FF14 · Italy · day tour, 4.5 hours · easy pace
A market walk in the Quadrilatero, then sfoglia, tagliatelle and tortellini by hand
From $175 per person (adults 18 and over)
Questions? [email protected], Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:30 Eastern. Booking terms
Rolling egg pasta, Bologna
Overview
A morning walk through the medieval food lanes of the Quadrilatero, with mortadella, Parmigiano and a coffee at the bar, then a hands-on class in a cooking school kitchen where you roll sfoglia by hand, cut tagliatelle and fold tortellini, and sit down to eat them for lunch.
In Bologna fresh pasta is made with two things, soft wheat flour and eggs, and a lot of practice. The women who roll it by hand for shops and restaurants are called sfogline, and a good one can roll a sheet so thin you can read through it. This class puts the long rolling pin in your hands, with a sfoglina beside you.
It starts with an hour in the Quadrilatero, the lanes off Piazza Maggiore that have sold food since the Middle Ages, to see the ingredients and taste mortadella, aged Parmigiano and balsamic. Then a ten-minute walk to the kitchen, about two and a half hours of rolling, cutting and folding, and lunch at a long table: tagliatelle al ragù and tortellini, with a glass of Lambrusco or Pignoletto. The class runs Monday to Saturday with up to 12 guests, and nobody needs any experience.
More on the destination: Emilia-Romagna: Bologna, Modena and Parma food tours. Tour categories: Cooking Classes, City Food Walks.
Read first: Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto and balsamic labels explained
What you will taste
Six stops, tasting portions that add up to a full lunch. The exact dishes follow the season and what each kitchen has that morning.
Itinerary
The walk in order, with about ten minutes on foot between stops. The exact dishes follow the season and what the kitchens have that morning.
Stop1
Meet at 9:30 by the Neptune Fountain. Giulia or another local host explains the plan, the porticoes and why Bologna is called la Grassa, the fat one.
Stop2
Into the Quadrilatero along the old fish lane, with stalls of fruit, vegetables and fish under the awnings. What is in season, and what goes into a proper ragù.
Stop3
A salumeria slices mortadella Bologna paper thin and cuts Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months, with a few drops of traditional balsamic from Modena.
Stop4
An espresso or cappuccino standing at the counter, the way Bologna takes it, or a slice of rice cake, the local torta di riso.
Stop5
A ten-minute walk to the cooking school kitchen. Each guest makes a well of flour, works in the eggs, kneads, rests the dough and rolls it with the long pin into a thin, even sheet, then rolls and cuts it into tagliatelle.
Stop6
The sfoglina shows how to cut small squares, add a dab of filling of pork loin, prosciutto, mortadella, Parmigiano and nutmeg, and fold each one around a finger. Everyone makes a tray.
Stop7
Tagliatelle al ragù and the tortellini, in broth or with butter and sage, with a glass of Lambrusco or Pignoletto for guests 18 and over. The class ends around 2 pm, with recipes by email.
Photographs
The walk
The Neptune Fountain, Piazza Maggiore. The class ends at the cooking school kitchen, a ten-minute walk from Piazza Maggiore, a short walk or ride from most hotels.
The exact address comes with your confirmation. Please arrive ten minutes early; we start on time.
What the price covers
One price covers every tasting on the walk (tastings on the walk and a full lunch), the drinks listed for guests 18 and over, a non-alcoholic option at each stop and your host.
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Tell Lena about allergies, diets or mobility needs before you book, and we will say honestly whether this tour suits you.
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The full price is paid when you book, by card. Cancel up to 72 hours before the start for a full refund, or move to another date free of charge.
Dates and prices
8 upcoming dates, 12 seats each, per person; the walk also runs on other days, so ask if yours is not listed.
| Date | Length | Price | Status | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 hours | $175 | Few seats | Ask about this date | |
| 4.5 hours | $175 | Few seats | Ask about this date | |
| 4.5 hours | $175 | Few seats | Ask about this date | |
| 4.5 hours | $175 | Guaranteed | Ask about this date | |
| 4.5 hours | $175 | Available | Ask about this date | |
| 4.5 hours | $175 | Sold out | Join the waitlist | |
| 4.5 hours | $175 | Available | Ask about this date | |
| 4.5 hours | $175 | Available | Ask about this date | |
| Private date, 6 or more guests | 4.5 hours | Priced per group | Your dates | Plan with Grant |
Guaranteed means the date runs: at least five guests have booked. Few seats means three or fewer seats are left. A deal price is shown next to the regular price.
Price per person, paid when you book; free cancellation up to 72 hours before the start. Booking terms
Before you book
Questions about this tour
General questions on booking, flights, insurance and luggage are on the main FAQ page.
Ask Lena directly
Lena Ortiz in reservations replies within one working day, Monday to Friday.
No. The sfoglina works with each guest at the board. Your first sheet will tear, and that is part of learning.
Vegetarians fill their tortellini with ricotta and herbs and eat tagliatelle with butter and sage; tell us when you book. Fresh pasta is wheat, so the class cannot be made gluten-free.
Monday to Saturday, all year. On Sunday most shops in the Quadrilatero are closed, so we do not run the walk.
Yes. The six-day Emilia-Romagna tour includes this class, plus Modena balsamic, a Parmigiano dairy and the ham hills of Langhirano.
Yes. About a third of our guests travel solo. A day tour has no room, so there is no supplement.
Tell Lena when you book. Vegetarian, pescatarian and gluten-free versions are arranged with every kitchen before you arrive; for severe allergies we tell you honestly which stops we can and cannot make safe.
Day tours can be cancelled free up to 72 hours before the start, or moved to another date.
Tips are welcome but never expected. Guests who want a guideline usually give 10 to 15 US dollars, or the same in local money, per person for a day walk, or per person per day on a multi-day tour; restaurant tips on included meals are already paid.
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Dates and seats
Tell us the tour, the date and how many of you are coming. Lena Ortiz in reservations replies within one working day with seats, the total price and any questions about dietary needs.
Lena, Grant and Priya, Charleston
SubjectBologna Pasta Class and Market Walk: dates and seats
Please include
Lena Ortiz in reservations replies within one working day. No payment now. A $300 deposit per person holds seats on a multi-day tour; day tours are paid when you book.
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