Cooking Classes

A culinary journey that guides you through the flavours our land has to offer. Together with Antonio and Sandra, you’ll be guided in preparing a traditional lunch using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. You’ll then sit down to enjoy the meal with a curated wine tasting led by Antonio, a passionate sommelier. To end on a beautiful Calabrian note, you’ll taste their sea-water amaro — Doctor Claudius by Spirito Alchemico — a unique liqueur that will leave you with a sweet memory to conclude your journey. Location: San Nicola Arcella, Calabria (5.3 km from Scalea ~ 6 minutes) Highlights: Cooking workshop (starter, first course, and dessert). Shared lunch. Wine tasting. Liqueur tasting (our own Calabrian amaro — Spirito Alchemico).

Join Antonio & Sandra in their professional kitchen at their restaurant I Carnali for an exclusive cooking class dedicated to preparing fresh gnocchi, a traditional sauce, and beloved Italian meatballs! You’ll be introduced to the secrets behind these iconic recipes and, once your culinary creations are ready, you’ll gather at the table to enjoy the delicious meal you’ve prepared — paired with an excellent glass of wine. Location: San Nicola Arcella, Calabria (5.3 km from Scalea ~ 6 minutes) Highlights: Cooking class of fresh pasta (gnocchi), traditional sauce & polpette (Italian meatballs). Lunch paired with a glass of wine.

Join Antonio & Sandra to discover the sweetness of the land as you harvest fresh figs and transform them into a delicious homemade jam. Together, you'll then prepare an exquisite dessert using figs — a rustic crostata — to enjoy with a good coffee in true Italian style or a Spirito Alchemico amaro. A heartfelt experience that delights not only the palate, but the soul. Location: San Nicola Arcella, Calabria (5.3 km from Scalea ~ 6 minutes) Highlights: Harvest local fresh figs. Preparing fig jam and a traditional dessert (crostata). Coffee / tea / or Spirito Alchemico amaro tasting.

Join a unique workshop led by Franco, a creative inventor of some unique cedro-based recipes. In this workshop, you’ll discover how this iconic local fruit — the cedro — can be transformed into delicious drinks and sweets, exploring every step from preparation to tasting. Franco will guide you through the process with passion and expertise, sharing the story, flavour, and heritage behind this symbol of Calabria. A must-do experience for anyone who wants to discover the true essence of the cedro. Location: Santa Maria del Cedro, Calabria (6.3 km from Scalea ~ 7 minutes) Highlights: Hands-on workshop on how to work with cedro — from beverages to desserts. Production and tasting.

Immerse yourself in the art of fresh pasta making the way it used to be! Join Giuseppe and his Mamma for a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn to prepare two classic pastas — tagliatelle and gnocchi — using traditional methods and tools. You’ll also discover how to make traditional sauces such as basil pesto and tomato sauce, the perfect pairings for your homemade pasta. The experience ends with a shared lunch and local wine, where you’ll savour the fruits of your work in a warm and family-style atmosphere. Location: Grisolia (Scalo), Calabria (9.3 km from Scalea ~ 12 minutes) Highlights: Fresh pasta made the traditional way (in the mattra). Hands-on lesson: tagliatelle + gnocchi. Prepare sauces: pesto + tomato sauce. Lunch in company + a bottle of local wine.

Join Giuseppe for a culinary journey of pizza making! You’ll begin with a detailed explanation of how pizza dough is made, followed by the preparation of classic toppings — from tomato and mozzarella to typical ingredients. Create simple pizzas like Margherita and Marinara, to more elaborate flavours like Capricciosa. The experience concludes with lunch together, enjoying the pizzas we've prepared, accompanied by a bottle of beer. A fun, tasty, and interactive way to discover the true art of Italian pizza! Location: Grisolia (Scalo), Calabria (9.3km from Scalea ~12 minutes) Highlights: Explanation of pizza dough preparation and use of pre-risen dough to prepare the pizzas. Preparation of the toppings (tomato, mozzarella, etc.). Pizza lunch + a beer (Peroni Nastro Azzurro).

Join Chef Vincenzo and the Vigreen family for a colourful and fun cooking class, perfect for couples or a dynamic duo of friends! This interactive experience will teach you how to prepare fresh pasta, a traditional sauce such as ragù or a dish using seasonal vegetables, homemade bread, and dessert. The class ends with a shared lunch where you’ll enjoy all the dishes you’ve created, surrounded by nature and welcomed like family. A unique opportunity to immerse yourself in local culinary traditions. Location: Santa Domenica Talao, Calabria (10 km from Scalea ~ 17 minutes) Highlights: Prepare traditional recipes with local Calabrian flavours: Homemade bread, Fresh Pasta, Traditional sauces (ragù or a sauce using seasonal vegetables), and dessert.

