Rome Pizza & Gelato Class With Wine By Cooking Italy

It was a nice experience - fun and delicious as well. We can highly recommend it.

Perfecttt is crazy moment Patrick was awesome

Instructor was amazing-Valentina. But restaurants was unfriendly and noisy. Crew was cleaning up and mopping around us during class. they were very rude to cooking instructor !

Pizza and Gelato-Making Class in Rome - A Detailed Review This is a very detailed review because we want to share both the positive and negative aspects of our experience. Hopefully. For context, we had previously taken a pasta-making class in Florence, which was a much more hands-on experience. This is worth mentioning because it influenced our expectations for this second cooking class. 1. Welcome and Food Tastings The experience started around 10 minutes late because some participants arrived late. Once seated, we were offered several tastings: Prosecco, available to serve ourselves, a very old balsamic vinegar served with cheese, Focaccia, which was delicious, different sauces, including pesto, sun-dried tomato and truffle. We also received a small complimentary shot of limoncello at the end. These little extras were really appreciated and made the welcome very enjoyable. 2. Making the Gelato Unfortunately, this was one of the biggest disappointments. We were divided into four groups of four people. Each person was given a specific task: one person added the ingredients to the saucepan. This took about five seconds. Another removed the vanilla seeds from the pod and added them to the mixture. Again, about five seconds. A third person stirred the mixture throughout the process. The fourth person simply checked the temperature. Some tasks were extremely limited, and the overall participation was not particularly exciting. We then watched the instructors transfer the mixture for cooling, but we weren't involved in that step either. We would much rather have had one workstation per pair, since most participants had come in pairs. Each pair could then have prepared the entire mixture from start to finish, perhaps even making both flavours. All the mixtures could then have been combined for the next stages. This would have allowed everyone to handle the ingredients, understand the process and actually feel that they had made their own gelato. That's really the main issue: we felt like we didn't do gelato. We barely participated and just ate it at the end. 3. Making the Pizza The chef first explained some techniques, the quantities and the basics of pizza preparation. This was interesting. We then expected to prepare our own pizza dough. We understood that it needed 24 hours to rest and therefore couldn't be used for the pizza we would eat, but we thought we would at least get to mix the flour and water and work with the dough ourselves. Unfortunately, that wasn't part of the class. We were taken to the kitchen, where ready-made dough was waiting for us. We got to practise stretching the dough using the techniques demonstrated by the chef, and then add our toppings. We had approximately one minute to complete these steps before putting the pizza in the oven. The pizzas were then cooked in just two or three minutes. It was nice to stretch and top our own pizzas, but we would really have liked to do more. We completely understand that pizza dough needs 24 hours to rest and that the dough we prepared during the class couldn't be used for our meal. However, that shouldn't have prevented us from making it ourselves, just to practice at least. Ideally, each pair could have been given the ingredients to prepare their own dough from scratch, mixing the flour and water and learning how to work it. Once finished, the instructor could simply have explained that the dough needed 24 hours to rest and provided us with ready-made dough to prepare our pizzas. That way, we would actually have learned how to make pizza dough while still getting to stretch, top and eat our own pizzas. Instead, we mainly felt like we were decorating a pizza that had already been prepared for us. 4. Communication and Organisation The group was divided into two groups of 8 people. The person supervising our group mainly spoke Spanish with the other participants, even though the experience was advertised as being in English. We found this quite confusing and uncomfortable. Not everyone spoke Spanish, so the explanations should have been given in English to ensure that everyone could follow the class equally. 5. Food and Other Extras As far as the food itself is concerned, we have no complaints! The pizzas were good, and the gelato, which was ready by the time we finished, was also delicious. We also appreciated being able to take our leftover pizza home. They provided us with a pizza box, which was a nice and practical touch. Finally, the lady who introduced the experience was lovely, friendly and always smiling. A real positive point for the welcome and overall atmosphere. 6. Value for Money This is where our main disappointment comes from. For €35 per person, we expected a proper pizza and gelato-making experience, with active participation in the different stages. Instead, our involvement in making the gelato was extremely limited. For the pizza, we mainly stretched ready-made dough and added the toppings. By comparison, our pasta-making class in Florence, we were involved in almost the entire process: mixing the eggs and flour, preparing and rolling the dough, cutting and shaping the pasta, preparing the fillings and making the ravioli. We genuinely made our pasta from scratch. We also prepared the cheese mixtures and fillings ourselves. Of course, some preparations, such as the sauces or the meat ragù, were made collectively by the instructors. That's completely understandable given the limited time available. However, everything that could reasonably be prepared individually or in pairs was done by the participants. That's exactly what we missed here. Honestly, we felt that we barely did any actual cooking. We didn't expect to do absolutely everything, but we did expect to make our own pizza dough and actually prepare the gelato. After all, that's what makes a cooking class different from simply paying for a meal. Final Thoughts There were definitely some good aspects: the food tastings were excellent, the welcome was very pleasant, the staff were friendly, and both the pizzas and gelato tasted great. Being able to take leftover pizza home was another nice touch. However, we were disappointed by the lack of hands-on participation and some organisational issues. Our recommendation: If you simply want to enjoy a pleasant activity, discover a few techniques, enjoy some food tastings and eat good pizza and gelato, this experience might suit you. However, if you're looking for a proper cooking class where you actually learn to prepare everything from scratch, you might be disappointed.

