Updated on 1 November 2026 · Prices, times and dietary rules checked on our booking pages, and gluten-free advice on the website of the Italian Celiac Association (AIC), on 1 November 2026.

Book a food tour to explore a neighborhood and taste a little of everything; book a cooking class to sit down, learn a skill and eat a meal you made yourself. Our food tour lasts 2.5 hours on foot and costs €150 per person. Shared classes last 3 to 4.5 hours, from €79 per person.

Cover photo: Amada44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

We are a local tour operator in Rome, in business since 2012, and we run both food tours and cooking classes. This guide compares them honestly: time, price, what you eat, how much you walk, and what works with children, groups, rain and special diets. It also tells you when a market visit on your own, or simply a good trattoria, is the better choice.

What is the difference between a food tour and a cooking class?

A food walking tour is a guided walk through one or more neighborhoods, with tasting stops along the way. Ours crosses Trastevere, Campo de’ Fiori and the Jewish Ghetto on foot, with tastings of local specialties, and ends with fresh pasta, wine and dessert at one of our venues in the center.

A cooking class is a hands-on lesson with a chef. You make the dough from scratch, shape fresh pasta or stretch a pizza, then sit down to eat what you made, with wine for adults.

Between the two there are two hybrids. The market tour and cooking class starts with shopping for ingredients at the Campo de’ Fiori market, then you cook a five-course meal. On a food tasting by Fiat 500 or golf cart, you ride past the sights and stop three times to eat.

Collage of food in Rome: market stalls, pizza, fresh ravioli and handmade pasta

Food tour or cooking class: how do they compare?

Food walking tour Cooking class Food tasting by Fiat 500 or golf cart
Time 2.5 hours 3 hours; 4.5 with the market 3 hours
Start times 10:00 or 17:00, every day from 9:30 to 18:30, depending on the class 14:30 or 18:00
Price €150 per person (shared) from €79 per person (shared) private only: from €510 for 1–2 people
What you eat Tastings along the way, then fresh pasta, wine and dessert What you make (pasta or pizza), with wine for adults Three stops: a traditional bakery, fresh mozzarella and gelato
Walking 2.5 hours on foot Very little: you work at a counter, then sit down Very little: you ride between stops
Kids Welcome, same price as adults Welcome with an adult Golf cart: any age; Fiat 500: from 3 years old
Group size Up to 9 per booking Up to 9 or 20 per booking, by class Up to 21 guests guaranteed, larger groups on request
Rain Runs rain or shine; you walk outdoors between stops Indoors Golf carts with rain covers
Cancellation Non-refundable once confirmed Non-refundable once confirmed Full refund up to 72 hours before, 50% up to 48 hours

Private versions cost more per person, but only your group takes part. Visiting in December? See our guide to Christmas food in Rome.

Who should choose a food tour, and who a cooking class?

A food tour suits you if:

  • it is your first time in Rome and you want to see a neighborhood too;
  • you like variety: several small tastings rather than one long meal;
  • you are happy to walk for 2.5 hours on cobblestone streets;
  • you want to hear about history and traditions along the way.

A cooking class suits you if:

  • you want to learn something you can repeat at home;
  • you would rather sit than walk, or the weather is bad;
  • you travel with children who like to get their hands in the dough;
  • you want a full sit-down lunch or dinner.
A small group tasting in a Roman deli shop during a food tour

Which works best with kids, a group or rainy weather?

  • Kids: both work. On the food tour and most classes, children pay the same price as adults and wine is served only to adults; on the 3-hour classes, infants up to 3 join free if declared when booking. Kneading dough keeps children busy, while a 2.5-hour walk can feel long.
  • Groups: the 3-hour shared classes take up to 20 people per booking, the food tour and the other shared classes up to 9, and the food tastings by Fiat 500 or golf cart up to 21 guests guaranteed, larger groups on request.
  • Rain: classes are indoors, though the market class starts outdoors at Campo de’ Fiori. The food tour runs rain or shine: you walk outdoors between stops, so bring an umbrella. The golf cart tasting runs in the rain with covers, and the Fiat 500 tasting switches to golf carts.
  • Limited mobility: a class, or a tasting by golf cart, is easier than a walking tour. On a private golf cart tour, wheelchair users move onto a seat, and the folded wheelchair travels on board in place of the two back seats. For a class, tell us about reduced mobility when you book, so we can check the venue.
Fruit and vegetable stalls at an open-air market in Rome

Morning or evening: when should you go?

Both formats replace a meal, so plan nothing big to eat just before.

  • Morning: the market class starts at 9:30 (Monday to Saturday), the food tour at 10:00 and the classes at 11:00, so you finish around lunchtime.
  • Afternoon: classes at 15:00, food tastings by Fiat 500 or golf cart at 14:30.
  • Evening: the food tour at 17:00, the food tastings at 18:00 and the classes at 18:30 end around dinner time.
Shaping fresh pasta by hand on a wooden board during a cooking class

Can you join with vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free or other dietary needs?

In most cases, yes, but each experience handles diets differently. This is what our booking pages say today; “ask first” means the page does not mention it, so write to us before booking:

Experience Vegetarian Vegan Celiac or gluten-free diet Allergies and intolerances
Shared pasta or pizza class Yes Ask first No: wheat flour, and cross-contamination cannot be avoided Tell us when you book; the chef prepares alternatives where possible
Private pizza or pasta class Yes, on request Ask first No Tell us in advance; no guarantee against cross-contamination
Market classes and other private classes Ask first Ask first No Tell us when you book, so we can check with the chef
Food walking tour Ask first Ask first Ask first We adapt where possible; no guarantee against cross-contamination
Food tasting by Fiat 500 or golf cart Yes Yes Ask first Tell us when you book, and we adapt the tastings

Lactose: none of our pages lists a lactose-free menu. Mozzarella, gelato and many desserts contain milk, so tell us when you book, and we check what the chef or the venue can change.