A cooking class for a group of four! Join Chef Vincenzo and the Vigreen family for a colourful, fun, and interactive cooking experience designed for a group of four. You'll learn how to prepare fresh pasta, a traditional sauce such as ragù or a dish using seasonal vegetables, homemade bread, and dessert. The class ends with a shared lunch where you’ll enjoy all the dishes you’ve created, surrounded by nature and welcomed in true Calabrian style. A unique opportunity to immerse yourself in local culinary traditions. Location: Santa Domenica Talao, Calabria (10 km from Scalea ~ 17 minutes) Highlights: Prepare traditional recipes with local Calabrian flavours: Homemade bread, Fresh Pasta, Traditional sauces (ragù or a sauce using seasonal vegetables), and dessert.

Ideal for groups of 6-12 people! Join Chef Vincenzo and the Vigreen family for a colourful, fun, and interactive cooking experience. You'll learn how to prepare fresh pasta, a traditional sauce such as ragù or a dish using seasonal vegetables, homemade bread, and dessert. The class ends with a shared lunch where you’ll enjoy all the dishes you’ve created, surrounded by nature and welcomed in true Calabrian style. A unique opportunity to immerse yourself in local culinary traditions. Location: Santa Domenica Talao, Calabria (10 km from Scalea ~ 17 minutes) Highlights: Prepare traditional recipes with local Calabrian flavours: Homemade bread, Fresh Pasta, Traditional sauces (ragù or a sauce using seasonal vegetables), and dessert.

Discover the art of making fresh fusilli with Stefania the "contadina" in the farmhouse. Fusilli is a traditional Calabrian pasta shaped around a thin rod and loved for its texture and ability to hold rich sauces. During this class, you’ll learn how to knead and shape the fusilli, as per the ancient techniques passed down through generations. You'll prepare a traditional meat sauce, and finally sit together to enjoy the fusilli you've made, paired with homemade wine. Location: Marcellina, Calabria (7.7 km from Scalea ~ 10 minutes) Highlights: Hands-on demonstration to prepare Calabrian fresh pasta Fusilli. Preparation of a traditional meat sauce. Shared lunch featuring the handmade fusilli and homemade wine.

Come and enjoy a delightfully sweet experience with Stefania the "contadina" at her farmhouse. Beginning with the harvest of fresh fruit straight from the garden, you'll head into the kitchen to prepare homemade jam for the filling of the crostata — a rustic Italian tart made with shortcrust pastry and filled with jam. To finish, you'll enjoy a slice of the freshly baked crostata, still warm from the oven with a beautiful coffee. Location: Marcellina, Calabria (7.7 km from Scalea ~ 10 minutes) Highlights: Harvest fresh fruit from the garden. Prepare homemade jam and a crostata following traditional methods. Crostata tasting.

Immerse yourself in the culinary tradition of San Nicola Arcella with Noemi and Veronica in a cooking class that celebrates the simplicity and deliciousness of local flavours. You'll begin with making handmade pasta, prepared according to local tradition. Then, you'll learn to create a sauce using fish, — a true example of cucina povera (poor cooking): humble ingredients, rich taste. You'll also prepare an appetizer with local ingredients, rediscovering ancient methods and flavours along the way. The experience concludes at the table to enjoy the meal we’ve prepared together, accompanied by natural local wine. Location: San Nicola Arcella, Calabria (5.9km from Scalea ~ 7 minutes) Highlights: Homemade pasta lesson using a traditional San Nicola Arcella recipe. Preparation of fish sauce in the style of cucina povera (poor cuisine). Preparation of an appetizer with local products. Meal shared with wine and water included.

Learn how to prepare traditional Calabrian fusilli using the "ferretto" (traditional metal rod), following a recipe passed down through generations. Together with Gianluca, you will also make a sauce to accompany the fresh pasta that carries all the aromas of home — the kind that smells like a traditional Italian Sunday. After the lesson, we’ll sit down to enjoy the fruits of our work, paired with a lovely glass of Verbicaro wine. Location: Santa Maria del Cedro, Calabria (6.9 km from Scalea ~ 10 minutes) Highlights: Hands-on lesson in making traditional Calabrian fusilli with the ferretto (wire). Preparation of a homemade sauce. Shared dinner with local Verbicaro wine. Take-home package: ferretto, pre-made fusilli, and two bottled sauces.

Rascatielli are a traditional Calabrian pasta, similar to small gnocchi, shaped by hand with your fingers and perfect to accompany the rich sauces of the region's cuisine. In this experience with Gianluca, you'll get hands-on with the dough and learn every step, just as it was once made. After preparing this traditional recipe, you'll enjoy the dish at the table, with a good glass of Verbicaro wine. To continue the magic at home, you'll be gifted a packet of traditional fusilli and two sauces. Location: Santa Maria del Cedro, Calabria (6.9km from Scalea ~10 minutes) Highlights: Hands-on lesson in making typical Calabrian fresh pasta. Sauce preparation. Convivial dinner with local Verbicaro wine. Take-home package: pre-made fusilli and two packaged sauces.

