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Venice-Along The Grand Canal To Saint Mark's Square™

Kids Cooking In Venice ~ 5 Days

Venice is a magical place for kids and families alike and this tour will have your family creating memories that will last a lifetime.  Hop on a gondolas, create your very own Carnival mask, and tie on your apron for hands-on cooking classes.  You will visit the Rialto market, dating back to the ninth century, which bustles with venders selling fish, fruits and vegetables, artisan cheese, herbs, bread and wine.  Visit Saint Marks Square, and taste your way to the many gelato shops for the very best ice-cream on the planet.  It’s a food lover’s dream that both kids and families will enjoy!

Cooking Classes

Join Chefs Enzo and Vittorio in our kids hands-on cooking class in Venice! Learn how to make antipasto, stuffed squash flowers, handmade pasta, seafood risotto, stuffed ravioli, Venetian sea bass, and delicious biscotti such as baicoli.  Cooking classes are interactive with everyone participating – slicing, dicing, rolling out pasta and making desserts.  Then, everyone dines together on the food that was prepared in the class.  Wine and soft drinks included.

You will learn Venetian cooking traditions and technique using farm-to-table fruit, vegetables, produce, fish and meat from the Rialto Market.  Classes are fun and educational, with each class geared toward the children’s age and ability.  Groups are kept small, 2, 4, 6 or 8 guests in the kitchen at one time.  Tie on your aprons and get ready for a splendid authentic experience with in our 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 – Kids Walking Tour & Ice Cream Tasting

The educational and fun tour offers kids, ages  7 to 10, facts and stories about Venice – the gondolas, its many bridges and masks.  Our English-speaking guide tells about art and history in a fun way.  With a beautiful booklet drawn by the guide and the support of pencils and colors,  this interactive tour will answer questions and let kids enjoy the sense of freedom in a town without cars.  So many sculptures and statues tell us about a glorious past as we walk through Venice.  Adults, will enjoy the walking tour and learn many things, too.  The tour ends in St Mark’s square, and children will be treated with a creamy gelato.  Duration: 2 hours.  The tour is tailored accordingly to different children’s age group.s

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!!!

Murano – Glassmaking & Burano – Lacemaking

Murano, the closest Island to the main land, is the most famous of the Venetian Islands and noted for its artisan hand-blown glass. Venetians have been making crystal and glass here since the 10th Century – when the merchants of Venice brought back the secrets of glass production from the East. Murano is home to several famous glass producers who carry on the tradition of making Murano glass chandeliers, vases and glasses.  The Island of Burano, the most picturesque of Venetian Islands, is known for its famous artisan lace makers.  Small shops where Venetian woman still produce this precious lace line the canal.  It’s a magical island that is also noted for its brightly painted houses built on the lagoon.  Take time for lunch in any one of the quaint trattorias.

Itinerary ~ 5 days, 4 nights

Day 1: Arrival & Family Welcome 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 for adults and soft drink for children at the hotel.
  • Later in the evening, enjoy your Chef’s welcome dinner featuring a tasting menu of antipasto, pasta, main course and dessert. Wine & beverages are not included.

Day 2: Rialto Market Tour & Cooking Class 1

  • 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.  You may add-on a 2-hour guided tour of Saint Marco’s square and area.  Please ask us for your requested time to reserve.
  • Dinner on your own, suggestions provided.

Day 3: Trip to Murano & Glass Blowing Workshop

  • Breakfast is served.
  • This special Murano tour includes a boat trip to Murano for glassblowing and then to Burano for lacemaking.  Sail to Murano and visit the world’s most prized glass artisans. Artisan glass blowers transform glass into beautiful art pieces. Meet your host on the island for a tour of a family-owned Venetian glass workshop.   Learn the art of glass blowing and see the masters turn glass into art.  This tour includes a tour of the workshop and a demonstration of glass making.   After your tour, take time to stroll the main waterway, sip a caffè and sambuca, and shop for artisan creations of Murano glass.  The tour ends here and you can opt to stay on Murano for lunch, continue on to Burano or Torcello, and or return to Venice on your own aboard the public vaporetto, water bus.  Then, continue onto Burano known for the artisan lace, and the local speciality bussolai buranelli, Venetian biscotti.  5 hour tour.
  • Take time out to lunch on your own in any one of the quaint restaurants.
  • Return to the hotel.
  • Dinner on your own, suggestions provided..

Day 4: Cooking Class 2 & Venetian Mask-Making

  • Breakfast is served.
  • Return to the kitchen for hands-onCooking Class 2 to create a full menu from appetizer to dessert, with lots of lessons in history, techniques and nutrition for the kids. Lunch follows with the foods prepared in class. A toast of wine for the adults, water and dessert included.
  • After the cooking class, meet your host for a Venetian mask making class.  This incredible experience takes you into the workshop of a renowned Venetian mask-maker for a kid-friendly discussion and historical look at the Venetian mask.  Learn how the artisan mask was born, the steps needed to create a mask, and the stories and myths behind the masks of Carnevale and Venetian commedie dell’arte.  After your presentation, you will decorate your own mask!  Paint and decorate your mask of choice with an amazing selection of ribbons, feathers, crystals, beads and more. This is the perfect keepsake from your family’s Venetian vacation!
  • Dinner on your own, suggestions provided.

Day 5: Departure

  • Breakfast is served.
  • Check out and departure transfer by water taxi.
  • 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:

  • 5 days, 4 nights in 4-star boutique hotel set on a beautiful canal, based on family classic room. Upgrade to Superior Room with Canal View at a surcharge.
  • Daily breakfast and maid service.
  • Chef’s Tasting Dinner on first night of arrival featuring local fare. Wine and beverages not included.
  • 1 cooking classes, followed by lunch or dinner on the foods prepared in class; wine, water and dessert included.
  • Rialto Market Tour with English-speaking guide.
  • Murano artisan glassblowing and Burano artisan lacemaking tour with boat included.
  • Kids Walking Tour & ice cream tasting
  • Venetian mask-making class and mask decoration.
  • Arrival and Departure transfers from Santa Lucia Train Station to the property.
  • Cooking Vacations welcome bag with Chef’s apron and Prosecco and soft drinks for the children.
Program Prices

$2,795 per person, based on 2 guests in 4-star boutique hotel set on a beautiful canal, based on family classic room. Upgrade to Superior Room with Canal View at a surcharge.

Kids 10 and under are half price based on 2 parents or adults in the cooking program in family room.

Transfers from Venice Marco Polo Airport, 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.  Porter service is not included, call us for prices.

*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.

Check Availability

2024 Dates: These programs is available throughout the year and cooking classes are held every day. 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.