VENICE COOKING CLASS
Join two local Venetian ladies in a private home in the countryside, just outside of Venice proper for a fun and relaxing, hands-on cooking class. During your half-day culinary experience, you will prepare a full Venetian menu, using only fresh, in-season ingredients from local purveyors, farms and their own garden.
Your four-and-one-half hour cooking lesson will begin with a visit to the local fruit and vegetable store, where you’ll shop for some ingredients for your class. Then you’ll head to the cook’s own kitchen to prepare your meal which will include an appetizer, first and second course and dessert, while enjoying each other’s company and learn about the art of Venetian cooking.
The recipes you prepare will be simple and include ingredients that you can find anywhere, so you will be able to recreate them back home.
After preparing your meal, you will sit down and enjoy your lunch, along with the wines that you sampled during your cooking lesson.
This is a small group class, no more than 6 people. A reservation doesn’t guarantee a private class.
COST:
€220 per person (2 person minimum)
CIAO VENEZIA! AN INTRO TO VENICE
Venice is unlike any other city. It’s a city on water with no cars, tons of footbridges, a labyrinth of mazes and interesting nooks and crannies. Having a personal on-site guide can help you navigate your way around and make the most of the little time you have in Venice.
Begin your 90 minute intro at a pre-determined location, perhaps at the perfect neighborhood cafe near your accommodations, where your guide will sit, chat and give you practical advice and an overview of Venice.
During your meeting your guide will teach you about Venice’s transportation options, the vaporetto and traghetto, and how to use them; give you dining suggestions, mark your map with locations of planned activities, point out interesting things to watch out for along the way, give insider tips and recommendations and answer any specific questions you have about Venice.
You’ll receive a detailed vaporetto guide and cheat sheet, a highlighted city map, and a Venice guide with hours, openings and current events. Finish up with a walk around your neighborhood to further orient you to the area.
COST:
VENICE WINE TASTING AT THE BACARO
Join your English-speaking sommelier at a bacaro, a local Venetian bar, known for their excellent wine selection, as she leads you through a 90 minute fun and informative lesson on Italian wines.
Your tasting is designed to introduce you to the Italian wine regions, native varieties, and terroirs that combine to produce some of the most delightful and interesting wines in Italy. The focus is on distinctive wines from small producers, chosen specifically for their quality and diversity.
Together, you will sample five different wines, all hand-selected according to season or theme, which will be accompanied by typical Venetian antipasti, cichetti, which will marry perfectly with your wine selections.
As you taste, you’ll also learn how to choose the best Italian wines both as you travel, and once you’re back home. You’ll leave with materials for remembering the wines you experienced during your tasting so that you can easily enjoy experimenting with finding your favorites!
COST:
2-4 people € 65 per person(includes wine and cichetti)
PRIVATE ROWING LESSON IN VENICE
Join two local English-speaking guides as you experience the time-honored tradition and artisan world of voga (Venetian rowing). Together, you’ll board your guide’s personal flat-bottomed wooden boat, know as a batela, for a truly unique and authentic experience.
During your 3 hour lesson, you’ll learn about boating and boat making traditions from a passionate and experienced member of the voga community while rowing over the quiet and scenic back canals of Venice.
While Nan is rowing, Anna, a true Venetian whose family dates back to the 1700’s, will captivate you with her wealth of stories about Venice – its history, architecture, culture – or whatever your pleasure. Each member of your party will get the chance to row if they wish.
This isn’t your typical touristy gondola tour; it’s a hands-on lesson that will teach you how real Venetians row, show you parts of Venice, far off-the-beaten-path, that gondolas just don’t take you to, all while learning secrets of Venice from a local that few get to hear.
And in true Venetian fashion, your tour will include a stop at a local bacaro to enjoy un ombra e chiceto – little bites of food and a glass of wine, in Venetian dialect. A 30 minute visit to the local Squero (historic boatyard) can be added to the tour for an additional € 30.
“The tour was fascinating and a lot of fun. We loved hearing about the boats, the politics, the people from true locals. This was one of the special memories of the whole trip.” – Ross Hosking
COST:
1 – 4 people € 330 (includes wine and cichetti)
- Don’t see the type of tour you’re looking for? I can custom design a tour of Venice, arrange private guides, transfers and more. Get in touch by filling out the contact form. I’d love to hear from you.