Yes, you read that right: a FIAT Panda transformed into a pizzeria and bar on wheels. In this one-of-a-kind experience, you’ll join Gianluca from Sfizi di Calabria to make pizza like you’ve never seen before — baked in a wood-fired oven installed on an actual Panda! Once the pizzas are ready, you'll all sit down to enjoy them together, paired with an ice-cold beer directly from the Panda's beer tap. To finish, you’ll savour a selection of traditional Calabrian products. Location: Santa Maria del Cedro, Calabria (6.9km from Scalea ~10 minutes) Highlights: Preparation of pizza dough and toppings. Cooked pizza in the wood-fired oven mounted on the iconic FIAT Panda. Cold beer served directly from the Panda's beer tap. Tasting of typical local products.

Have you ever dreamed of making a real Italian cornetto with your own hands? In this unique experience, you’ll step inside Cicciù's artisanal pastry laboratory to discover the secrets of an authentic Italian breakfast. Once your cornetto comes out of the oven — warm, golden, and fluffy — you’ll enjoy your creation fresh from the tray, paired with a delicious coffee or a creamy cappuccino. Location: Praia a Mare, Calabria (13.3 km from Scalea ~ 18 minutes) Highlights: Hands-on workshop to create your own artisanal cornetto. Tasting of your freshly baked pastry, served with coffee or cappuccino.

A dream for every chocolate lover! In this workshop, you’ll embark on a multisensory journey — from the fascinating history of this “food of the gods” to creating your very own chocolate bar to take home. While your chocolate cools and sets, Tonino from Pasticceria Cicciù will guide you through a sweet tasting of his artisanal chocolate products, crafted with passion and tradition — one of the first along the coast to experiment and specialise in chocolate. Location: Praia a Mare, Calabria (13.3 km from Scalea ~ 18 minutes) Highlights: Introduction to the history of chocolate. Hands-on workshop: create your own chocolate bar. Tasting of artisanal chocolate products.

Paste di mandorla are a sweet biscuit with a long and cherished history. At Pasticceria Cicciù, you'll be guided step by step through the artisanal preparation of these little delights, using only genuine ingredients and methods passed down through generations. At the end of the workshop, you’ll enjoy your handmade creations — soft, fragrant, and crafted with your own hands. Location: Praia a Mare, Calabria (13.3 km from Scalea ~ 18 minutes) Highlights: Introduction to the tradition of almond paste biscuits. Hands-on workshop: make your own paste di mandorla. Final tasting paired with a good coffee.

Taralli are a simple traditional sweet, and every town has its own variation. With Stefania, you’ll dive into the goodness of this timeless recipe, learning how these humble treats carry so much history and flavour. Together, you'll prepare three different types of taralli inspired by the season's aromas — from simple and wine-infused versions to those made with with raisins. This recipe comes straight from Stefania’s family. She learned it as a young girl, watching her mother’s hands at work — and now she hopes to share it with you. Location: Marcellina, Calabria (7.7km from Scalea ~10 minutes) Highlights: Hands-on workshop to prepare sweet taralli biscuits: three different types depending on the season (e.g. simple, with wine, with raisins, with anise seeds). Final tasting.

Once considered the bread of the poor, today it remains a living memory of the past. In this exploration of traditional cooking, Giuseppe and Brunella will introduce you to the Verbicaro tradition through Il Pane dei Pastori (bread of the shepherds) — “A Pitta Miglina”. A simple corn bread made with humble ingredients that fills the kitchen with the scent of then olden days as it bakes. Fresh from the oven, it is seasoned and served together with broccoli and sausage, just as tradition commands. A dish born from the land and necessity, when shepherds always had a little corn flour and a few sausages close at hand. Location: Verbicaro, Calabria (18.7 km from Scalea ~ 30 minutes) Highlights: Hands-on workshop preparing Pitta Miglina (traditional corn bread). Seasoning with olive oil, dried capscium powder, oregano and garlic. Traditional lunch with broccoli and sausage. Wine from Verbicaro

A journey into the traditional preparation of pork and salami in the typical Verbicaro restaurant U Catuvu with Giuseppe & Brunella. The preparation of the pig was once one of the most important moments for rural families. Nothing was wasted: every part was carefully prepared and transformed into food for the entire year. In this experience, you will discover how handmade salami is created and take part in preparing meat according to the traditions of Verbicaro. Location: Verbicaro, Calabria (18.7 km from Scalea ~ 30 minutes) Highlights: Introduction to the process of traditional salami making. Traditional preparation of pork: spezzatino, braciole ripiene, salsiccia. Lunch with the dishes prepared together. Bread and wine from Verbicaro.

