Wine, flour, and Bologna secrets.

In a small kitchen near the center, Chef Antonino guides you through making true handmade pasta from scratch (no machinery) plus a Bologna-style ragù that you’ll actually eat at the end. I love the hands-on pace and step-by-step coaching, and I love that the evening blends the cooking with a relaxed glass of wine while everything simmers and cools at the right moments.

One thing to plan for: there is no elevator in the building, so you’ll go up to the third floor.

Key Things You’ll Remember From This Class

• Max 4 people, private setup: less waiting, more practice at the table.
• Rolling pin pasta, no machines: you learn the technique that makes Bologna pasta feel real.
• Ragù first, then pasta: a practical flow so you’re not rushed.
• Tortelloni and tagliatelle, made with local ingredients: you leave knowing two classic shapes.
• Wine during prep: it turns cooking stress into an evening.
• Recipe slides at the end: helpful if you want to repeat this at home.

Handmade Bologna Pasta, Not a Tourist Show

This isn’t a demo where you watch while someone else works. The setup is small—private group for up to 4, in a typical local kitchen—so the whole evening is about you learning the motions. You’ll make tortelloni and tagliatelle, and you’ll also get serious focus on the backbone of Bologna comfort food: ragù.

What I like is how the class sticks to the Bologna idea of doing things the old way. You make pasta without machinery, using a rolling pin and your hands. That matters because the technique is the same one you’ll want when you’re back home, with no fancy equipment.

Getting Set Up: Where You Start and What the Space Feels Like

The class starts and ends at Via Antonio di Vincenzo, 50, very close to the railway station and the center of Bologna. The meeting point is in a nearby apartment building area: you’ll buzz PARELLO and go to the third floor.

In practical terms:

• Wear comfortable shoes, because you’ll be on your feet while you knead and roll.
• Expect a home-kitchen feel, not a cooking studio with industrial stations.
• If you struggle with stairs, this is the one logistical snag worth taking seriously since there’s no elevator.

The 3-Hour Flow: Ragù First, Then Tortelloni and Tagliatelle

The class runs about 3 hours, and the order is smart: ragù in the beginning, then pasta while the sauce does its simmer work.

Step 1: Start the ragù the Bologna way

You begin preparing the Bologna ragù early. The goal is timing: ragù needs patience. Starting first lets you work on pasta later without feeling behind.

You’ll work in a local kitchen environment with local, fresh ingredients, and Antonino keeps the rhythm calm: you’ll prep, you’ll wait a little while it simmers, and you’ll come back to the next stage with clear next steps. Even if you’ve cooked before, this is the kind of sauce work where learning the method matters more than speed.

Step 2: Build tortelloni and tagliatelle from scratch

After the ragù is underway, you move into the pasta lab. You’ll learn how to make handmade pasta without machines, rolling and shaping with the tools in the kitchen.

You make two different styles:

• Tortelloni: You’ll likely end up with tortelloni featuring a filling that includes ricotta and parsley, based on what people describe from the class.
• Tagliatelle: You also learn the classic ribbon shape, with attention to thickness and feel.

This is the part where the class really earns its value. You’re not just making one pasta shape—you learn enough technique to understand what changes when the dough is too thick, too thin, or not rested long enough.

Step 3: Cook and eat what you made

Once everything’s prepared, you cook and eat your creations. The meal is built around your results: ragù, tagliatelle, and tortelloni, plus what comes from the wine-friendly pace of the evening.

A practical note: the class includes water and a bottle of wine, so you can settle in and enjoy the meal without needing to think about ordering or shopping.

Chef Antonino: Funny, Patient, and Focused on Getting You Results

The vibe here is part comedy, part serious instruction. Multiple people describe Antonino as friendly and funny, but the key is what that humor does for learning: it keeps the room relaxed while you do repetitive, detail-heavy tasks like rolling dough and shaping pasta.

You also get lots of chances to practice rather than just listening. People highlight that he’s a retired Italian chef who willingly shares techniques and gives you time to repeat steps so you leave with confidence, not just recipes.

If you enjoy understanding why something works—like how dough texture affects rolling and shaping—this kind of teaching style will click. And if you prefer a strict checklist, you’ll still get structure through step-by-step coaching.

