It was great, activities timely, hostess friendly, assisting when necessary, service, location, food, and wine were all good. I was with my daughters and the other 2 groups communicated openly. The final icing on the top was the chef singing. I would recommend this tour to everyone.
reviewed by Sarah S | Jan 2019
The whole experience was top notch. The food and wine were delicious and the people were so friendly! We loved it all so much!!
The class was amazing from beginning to end. The train ride to Frascati was short and comfortable. Upon arrival, we met our tour guide (Jo, she was THE BEST). She took us on a short tour of Frascati and we headed to the winery. Here we had a lovely tour of the winery with the owner. The place has some amazing history and is truly beautiful. The cooking class was so much fun! The chef was so talented and charming. After he taught us to make two different types of pasta, he cooked it for us and it turned out to be the most amazing meal I had in Italy. Or maybe ever. Also included is generous tastings of their wines and lovely aperitives! I am so glad we did this class, it was by far our favorite experience while traveling.
Classic Italian experience! I personally love pasta and this class did not disappoint. We had a local market tour, the people, they were so warm and charismatic. The tour was insightful, it felt like we were travelling back to the past and enjoying every moment. The culture and the tradition was very well preserved in this class. We were able to try 2 different kinds of pasta, different types of breads and delicious appetizers. The wine pairings were magnificent! Just spot on. I would definitely recommend and hope to do it again on another trip to Rome!
True Italian portions. We were able to try 2 different kinds of pasta, different types of breads and deliscious appetizers. The wine that came before lunch and during lunch was smooth and paired wonderfully with the food, the glasses were refilled generously and we even got to try some of the pizza the other half of the class had made. It was such a wonderful experience with the Minardi family and the other guests that were part of the group. I would definitely recommend and hope to do it again on another trip to Rome!
From start to finish, it was delightful. Jo was very knowledgeable and a blast to have guide us through town and share the history of Frascati. Alfredo and Umberto proudly portrayed what a family business is all about. Luigi was super patient with my lack of pasta making skills, and the other staff made us smile. And the food and wine were outstanding-the best of my trip. Thank you for a wonderful memory of Italy! I hope to be back very soon.
Meeting Fredo, Jo and Luigi at the Minardi Winery was the highlight of our trip to Rome so far. It’s a gorgeous location, we met wonderful people and had fun while we learned to make ravioli and fettuccini. I HIGHLY recommend this cooking class/tour!
Great day with my wife in the roman countryside. Highly recommended!
We cannot say one bad thing about this experience. Jo was absolutely PHENOMENAL. the experience was so authentic and everyone was so welcoming and of course the food was EXCELLENT. We loved this experience so much we are considering buying a home in Frascati. Thank you for this wonderful start to our trip!
What an outstanding day! My cooking class and visit to Frascati was amazing from the get-go. I cannot thank Alfredo and his family, Luigi and Jo enough for all of the hard work and passion that goes into everything they do. The pasta making was simple and authentic, and the end result was delicious. We tried a few of the local wines and they paired with our food so well, I even got a bottle to bring home. Jo is the hostess with the mostest, encouraging you during your cooking and she really does bring so much life into what she does. After two weeks on holiday in Italy I can say that my day in Frascati was my favourite.
Absolutely amazing experience, the best part of visiting Rome. Nico and Eduardo were excellent guides. We'd recommend this to anyone.
The class was amazing! The food and wine was delicious. Everyone who hosted/taught the class were so fun and nice! Probably one of my favorite experiences in Rome. Would for sure do it again.
It was such an amazing day. The food was amazing the wine was delicious. It was easy to go to and they picked us up from the train station. The class was only three people. And again the food and wine was so so so great.
My brother and I loved this class. There were only 4 of us so we learned a lot. We learned two types of pasta and the other group learned pizza. The antipasta that we were given before eating the pasta was delicious. The wine was fantastic.
Had a delightful time with Josephine. It was beautiful to get out into the country and meet local people.
Our experience at the Roman Countryside Winery Tour and Pasta Making Class was absolutely fantastic. The man in charge (Alfredo), the chef (Luigi) and the tour guide (Nico) were all extremely friendly and made our visit one to remember. Their passion for their town, food, and wine was contagious. All of the food and wine was delicious. It was an authentic Italian experience! We will definitely recommend this class to others!
