Florence is a feast for the senses — art, history, architecture, and of course, food! Think of all of the reasons why Florence is on your "must visit" city while you're visiting Italy and certainly one of these reasons is on it. Food certainly is one of MY own personal favorite things to go out and explore Florence for, and with little kids in the family, trying out pizza places is at the top of our list!
So after days of museum-hopping and strolling through piazzas and soaking in the Renaissance charm of Florence, I think you might be ready for a different kind of experience, just like I am. I love visiting museum and new exhibitions, but I also like trying out the many other experiences on offer out there about what else there is to do in Florence so that I know exactly what to recommend when others want to change up the pace. When I saw this Pizza & Gelato 3 hour class, I wanted to try it and check out exactly what anyone gets out of an experience like this. I'm here to share that I found a fun and interesting experience: one that involved hands-on messiness, a cool kitchen in the summer, which is quite important, and, in general, a combination of flour and laughter ;-).
This page contains affiliate links. More details »
This experience is perfect for...
I would recommend this cooking class to anyone:
- who wants to take a break from sightseeing while still doing something unique to Florence
- who loves pizza and gelato and want to learn the basics of how Italians make them
- who wants to spend some quality time with a small group, whether it is your family or friends but also when traveling solo
A Cool Break from the Heat in Florence
I signed up for this Pizza and Gelato Making Class in May — and, in my opinion, it is an absolute experience for families and groups of friends looking to take a break from sightseeing while trying out something new (and delicious!). The class is offered several times a day, both in the morning and afternoon, which should make it easy to fit into your itinerary. The class lasted about three hours and the time flew by.
Another big plus of the class was that the kitchen was air-conditioned, which is a very welcome change from the heat in Florence in late spring and summer. The class is offered year-round, but if you're in Florence in late spring or summer, you will appreciate the fact the cooking school kitchen has A/C as the temperatures on the streets of Florence are high. It is a welcome break from the heat and walking around all day. I took the class in early May, and even then the A/C came in handy once the pizza oven was turned on. It made the whole experience not just fun, but comfortable — especially important if you're in Florence for a summer visit.
From Demo to Dough: What to Expect
The class began with a brief introduction to pizza making and a demonstration by our chef, who instantly made everyone feel at ease. She walked us through the process of making both pizza and gelato from scratch using high-quality ingredients and simple ones: water, yeast, salt and flour for the pizza and milk, cream and sugar for the gelato. Her clear explanations and sense of humor turned what could have been an intimidating process into something genuinely enjoyable and easy to follow — even the kids that were present that morning were having fun mixing and kneading!
Soon everyone had aprons on, flour and water was being turned into dough, which was kneaded and then left to rise. It was time to pass on to making gelato! It turns out it is super simple to make Italian gelato: all you need is cream, milk, sugar and chocolate since we were making chocolate gelato! The cream, milk and sugar are the base for any flavor; with a few additions, you then personalize and create any flavor you want. Once you know this, back home we've been experimenting with adding chocolate chips or Oreos, making cookies n' cream gelato, as well as gelato with nuts such as pistacchios and hazelnuts, and a personal favorite is peanut butter with chocolate chips!
At a Glance
- lasts about 3 hours and runs year round, several times a day
- includes all ingredients and you eat what you make with drinks included
- centrally located in Florence, with A/C
A member of the class volunteered to help our chef heat up the gelato ingredients, who I should say also added a bit of cornstarch to thicken the cream base. I am not sure this was needed at all, because I have not been adding any and our gelato has been creamy regardless. The gelato part of the class was just as engaging as learning the secrets for a good pizza dough — especially learning how we can combine ingredients to create various flavors. This chocolate base was simple, although the magic really happens after it goes into the gelato maker. While that was churning, we went back to check on our dough which was ready to be turned into pizzas!
The chef gave us a demonstration and tips on how to best pull the dough into shape and soon we were all stretching and shaping our own dough and putting on our choice of toppings. Then off to the very hot oven they went, where they cooked in a matter of minutes!
Why It’s Great for Families
After all the effort (and a bit of flour here and there), we gathered around to enjoy our homemade creations. There’s something deeply satisfying about biting into a pizza you made yourself, followed by a scoop (or two) of your own gelato. The smiles on the kids’ faces said it all but all of the adults in the class were also happy with their creations as well.
Families with children under 12 will be happy to know there’s a discount for them, and while the class is fun for all ages, I believe the younger ones generally really enjoy getting their hands messy and being part of the cooking process, at least my kids love the messy part!
The adults were happy as well, with several making pizza dough for the first time in their lives. They were happy to find out how easy the dough process was — and how delicious the end result was! Pizza was accompanied by drinks for the kids, wine for the adults, water for everyone, and gelato was obviously our dessert.
While I make pizza at home on a regular basis, my recipe is completely different as I appreciate using a recipe that takes longer to rise (very little yeast) and no-knead (more water to flour ratio) and I still picked up some useful tips on knowing when the dough is ready, on shaping and on baking (the HOTTER the oven, the better!).
Final Thoughts
If you’re visiting Florence and looking for an interactive, family-friendly or group activity, this class is a fantastic choice. It's a great way to blend food and a bit of cultural learning with a bit of fun — with the plus that you'll leave with a full belly AND a new skill or two to take back home ;-).
Book the Pizza & Gelato Class now!
Have you taken a cooking class in Florence? Share your experience in the comments below!