Vegan: fresh pasta is often made with eggs, so ask us before you book a pasta class.

Whatever your diet, write it in the booking form, not on the day: the kitchen needs time to prepare.

A fruit and vegetable stall at the Campo de' Fiori market in Rome, with watermelons, bananas and green beans
Photo: Jordiferrer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Can you eat gluten free in Rome?

Yes, with some planning. The Italian Celiac Association (AIC) runs a program called Alimentazione Fuori Casa (“eating out”), or AFC. Its restaurants, pizzerias, gelato shops, bakeries and hotels have taken an AIC course, use only gluten-free ingredients, follow AIC’s rules against cross-contamination and are inspected by the local AIC at least once a year.

  • Where to find them: the official list is only on the AIC website and in its AIC Mobile app. Visitors from abroad can buy a 15-day version inside the app, called AIC Mobile Welcome, also in English. AIC warns that only venues on its own list count, whatever stickers are in the window (AIC search page, in Italian).
  • Book ahead and say that you are celiac.
  • Outside the network, AIC advises you to explain your needs to the staff, ask whether each dish contains wheat or other gluten grains and, if they are not sure, ask them to check with the kitchen (AIC advice, in Italian).
  • On labels, “senza glutine” means gluten free: under 20 parts per million.

If you are celiac, a restaurant in the AFC network is a safer choice than a cooking class: pasta and pizza classes work with wheat flour, and none of our cooking classes is suitable for celiacs or a gluten-free diet.

A participant sliding a pizza into the oven with a long peel during a pizza-making class

When is another option better?

Sometimes something else fits better.

  • You want to see and taste on a budget: walk through a food market on your own. Mercato di Testaccio, a covered neighborhood market, is open Monday to Saturday from 7:00 to 15:30, and you pay only for what you buy. Our guide to the markets of Rome lists more, and our post on Testaccio covers the neighborhood.
  • You just want a great meal: book a table at a good trattoria. A dinner usually costs less than a class or a tour, and you choose exactly what you eat. Pay for a tour or a class for the guide, the stories or the skill.
  • You are celiac: choose a restaurant in AIC’s network, as explained above.
  • You have little time, or walking is hard: a 3-hour food tasting by golf cart or Fiat 500 adds the main sights, seen from the outside, to three food stops.
A quiet street in Trastevere with yellow and orange houses, street lamps and bougainvillea
Photo: Alessandro Cossu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Taste Rome with us

Our shared food tour of Trastevere and the Ghetto starts every day at 10:00 and 17:00 in Piazza Trilussa, in front of the poet’s statue, and costs €150 per person, in English. A private version, at a time you choose, costs €420 for one person or €210 per person for 2 to 10. Our Trastevere guide covers the rest of the neighborhood.

Our shared pasta making class and pizza making class start at 11:00, 15:00 and 18:30 and last 3 hours. Both cost €79 per person (the pasta class costs €89 from April to November). The market tour and cooking class starts at 9:30, Monday to Saturday, for €190 per person. The meeting point depends on the venue of your class and is sent with your booking confirmation. Shared classes are taught in English. With only your group, the private pizza or pasta class costs from €255 per person for 4 to 10 people. Adults can also bottle their own limoncello at our limoncello class, from €135 per person.

To combine food and sights without walking, the Fiat 500 tour with food tasting picks you up at your hotel in the historic center at 14:30 or 18:00, from €650 for 1–2 people, and the golf cart tour with food tasting costs €510 for 1–2 people. Our drivers are not licensed guides, and you see the sights from the outside. See all our golf cart tours in Rome and vintage Fiat 500 tours in Rome.

Classes and food tours are non-refundable once confirmed; the food tastings follow the terms in the table above. See every option on our cooking classes and food tours pages.

FAQ

Is a food tour or a cooking class better in Rome?

Neither is better for everyone. A food tour suits first-time visitors who want to see a neighborhood and taste many things, while a cooking class suits travelers who want to learn a skill and sit down to a full meal. On a rainy day, or with small children, a class is usually easier.

How long do cooking classes in Rome last?

Most of ours last 3 hours, meal included. The market tour and cooking class lasts 4.5 hours, because it starts with shopping at Campo de’ Fiori. Our 3-hour classes ask you to arrive 15 minutes early, because they start on time.

Are cooking classes in Rome suitable for beginners?

Yes. No cooking experience is needed: the chef guides you step by step, from the dough to the finished dish. Children are welcome with an adult in our pasta and pizza classes, so a class also works for families.

Can you take a cooking class or food tour if you are celiac?

Our cooking classes are not suitable for celiacs or a gluten-free diet: pasta and pizza classes work with wheat flour, and cross-contamination cannot be avoided. For a safe gluten-free meal, choose a restaurant in the AFC network of the Italian Celiac Association, listed in its AIC Mobile app.

Are food tours in Rome good for kids?

Our food tour suits families: children pay the same price as adults, and wine is served only to adults. It lasts 2.5 hours on foot, so with small children a cooking class, or a food tasting by golf cart, may be easier.

How much does a food tour or cooking class in Rome cost?

With us, the shared food tour costs €150 per person, and shared cooking classes cost from €79 to €190 per person, meal included. Private classes cost from €250 per person for 3 to 9 people, and the Fiat 500 tour with food tasting costs €650 for 1–2 people.