Forty days after Easter, on the Day of the Ascension, a special tradition took place in Verbicaro: shepherds would offer fresh milk freely to anyone passing by. The children would visit the shepherds to collect the milk and meanwhile, at home, women prepared handmade tagliatelle. Together, the pasta was then cooked with the fresh milk. In this experience, you will rediscover this simple and typical Verbicarese recipe that's difficult to come across nowadays. Location: Verbicaro, Calabria (18.7 km from Scalea ~ 30 minutes) Highlights: Preparation of handmade tagliatelle and this traditional recipe of Verbicaro. Storytelling about the tradition of the Day of the Ascension. Tasting of the dish.

A unique experience to discover this ancient traditional dish together with Giuseppe and Brunella. As Giuseppe says: “This dish is a fairytale!” Prepared with polenta and cabbage, enriched with homemade fried sausage and topped with crispy dried capsicums (pipi cruschi), it becomes a warm and comforting cream created to nourish and bring people together. In this experience, you will not only prepare it, but also discover how it is traditionally eaten through the simple gestures that belong to the shepherds’ of the past. Location: Verbicaro, Calabria (18.7 km from Scalea ~ 30 minutes) Highlights: Preparation of traditional polenta of Verbicaro with cabbage and fresh sausage. Crispy dried capsicums (pipi cruschi). Lunch to savour the dish prepared. Wine from Verbicaro.

Experience a day immersed in nature, discovering the local wild herbs. Together with Vincenzo, you’ll walk through the fields of Vigreen, foraging herbs and learning how to identify them while uncovering their role in local traditions. After the harvest, you’ll enjoy a special lunch where the freshly gathered herbs become the stars of simple, wholesome recipes. A journey through nature, flavours, and ancient knowledge. Location: Santa Domenica Talao, Calabria (10 km from Scalea ~ 17 minutes) Highlights: A nature walk to forage wild herbs. A mini workshop on herbs and their traditional uses. Lunch featuring dishes prepared with the herbs collected.

Step inside the Valle Lao Farm workshop and discover how traditional Calabrian cured meats are made, following techniques and gestures that have been passed down through generations. Together with Maria, learn how the meat is prepared for salami, and the secrets of an authentic tradition built on simplicity, patience and care. Location: Scalea, Calabria (4km from Scalea centre ~ 5 minutes) Highlights: Introduction and practical demonstration of traditional Calabrian cured meat preparation. Tasting of the homemade cured meats. A salami to take home.

Discover one of Calabria's most iconic and surprising specialities: pipi cruschi—sweet capsicums (peppers) dried in the sun and quickly fried until they become light and wonderfully crisp. At Valle Lao Farm, you'll discover every stage behind this traditional recipe before trying your hand at the delicate art of frying them yourself. Finish by tasting this unique local delicacy. A humble farming ingredient transformed into something truly extraordinary. Location: Scalea, Calabria (4km from Scalea centre ~ 5 minutes) Highlights: Introduction to the tradition of pipi cruschi. Discover the traditional capsicum drying process. Demonstration and participation in the traditional frying technique. Tasting of pipi cruschi.

Discover the humble onion as the star of simple yet surprising recipes from the Italian countryside. During this experience at Valle Lao Farm, you'll prepare a selection of traditional dishes—from baked onions and sweet-and-sour onions to onion frittata and soup—following methods that have been passed down through generations while celebrating one of the essential ingredients of Italian cooking. You will then gather around the table to enjoy everything prepared together. Location: Scalea, Calabria (4km from Scalea centre ~ 5 minutes) Highlights: Onion cooking workshop. Preparation of traditional recipes (baked onions, sweet-and-sour onions, onion frittata, salad). Shared lunch featuring the dishes prepared together with house wine. Preparation of traditional onion braids.

Discover Calabria's beloved chilli pepper from plant to plate, learning how it is grown, preserved and celebrated in local cuisine. Together with Maria at Valle Lao Farm, you'll explore every stage of its preparation, including the creation of the traditional chilli pepper braids that have become a symbol of Calabrian culture. You'll then step into the kitchen to prepare simple traditional dishes where chilli pepper takes centre stage. You'll finish with a shared lunch, celebrating the bold flavours of the land. Location: Scalea, Calabria (4km from Scalea centre ~ 5 minutes) Highlights: Introduction to chilli peppers, from cultivation to preservation. Hands-on workshop creating traditional chilli pepper braids and preparing classic recipes (garlic, olive oil and chilli pasta; cheese with chilli). Shared lunch with house wine.