Miguel was the best. Pizza and the gelatro were delicious 👍😃

Miguele was AMAZING! i had the best time, and the wine was amazing

This was a really fun cooking class. Michele and the team were great. We would definitely recommend this experience .

Francy was an amazing hostess for our pizza making class. Her energy was contagious and she showed us all a great time. Plus the food was delicious

Very good experience and chef

this was really fun low-key experience with a nice small group

Michelano was the perfect host. This was the most wholesome and fun activity I have experienced. You will not be disappointed and you will make a memory you will always remember.

Amazing class! Our instructor was so amazing and fun. I went with my dad and had an amazing time. So many drinks and good laughs! Free shot at the end. Definitely worth it.

Very speciall class!! Thank you for all the share of knowlodge

Michele and his team were amazing! Fun and filling experience. Great location and delicious food. Highly recommend!

Amazing two and a half hours with Ele and chefs. I was with my granddaughter and great granddaughter aged four who was given special attention . Wine and drinks that were served added to the experience as well as some extra tastings .

We had a fantastic time at the Cooking Italy Pizza Making & Gelato Class with our two kids! They absolutely loved the experience. It was wonderful to see them getting hands-on, making their own pizzas and learning how to create delicious pizza dough and tasty gelato from scratch. The class was fun, engaging and a great experience for both adults and children. Valeria was brilliant, and Dino was equally fantastic – both made the experience enjoyable, welcoming and memorable. A brilliant family activity that we would highly recommend to anyone visiting Italy. The kids loved every minute of it!

Michel is a wonderful hostess. We helped make our GameStop and learned to make pizza. It was a great family experience

I've never been so full after a cooking class. It was such a fun experience and they kept the food and drinks flowing throughout.

We absolutely loved this cooking class! We were traveling through Italy as a multigenerational family of nine, ranging in age from 15 to 80, and this was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! Our instructor, Matt, was fantastic! He was young, enthusiastic, friendly, and did such a great job engaging everyone in the process. There was also a wonderful couple on their honeymoon in our class, and we had so much fun getting to know them and sharing the experience together. The class was very hands-on, which we really appreciated. Everyone made their own individual tiramisu, and we all participated in preparing and kneading the pizza dough. Matt walked us through each step and made sure everyone knew what they were doing. One of the things I found especially interesting was learning about the importance of letting pizza dough rest, often overnight, rather than making it and immediately using it. Matt explained how this process can make the dough easier to digest and help reduce that bloated feeling afterward. It was fun to learn something new while making our own pizzas! Since the dough needs time to rest, we used dough that had already been prepared for the pizzas we would actually eat. Everyone got to make their own, and there was plenty of laughter as we tried stretching and twirling the dough on our fingers and fists like the professionals. Let's just say two members of our group got a little too enthusiastic and needed a professional to rescue their dough and finish stretching it for them. And no, I wasn't one of them! There was a great selection of toppings to choose from, including pepperoni, prosciutto, mushrooms, olives, artichokes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. Everyone could personalize their pizza with their favorite ingredients, which made the experience even more fun. And the pizza was absolutely delicious! For several members of our family, it was their favorite pizza of our entire Italy trip. The others ranked it second only to a pizza place we discovered in Florence, which is saying something because we ate a lot of pizza during our travels! The wine was also very generous, with a choice of sparkling white, white, or red, and it flowed throughout the experience. What made this class so special was how much fun we all had together. Between learning new techniques, laughing at ourselves, enjoying great food and wine, and getting to know the other couple, it was such an enjoyable evening. We did two cooking classes during our Italy trip, one in Venice and this one in Rome, and they ended up being our family's favorite experiences! I would highly recommend this class, especially for families or groups traveling together. It was fun, interactive, delicious, and a wonderful way to spend an evening in Rome. Thank you, Matt, for such a fantastic experience!

This experience was incredibly organized and well thought out to ensure guests were engaged at all times. While Valeria was hard for me to understand at times as she talked very quickly, she was energetic and absolutely adorable. Her enthusiasm was such fun! The chef who explained how to knead the dough and form the pizza was easy to understand and gave great directions. All those who helped were very kind and answered all questions with patience and knowledge. The drinks were flowing and all who worked at Cooking Italy made the experience engaging and such a great time! I highly recommend this cooking experience!

