Lake Como • hands-on • about 3 hours
Tagliatelle Masterclass – Fresh Tomato: a pasta cooking class in Como, hand-rolled
Tagliatelle by matterello · fresh cherry tomatoes · gelato with balsamic
€150 per person · up to 12 guests · larger groups on request
Prefer slow-cooked ragù? The same class comes in a Ragù Bolognese version · 160 €
Aperitivo with cured meats & cheeses Local wine · 1 bottle every 4 guests Dessert · gelato with 25-year balsamic Vegetarian
A gift? Request a voucher for this class →
For practical details, read our FAQ or see how our cooking class works.
The experience
This is the pasta cooking class in Como everything else grew from. At a wooden bench in a welcoming home, you knead flour and eggs into your own panetto, learn to read a rested dough and roll it into a thin sfoglia with the matterello – then cut it into ribbons of tagliatelle, the way it has been done in Emilia for generations.
The method comes from serious hands. Marco, our resident chef, completed the professional sfoglia programme at Rina Poletti’s Accademia della Sfoglia, the school founded to keep hand-rolled pasta alive: we tell the story of the training behind the method on its own page. What you learn here is the true discipline of the sfoglia, taught at a pace that welcomes complete beginners.
At the table, at the end: your tagliatelle with fresh tomato, local wine (one bottle for every four guests) and gelato finished with a few drops of 25-year-aged Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP from Acetaia del Cristo. The cherry-barrel one is fruity and sweet, perfect on ice cream.
On the menu: an aperitivo with cured meats and cheeses, hand-rolled tagliatelle, fresh cherry-tomato sauce, local wine at the table and gelato with 25-year-aged Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP from Acetaia del Cristo.
The ritual
The ritual, step by step
Every session follows the same arc, unhurried: about three hours from the first handful of flour to the last drop of balsamic on the gelato.
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Your panetto
Welcome at the bench: flour, eggs and your hands. You knead your own panetto, the small ball of dough that will become your tagliatelle.
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The rest, and the balsamico
Your panetto rests, wrapped in cling film. While the dough relaxes, 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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Reading the dough
You unwrap your panetto and learn to read it: how a properly rested dough looks, how it feels, how it answers the hand.
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The sauce
Extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh cherry tomatoes. The sauce comes together in front of you – a quiet lesson in how little a good tomato needs.
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The aperitivo
While the dough rests, everyone gathers around a board of cured meats and cheeses: this is the aperitivo, a small Italian ritual before the meal.
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The chef’s sfoglia
Our resident chef rolls a sfoglia with the matterello, the technique learned at the Accademia della Sfoglia: the dough opens into a thin, even circle that seems to breathe.
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Your sfoglia, your tagliatelle
Now it is your turn: you roll your own sfoglia and cut your tagliatelle. You also work with a dough our resident chef prepared earlier, to feel what a full rest changes – with two guests, that means three panetti on the bench.
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The table
Everything you made comes to the table: tagliatelle al pomodoro, local wine (one bottle for every four guests) and, to finish, gelato with a few drops of the Acetaia del Cristo balsamic. It is the cherry-barrel one, fruity and sweet, perfect on ice cream.
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.
Cut by hand, strand by strand
Frequently asked questions about this class
Is this class suitable for complete beginners?
Yes — most guests roll their very first sfoglia here. Our resident chef checks every dough and guides every hand: you leave with tagliatelle you actually made.
What's included in the price?
About three hours of hands-on class, an aperitivo with cured meats and cheeses, all ingredients, an apron and the meal you cooked, eaten together at the table with local wine (one bottle for every four guests). To finish, the 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!