Lake Como • hands-on • about 3 hours
Gnocchi Cooking Class in Como – potato gnocchi made by hand
Potato gnocchi · rigagnocchi board · two sauces to choose · gelato with balsamic
Fresh tomato €150 · Ragù bolognese €160 · per person · up to 12 guests
Aperitivo with cured meats & cheeses Local wine · 1 bottle every 4 guests Dessert · gelato with 25-year balsamic Vegetarian option
A gift? Request a voucher for this class →
For practical details, read our FAQ or see how our cooking class works.
The experience
The new class at our wooden bench in Como – and the oldest kind of comfort there is. No rolling pin here, no sfoglia: gnocchi are a different craft. You boil potatoes, crush them while they are still warm, add flour – just enough, never more – and work a soft dough briefly and well. The less you handle it, the lighter the gnocco.
Then the part everyone remembers: rolling the ropes on the floured board, cutting them into small pillows, and the ridges – on the rigagnocchi, or on the tines of a fork – the grooves that hold the sauce. At the pot, the cook’s test: a gnocco is ready when it rises back to the surface.
The sauce is your choice, and it names your variant: fresh tomato, light and summery, made in front of you (€150 per person), or the slow-cooked ragù bolognese – the same one we serve on tagliatelle, cooked gently until it settles (€160 per person).
At the table, at the end: your gnocchi with your sauce, local wine (one bottle for every four guests) and gelato finished with a few drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP from Acetaia del Cristo, the cherry-barrel one, aged twenty-five years, fruity and sweet, perfect on ice cream. And earlier, while the dough rests, the aperitivo: a board of cured meats and cheeses to share.
The ritual
The ritual, step by step
Every session follows the same arc, unhurried: about three hours from the steaming potatoes to the last drop of balsamic on the gelato.
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The potatoes
Welcome at the bench: the potatoes are boiled in their skins, still steaming. You peel them and pass them through the ricer while they are warm – this is where the gnocco earns its lightness.
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The balsamico
While the potatoes lose their steam, Marco, our resident chef, introduces the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP from Acetaia del Cristo – a family acetaia of three generations, where the balsamic is made from a single ingredient, cooked grape must, and aged twenty-five years in a battery of wooden casks. You taste it: a single drop, sweet-and-sharp and lingering, the one that will finish your gelato at the end of the meal. Read more about the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena we use.
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The dough
Flour, just as much as it takes, never more. You learn to feel when the dough is ready: soft, barely bound, worked briefly and well. Light hands make a light gnocco.
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The aperitivo
While the dough rests, everyone gathers around a board of cured meats and cheeses: the aperitivo, time for a chat before the rolling begins.
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The ropes
The dough is divided and rolled on the floured board, one rope at a time, with the palms of your hands. The wood does its job: it grips, the palm pushes.
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The cut and the ridges
You cut the ropes into small pillows and run them over the rigagnocchi – or the tines of a fork. The ridges are not decoration: they are the grooves that hold the sauce.
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The sauce
The one you chose when booking: the fresh tomato comes together in front of you – extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes – or the slow-cooked ragù bolognese arrives at the table, the same one we serve on tagliatelle, cooked gently.
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The table
The cook’s test: the gnocchi dive into the water and are ready when they rise back to the surface. Then everything comes to the table: your gnocchi with your sauce, local wine in the glass and, to finish, gelato with a few drops of the Acetaia del Cristo balsamic, the cherry-barrel one, aged twenty-five years, fruity and sweet, perfect on ice cream.
Around the big wooden bench
The signature dessert
Gelato with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, aged 25 years
Every masterclass ends the same way: a scoop of gelato and a few drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP from Acetaia del Cristo, a family acetaia in Modena run for three generations.
It is made from one ingredient, cooked grape must, and it waits twenty-five years in a battery of wooden casks. Dense, dark, sweet and sharp at once: it is served by the drop. The one aged in cherry wood is the fruitiest, and it is the one we pour over the gelato.
- 25 yearsin wooden casks
- DOPTradizionale di Modena
- 1 ingredientcooked grape must
You’ll cook with Marco
Our home chef
Mani in Pasta is a family: Marco at the wooden bench, Valentina at his side — and some evenings Marco’s mamma, Silvana, at the stove. The ragù is hers. You cook the way this house has always cooked: together.
Choose your sauce
Fresh Tomato · €150 per person
Extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh cherry tomatoes. Light and summery, the sauce comes together in front of you while the gnocchi wait on the board – a quiet lesson in how little a good tomato needs.
Ragù Bolognese · €160 per person
The same ragù we serve on our tagliatelle: soffritto, meat, tomato and time, cooked gently until it settles. It sinks into the ridges of the gnocco and stays there.
Frequently asked questions about this class
Which sauce can I choose for my gnocchi?
Fresh tomato (€150 per person) or slow-cooked ragù alla bolognese (€160): you pick it when you book, and it names your menu.
What's included in the price?
The hands-on class of about three hours with all ingredients and your apron, an aperitivo with cured meats and cheeses, and the meal you cooked, eaten together at the table with local wine (one bottle for every four guests). To finish, our signature dessert: gelato with 25-year-aged Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP from Acetaia del Cristo. No upfront payment.
How do I book?
Send a request from the booking form — no online payment. We confirm your date within 24 hours by email or WhatsApp. Up to 12 guests per session, minimum age 14.
Moments from our classes
What our guests say
5.0 · 12 Google reviews
Wonderful experience with delicious foods and wines!
Cannot recommend this experience enough! Marco was very knowledgeable and explained every step of the process. Val was extremely helpful with translating and had perfect English. Between the appetizer, main course, and dessert everything was fantastic and one of the best meals I have ever had. We cannot thank Marco, Val, and their mother for the hospitality and unforgettable experience.
More than 5 stars for Val, Marco and Silvana, who welcomed us into their family home to teach us Italian homemade pasta techniques in such a friendly pleasurable way. They made it fun and you can't help but love this family! A perfect family team working together wanting to share their love of traditional Italian food cooked with joy. We loved every minute. Our favorite thing in Como — this authentic Italian family cooking class should be at the top of your list to do! Grazie mille!!!
My mom, sister, daughter, niece and I did the tagliatelle al ragù pasta making class with Mani in Pasta and had such a great time! Val, Marco and Silvana were wonderful teachers and hosts! They are a wealth of knowledge and are happy to share it with you. I would highly recommend this class for anyone interested in learning how to make delicious, authentic Italian pasta. Gelato at the end was a delicious treat.
We had fun and learned so much! They were so knowledgeable and treated us like family. Not to mention the food was delicious (and maybe I can try to recreate it again at home)! They provided insight into the history of Italian food culture that can only come from generations who live here.
Wonderful experience near the center of Como. The cooking class was very detailed, engaging, and enjoyable. I learned a lot and had a great time. Highly recommended!
I loved the experience! A fun and easy way to learn how to make pasta, the REAL pasta. The chef was super friendly and patient, I really enjoyed the environment she created. I definitely recommend this experience, worth the money and the time.
I had a wonderful experience at this cooking class! The atmosphere was warm and welcoming from the very beginning, and the instructor explained everything clearly and with great enthusiasm.
It's a fantastic and unforgettable experience! A warm place with good vibes and atmosphere! Fun and very professional team! If you visit Como, don't miss Mani in Pasta.
Fantastic cooking class! Clear instructions, great atmosphere, fresh ingredients, and delicious homemade pasta. Highly recommended!