Really friendly fun cookery class. My second time taking visitors to the class. Great day out from Rome set in the family vineyard, you actually feel like a friend visiting rather than a client. The cookery class is really fun and informative and then followed by the lunch and wine tasting which is fantastic.
This was one of the highlights of our whole trip. Only 25 minutes on the train out of Rome and you feel like you’re a world away. Sipping wine in the country side, and eating the most amazing pasta. Our tour guide was so lovely, she was very informative & interperates everything for you. (And a very funny lady!) Our group was only 6 people which we really enjoyed.. The cooking class was so much fun and the chef/teacher was great! Would go back again.. the town of Frascati is so lovely. We had some drinks before the train trip home at a little bar near the station.
I love getting out of Rome for the day and seeing the beautiful countryside of Frascati. Our guide Jo was terrific! The Minardi vineyard was beautiful with so much history and obvious passion for food and wine! Highly recommend this tour and experience!
We were picked up at the train station by Jo (Josephine) and immediately felt welcomed . Jo gave us a tour Frascati, her home town. Her knowledge and passion made the experience so much more vibrant and enjoyable . We then went to the winery and was greeted by Luigi , the Chef to make amazing pasta . We then meet family who ran the winery and took a tour . The hospitality throughout this experience was amazing .
We were unfortunately arrived late because of flight delays and traffic, but we eventually made it. Francesca was wonderful and her recipes are ones that we are excited to make again! The food was amazing. She is also a sommelier and paired wonderful wines with the meal! I would definitely recommend to everyone.
The highlight of this experience was the pasta making and then eating our creations! Now that I'm home, I realize I should have asked for the sauce recipes for the two kinds of pasta we made though (Luigi is obviously a rockstar chef). There were only four people in our group, which was appreciated! I think a lot of the winery tour information got lost in translation for us. As wine lovers from California, we were really looking forward to that part. My only two, very small suggestions would be to provide recipe cards at the end so we can take them home and maybe structure the winery tour part a little more. The day was amazing though, we loved it!
Josephine and Alfredo were the most wonderful hosts! We were transported to small town Italy within striking distance of Rome. The town tour was perfect, making pasta was so fun and educational and the place we did it was so atmospheric. Everyone we met from Mr. Minardi to our pasta teacher to the dogs were friendly and welcoming. The food and wine were also delicious. One of us had a birthday and they found some candles to put in a tiramisu. This was our favorite day of a week in Italy. We even spontaneously sang and played piano at the wine tasting. Thanks guys!!
I would highly recommend this cooking experience and winery tour to EVERYONE! Jo (Josephine), our instructor was very personable, really fun, engaging, and helpful! I learned a lot during the pasta making and then we went to the family winery where we had a tour with Alfredo and his father. The tour was good but the wine tasting was even better! We've been to wine tasting in the US... this was not like those! They served us glasses of wine, snacks, delicious olive oil and then we went back to the restaurant and ate an amazing spread of antipasta, and our pasta creations! It was delicious, easy to get to and WELL worth the money! So much fun! Thank you for an incredible experience Jo and Alfredo! Your hospitality was amazing and so appreciated!!!! <3 <3
What a nice day! Lovely to see frascati. Then make the pasta and Walk through the Lovely frascati wine garden. Very nice tasting there with nice bites. Compliments for the combinations. After it the lovely lunch with wine again. Great day with great people!
Great, intimate experience in the country side of Rome. Would highly recommend to all.
This day was so incredible and I would highly recommend for anyone to do this. The pasta class was fun and informative but the best part was eating it later! best sauces I've ever had. Everyone we met was so lovely and the Minardi family are very welcoming. Every wine you have is delightful! Thank you for a wonderful day.
An amazing family and tour. Priceless experience. Get way more than what is paid for. Highlight of the trip.
My wife and I decided to get out of the city to explore the surrounding area -- we didn't expect Frascati to be so wonderful! It's a quaint town and with Max/Alfredo to show us around, we couldn't have asked for a better time. The pasta was fun to make, the vineyard was magical as was the wine tour/tasting, and finally dining on the very pasta we made was so satisfying. All in all, we highly recommend this experience if you are able to!