We really had a great afternoon with Valeria and her crew and made some new friends! We love these cooking classes, always a hit! The staff was helpful and we learned so much. We asked many questions and really feel like we can make pizza at home. Now I want gelato machine! The wine was very good and we tried some apps too. We were tired from walking and this was a fun way to spend the day and have a filling meal.

Fantastic experience and exceptional value for money. Would highly recommend. Make sure you go with an appetite as there’s so much food!

So much fun with great instructor!

We absolutely loved our Pizza & Tiramisù cooking class with Mattia at Cooking Italy. It was the highlight of the trip for our 8-year-old daughter, who had been looking forward to making real Italian pizza, and it more than lived up to her expectations. Mattia was brilliant: friendly, funny and so patient, explaining every step clearly and making sure everyone, children and adults alike, got properly hands-on with kneading, stretching and topping their own pizzas. The tiramisù was a real treat too, and we’ve already promised to make it again at home. The atmosphere was relaxed and great fun, and eating the pizzas we’d made ourselves, followed by our own tiramisù, was a perfect way to end the evening. Excellent value, wonderful food and a genuinely memorable experience. We’d highly recommend this class to families and anyone visiting Rome. Grazie mille, Mattia!

Great experience. A relaxing way to spend a morning.

We had so much fun! The guide/Chef was informative, funny and every engaging!

Valeria is a great storyteller—very energetic and to the point. Dino - perfect master of pizza

Enjoy the experience of making the pizza and gelato. We had left a jacket behind on the bench so when they cleaned up, I wish they have called and informed us right away so we could have came back for the jacket. When we relieved went back to get it, they said they never saw it. Very disappointing.

Het was fantastisch, Valeria en Marco waren super enthousiast

Valeria and her fellow coworkers that made this experience unforgettable was the best! We brought our 10 month old and she absolutely enjoyed every moment as well.. my husband and I took turns holding her whilst we each created the pizza or the gelato, and it was just the most delicious experience — better than one’s we’ve already bought at a restaurant!!! 10/10 would recommend to do again 😍☺️

AMAZING ! From the minute you walk in to the minute you walk out was phenomenal. Both host were great and the energy in this place was incredible. Nothing but smiles and laughter. So worth it. Please if you’re in the area book a class with them you won’t regret it or be disappointed.

Fantastically fun time. Met very lovely people and so enjoyed this upbeat cooking experience! Highly recommend it!

What a fun experience! The staff made it fun for our family and we learned a lot. They served appetizers between making our dishes and served wine and sodas! It was well organized and the food was delicious!

The entire experience was amazing, make so many new friends here❤️ Learnt how to make a pizza with the best team, thank you Valeria, marco, Dino & Devaaaa 🫶🏻

It was educational and very fun over all experience as well! Something everyone should try at least once, also a good way to meet some new people.

We had an incredible guide, Patrick, who was engaging and sweet and also told us some extra history while we were making the food. Everything we ate was delicious and we’d highly recommend it to other people!

Franny(Francesca) best pizza making teacher. Her group Danny Marco best energy. They keep you engaged & full of information. Must do while in Rome for authentic pizza.

Nice enjoyable evening. No rush, made gelato and pizza then had time to eat and talk. Pizza toppings were varied so could customize pizza.

Valéria was the best ! Really enthousiaste and fun 🌞 really good pizza and gelatos !! Thanks you for this italian expérience 🇮🇹

We had the most experience with Mat!! It was perfect, everything was better than we anticipated. He was so knowledgeable and personable!! Mat is a treasure and everyone should book him anytime they’re in Rome!!

We had a lot of fun making pizza and Gelato with Francy, Greta and Marco. If you are traveling with kids its a family fun event. Our son is 9 and loved it.

Thanks to Francy, Gaetan and Marco

Cooking class making pizza and tiramisu was excellent The chef was young and friendly and knowledgeable and amazing Location in a beautiful restaurant was great too but it had some electrical issues due to a water leak and the chef spent the first 30 min trying to get that resolved Overall Great Food and excellent experience

Our tour guide Siri was the best.

It was a lovely experience and we had so much fun. It was so good planed from start to end. Francy, Kalim and Ayub were great and kind. Would love to do this again and I really recommend everyone to go to their class.

It was fantastic from start to finish! Super nice people with fantastic passion made our night memorable! Thank you Francy, Karim Ayub and CO!

Great evening with the hosts Francy,kalim and ayub

Martino was amazing. Our 6 and 9 yr old grandchildren loved the experience. The staff was friendly, accommodating and very engaged. We highly recommend this wonderful cooking experience for the family

Matt was lovely, we had a great time and made beautiful food