Why the Wine and Timing Actually Matter

This class includes a good glass of wine (and a bottle) during the preparation. It’s not just a perk. It changes the mood of a longer cooking session.

Because the ragù starts first, you have a natural window where the sauce is simmering and you’re working on dough. That’s when a relaxed pause helps. It makes the kitchen feel like an evening, not a rushed line of tasks.

Also, the fact that you start with ragù and then make pasta is a smart timing trick. It helps you avoid the classic cooking-class problem: everything gets made at once, and you rush through the best part—eating what you cooked.

What You’ll Take Home (So You Can Repeat It)

At the end, you don’t just leave full—you leave with tools for repeating the experience. The class includes slides of the recipes sent after the session. That’s a real advantage because pasta-making is the kind of skill where details matter: dough consistency, rest timing, and how sauce should behave as it cooks.

You’ll also have done everything in one go in a real kitchen setting: local ingredients, pasta lab, tools and aprons provided, and the full meal. In other words, you have a finished reference point for what your version should taste like and how your process should feel.

Value Check: Is $85 a Fair Price?

At $85 per person for a roughly 3-hour class, the value comes from three things you don’t usually get together:

1) You learn multiple dishes

You’re making ragù plus two types of handmade pasta (tortelloni and tagliatelle). That’s more than the common one-dish class.

2) You get a full meal and drinks included

The experience includes water and wine, and you eat your own cooking at the table.

3) Small group access

With classes for max 4 people, the teaching time doesn’t evaporate into a crowd.

Add in that the ingredients are described as local and fresh, plus the class provides aprons, tools, and recipe slides at the end, and the price starts to feel reasonable for the level of hands-on instruction you get in a central Bologna location.

Who Should Book This Class

This is a strong choice if you want something practical and authentic in Bologna. It fits especially well if:

• you like cooking and want to learn real technique (rolling-pin pasta, not shortcut methods)
• you’re traveling with a small group or as a couple and want a private setup
• you want a “hands, sauce, and dinner” activity rather than a quick tasting
• you enjoy a social cooking vibe with a host who tells stories while you work

The class is described as family friendly, but it’s also clearly not for everyone.

Who Should Skip (Important Limits)

The activity is not suitable for:

• children under 9 years
• vegans
• people with gluten intolerance
• people with food allergies
• pregnant women
• people with epilepsy
• people with diabetes
• people over 6 ft 6 in (200 cm)
• people over 230 lbs (104 kg)
• people with a cold
• people over 80 years
• people with claustrophobia

If any of those apply, it’s smart to look for a different cooking experience that matches your needs.

Getting the Most Out of Your Evening

A few tips that help you succeed fast in a hands-on pasta class:

• Keep your pace steady. Pasta dough doesn’t like frantic rolling.
• Listen for Antonino’s cues about dough feel. With rolling-pin pasta, texture matters.
• Plan to eat what you make. The meal is part of the point: your ragù and pasta should meet on the plate while everything is still tasting its best.
• If you’re sensitive to stairs, take the third-floor location seriously because there’s no elevator.

Should You Book This Cooking Class?

Yes, I’d book it if your goal is to leave Bologna with a skill you can repeat: handmade tortelloni and tagliatelle plus a proper ragù method, taught in a small, relaxed kitchen with wine and step-by-step attention.

Skip it if you need barrier-free access (no elevator), or if your dietary/health constraints match the list of limitations. Also, if you hate doing tactile tasks like rolling and shaping dough, you might find a different style of class more comfortable.

If you’re flexible and you want one of the most satisfying “do something in Bologna” evenings, this is the kind of experience that sticks because you finish with food, technique, and recipe slides you can use again.

FAQ

How long is the cooking class?

The class runs for about 3 hours.

What dishes will I learn to make?

You’ll make Bologna ragù, tortelloni, and tagliatelle.

Is the instructor available in English?

Yes. The instructor teaches in English.

How many people are in the group?

The class is limited to a private group of max 4 people.

Where do I meet?

You start and end at Via Antonio di Vincenzo, 50. The meeting involves buzzing PARELLO and going to the third floor.

Is it suitable for kids or for vegans/gluten intolerance?

It’s not suitable for children under 9, and it’s also not suitable for vegans or people with gluten intolerance.

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