The Minardi winery tour and pasta class was a highlight of our Rome vacation! The pasta class was very enjoyable, with both learning and fun. Connections to Frascati were exactly as described on the web, in a comfortable quick train from Termini station. We were met by Jo, who is an excellent local guide as well as instructor. Jo shared local history of this lovely hill town as our group of six walked to the restaurant. Jo’s co-teacher was a pasta pro, an Italian grandma who is hands on yet encouraging. After the fettuccine preparation was completed we had a short walk about Frascati, then driven five minutes to the Minardi winery. The family has made wines here for nine generations. We were shown the vineyard by the family patriarch and his son, the current vintner. After an overview of the growing techniques, they shared their home’s sweeping views then the homes’ old cellars and historic equipment before tasting the current vintages with antipasti. A very beautiful and educational day ending back at the restaurant to enjoy the pasta we made for lunch! A short walk back to the train for the return ride to Rome. A great day of Italian culture we’d never have experienced otherwise!
The class was amazing, couldn't recommend it any more. If your on the fence book now!
From our host patiently waiting at the train station for over an hour due to mechanical delays to tasting wines overlooking rome, the pasta making class was incredible. Our highlight of Italy, easily the most fun we had. The meal served with our homemade pasta was the single best meal in my life. Fantastic across the board. An absolute must do for anyone coming to italy!
When in Rome, my husband and I decided to take a pasta making class with a wine tour in the nearby town of Frascati. It was one of the best experiences of our trip! We took the train from Temini Station to Frascati - an easy 25 minute journey. Once we got off, we met Jo, or tour guide, who, as someone educated in the UK, spoke perfect English yet knew every nook and cranny of the town, including every person we passed! She told us stories about the town as we walked through and even bought us some local delicacies (porchetta sandwiches and wine made in the 'old way'). After walking through town, we went to a small restaurant where we were taught to make pasta and gnocchi. Our instructor, Emry, had tons of patience with us and managed to teach us how to make pasta even with a language barrier. We made pasta dough from scratch and were given gnocchi dough to work with (since it takes significantly longer to make gnocchi). After the class, we we were picked up by Alfredo from the Minardi Winery. Alfredo, a ninth-generation winemaker, gave us a personal tour through the winery - land his family has been on for over 500 years. We had a wine tasting of some amazing Minardi wines paired with local food sitting outside on the patio overlooking the wine valley below. Once we finished the tasting, we were taken back to the restaurant where the chef had made our pasta into delicious meals - gnocchi with asparagus in a cream sauce and fettuccine in a red sauce. We were also given more wine from the Minardi winery, a spread of cured meats and cheeses, and honey-ricotta spread. At the end of the day, we wandered through Frascati on our own and then took the train back to Rome (it runs once an hour). It was a great day outside the hustle-and-bustle of Rome. We loved seeing a different perspective of Italian life as we walked through this old village, and would highly recommend this tour to anyone else going to Rome!
Good instruktions on pastamaking . The day was well organized - at nice tour in the town and on the wineyard
The chef is very good and very professional, however you only prepare the raw pasta, and we would have liked to prepare the sauce that goes with it and have a full culinary experience. The wine tour was a blast
Such bang for your buck!! This was hands down the highlight of my trip to Rome. You get off the train, and your guide greets you immediately. They take you around town and give you interesting facts and history on Frascoti. Then you go to some local shops to try local bread, wine, and meat. Then you're off to a local restaurant to make pasta (easy and fun -- but I'll never take boxed pasta for granted ever again!) Next you get a tour of the Manardi winery -- you'll meet members of the Manardi family who are all so kind and love showing you around their property. You taste their different wines, eat great bread, and have quality conversations about Italy with the guide / family. Then you get to go back to the restaurant to enjoy your pasta! It was so great being able to see the Roman country side! Definitely added a lot to my stay. 100% would recommend.
I couldn't have asked for a better day in Rome with my friends. We spent a wonderful day with Alfredo and his dad at this winery. We felt a very warm welcome from the family. We first met Alfredo at the train station. We had a blast making fresh pasta and gnocchi. We tasted 3 wines and had super delicious cheeses, meats, bread and cookies. Once our wine tour was complete we were taken back to the tavern to dine with the pasta we had made. Such a wonderful day which I would highly recommend.