Without a doubt one of the most uniquely gratifying dining experiences of my life. Nestled in the hills of San Angelo you enter a garden kitchen where everything is picked right before it's cooked or it was caught that day. The pasta is handmade and every dish is prepared with Marianna with a big assist from her husband Franco. The feast is beyond compare. I can't say enough. From an antipasti of local cheeses and meats to black squid ink pasta to stuffed tomatoes to mussels and oh so much more you will simply eat until you break. The finest ingredients, lovingly prepared by wonderful Calabrians, you will be very happy that you decided to go with Tania and In Italy Tours.

Thanks, I loved it!!

Mike Colicchio, New Jersy, USA

Join us on one of the most popular cooking excursions here in Tropea as you absorb the captivating energy of a typical festive day of cooking and eating alla Calabrese!

Featured in the book ‘100 Places In Italy Every Woman Should Go’, this cooking experience embraces the heart and soul of Calabrian cuisine.

Your hosts Marianna and Franco will invite you to their country ‘casetta’ set in the tranquil hills above Tropea.

From here amidst the typically warm and friendly ambience, you’ll learn to prepare and cook some of the most famous local dishes of Tropea and experience the fun and laughter of a tour around Marianna and Franco’s magnificent vegetable garden while gathering the seasonal vegetables for your class.

When you have gathered your crop reward yourself with Franco’s home-made wine and taste some of the local salamis and cheeses produced in Calabria as Marianna shares her recipes, handed down from her grandmother’s kitchen.

During your time in her al-fresco kitchen she will teach you how to make the most well-loved local dishes of Tropea, such as ‘fileja’, which is the signature pasta of the the town. Other dishes might include her ‘crema di cipolla’ a slow cooked creamed onion dish made with the famously sweet red onions of Tropea, baked Tropean tomatoes and with her abundant selection of fresh meats and seafood, you’ll learn many traditional recipes for both pasta and main courses.

All recipes are carefully selected by Marianna using fresh seasonal ingredients.

By the time you’ve finished cooking, your table will be set for an incredible feast you can enjoy with an array of fantastic local cuisine and plenty of wine. You’ll dine together with Marianna in her lovely garden surrounded by olive and lemon trees.

A day cooking with Marianna is not only a wonderful chance to learn how to cook from the very soul of southern Italy, it is also an unforgettably fun day among friends.

Read our review from 100 places in Italy Every Woman Should Go by Susan Van Allen.

Price per person:

Contact us for prices.

Price includes:

• Transport to and from Tropea. If you are staying elsewhere we can arrange a car for return fare to and from Marianna’s kitchen at an extra charge.
• Tour of Franco’s garden with antipasto and wine during your time there.
• 4 hour hands on cooking class with Marianna.
• English speaking guide.
• Full course feast to share after class including local and DOC wines, dessert and Marianna’s homemade liqueurs.
• Recipe booklet.

Classes schedule

Morning classes start at 10.30 am during the spring and fall months or also in the evenings at 5.00 pm

During the warmer months of summer, evening classes are available which start at 5.30 pm.

Special group rates available by request from 4-6 people.

Contact us for further information or questions regarding cooking classes with Marianna