.
