Top Emilia-Romagna Unique Experiences

Skip the set itinerary and script of an organized tour and explore Bologna with a local host for a fully customized visit tailored to your pace and interests. Take in blockbuster attractions like Piazza Maggiore and the Due Torri plus delve into the parts of the city known only to locals to discover unique sights, favorite eateries, and little-known gems.

Discover the secrets to Bolognese cuisine in a local’s home with this half-day private cooking class. Learn how to prepare fresh stuffed pasta including tortellini and tortelloni during this hands-on class. After the pasta workshop, relax over a meal to sample what you prepared alongside local red and white wines.

Follow your senses — and a gourmet guide — around Italy’s culinary capital on a private food tour in Bologna. Remove the guesswork from choosing eateries and let a local show you the best delis, cafes, markets, and bakeries scattered through the historic city center. Sample Bolognese specialties like tortellini and mortadella, discover new favorite dishes, and rest your feet over an aperitif at an open-air market.

A great tour for first-time visitors, you’ll see the city with a local guide who has a passion for Bologna. The tour is completely customizable—visit a cafe for a snack based on your dietary preferences (or maybe some grappa), indulge in a bit of shopping, or check out a few art galleries. Learn about the city’s Medieval and Renaissance history and explore the plazas and old buildings downtown.

Go off the beaten path and try something new with this traditional home cooking experience in Modena. Travel to the home of a local chef who has chosen an array of foods for you to learn how to prepare. From a special Italian appetizer to a tortellini entree, walk away from this experience with the skills to cook for your friends and family when you return home. Plus during this experience, after your cooking session, enjoy the home-cooked meal you helped create.

Follow a local to their favorite places in Bologna with this best kept secrets walking tour. See contemporary street art, trendy bars, quirky boutiques, and innovative restaurants during your stroll. Explore neighborhoods that are loved by locals for their vintage markets and contemporary art galleries. Discover a side of Bologna that's not in guidebooks.

Learn the secrets behind traditional recipes from Bologna during this private cooking class, complete with a local market visit. Get tips for selecting the best ingredients at the market and then settle into the chef’s home in the Bologna city center for a cooking class. Prepare three courses and then feast on everything you cook alongside a variety of local red and white wines.

Bologna is famous for its fresh pasta and with this private lesson you'll learn the tricks to turning out flawless tortellini, tagliatelle, and other handmade pastas like a local with a Bolognese home cook. Roll up your sleeves and prepare three traditional types of pasta under the guidance of your host in her home kitchen, then sample your creations at a family-style meal complete with wine.

Learn to make fresh pasta from scratch with a small-group cooking class in a home kitchen, where you’ll sip a glass of wine or beer as you make batches of tortellini and tagliatelle. When you’ve prepared the fresh pasta, sit down to the gourmet meal you’ve created, joining a group of fellow food-loving travelers for a hearty dinner.

Bologna is famous for its luscious tortellini, so there’s no better place to learn how to make these stuffed morsels of fresh pasta. Join a local in her home kitchen to try your hand at kneading and rolling out dough and hand-shaping each tiny round bite with a small group. Then gather around the table for a family-style meal featuring the tortellini you’ve made together followed by authentic tiramisù.

Discover the delights of Italian home cooking with this private dining experience at a Cesarina's home in Bologna. Enjoy a 4-course meal that consists of an appetizer, pasta, main course with a side dish, and dessert, and try a selection of wines from Tuscany. Finally, receive a keepsake souvenir from your welcoming host to take back home.

Get a feel for Bologna on an intimate private walking tour. In addition to navigating and translating, your guide customizes the day’s itinerary according to your interests, planning stops at top landmarks and hidden gems loved by locals. Leave with an inside perspective on the city and a handle on its layout and transit system.

Explore the historic streets of Bologna with a private guide leading the way during this walking tour. See top landmarks including Piazza Maggiore, taste espresso under the famous portici (arched colonnades), and wander through the Montagnola Market. The itinerary can be customized according to your interests.

Get out of the stale tourist restaurant scene and into your host's kitchen and pasta workshop with this private cooking class. Learn how to roll, cut, and cook pasta—from tagliatelle to tortellini to passatelli. Cook for about an hour with your host, who may include some Pugliese dishes in addition to local ones in the mix, and then sit down to enjoy your creations. A great way to learn about Italian cuisine and culture from a local.

Learn the secrets of Modena cooking in this half-day cooking class. Meet your host, a local “cesarina,” at a nearby market to shop for ingredients. Back in her home kitchen, enjoy a glass of regional wine as you help prepare four traditional Italian recipes: a starter, pasta, main course with side, and dessert. Top off the evening with an espresso and don’t forget your take-home gifts—a Cesarine apron and tote bag.

Experience Bologna your way on a custom private 8-hour tour. A bespoke itinerary is created just for you, based on your unique interests. Visit iconic attractions, like Piazza Maggiore and the Fountain of Neptune, or discover the hidden corners of a particular neighborhood. Whatever you decide, your Bolognese guide is with you every step of the way. Leave with exclusive recommendations on things to see, do, and eat with the rest of your trip.

Learn how to cook the authentic cuisine of Parma with this private cooking class. You'll learn how to whip up three of the region's finest dishes from scratch in the home of a local cooking enthusiast. Once your food is ready, you'll get to pair your creations with local wines and eat up!

Set in the heart of the Emilia-Romagna region, Modena is home to some of Italy’s most delicious cuisine. Discover the tastes, secrets, and ingredients of Modenese cooking during this private, hands-on cooking class in a local home. Prepare a delicious 3-course meal from start to finish and then enjoy the fruits of your labor accompanied by local red and white wines during this private experience.

Discover Bologna through a literary lens on a 3-hour private walking tour. Follow your local guide to the city’s world renowned libraries, along with charming independent bookstores. Learn about the archeological site on which the university library stands today and see special spots in the city which inspired some of its most famous authors. Bookworms, history nuts, and Italophiles alike, are sure to find the personalized tour an enriching experience.

Design your own recipe and try it out with this culinary experience. First, you'll pick out three to five local ingredients at an area market. Then you'll take them to the home of your host to learn how to cook the Cessarina way, developing your own recipe. Then comes time to eat and sample local wines before calling it a day.

Make three fresh pasta dishes by hand during this private cooking class in the city of Modena. You’ll skip the impersonal feel of a larger class, and rustle up a meal in the home of a Modena local, who is part of the Cesarine network of Italy’s home cooks. Cut and eat the pasta as you learn about the Modena in an authentic Italian home kitchen.

Tour Italy’s beautiful Parma region and learn about the Lambrusco wines that come from the region. Enjoy a visit to a local winery and take a guided tour of the facilities to learn about Lambrusco, which comes from the Emilia-Romagna region, and the estate. Then, enjoy a tasting of red and white wines before heading back to Parma.

Finding authentic Italian meals away from the restaurant scenes can challenge even the most dedicated gourmet. This cooking class immerses visitors in local cuisine by watching cooks prepare heirloom family recipes in their own homes. Enjoy a 4-course dinner with dessert and regional wines included when the cooking is complete. This dining experience is organized by one of Italy’s oldest networks of home cooks opening their doors to travelers.

Opt for a more intimate experience of Bologna’s legendary cuisine during a private pasta making masterclass in a local home. Rather than sharing your guide with a group, you’ll receive undivided attention as you make classic Italian dishes such as tagliatelle al ragu, a variation of spaghetti bolognese.