Just a few steps from Porta Carini, at the entrance of the Il Capo street market, you’ll find the Towns of Italy cooking school: an experience that combines a lively atmosphere, a professional yet welcoming kitchen, special yet easy-to-reproduce recipes, and, above all, a journey that blends learning and practice in a fun but thorough way.
The experience begins with a visit to the Il Capo street market alongside the chefs, discovering typical products, the history of the market, and its popular traditions. A short early-morning tour that deeply connects you to the region and brings you back to the kitchen before the market becomes too crowded.
Once back in the kitchen, the chefs will present the day’s program. Together, three dishes will be prepared, following recipes and preparation secrets passed down from generation to generation. The experience will be a balanced mix of observation and hands-on practice, culminating in the tasting of the dishes you’ve created.
After watching a delicious meat ragù being prepared with the perfect Maillard reaction, the work on the dough for the maccheroni begins, which is then shaped using a traditional ferretto. You follow the chefs as they knead the cannoli shells and season the ricotta, and then together, you prepare the arancine for frying. The pasta-making continues, while observing the preparation of the tomato sauce, rolling out the cannoli dough, and shaping them. Every step surprises, turning the morning into a continuous journey of discovery.
When it’s time to taste the dishes, the emotion is a mix of pride for having made something truly delicious and the sensation of savoring flavors that seem to come from a distant time. The arancine, pasta, and cannoli don’t taste like modern restaurant or café food, but rather possess an authentic, simple, and intense flavor that transports you to a traditional Sicilian table from another era.
For more information or to book this experience, simply contact the front desk, which will provide all the details, schedules, and prices. Both this cooking lesson and the evening class on pizza and gelato are available for booking through our website under additional services, after selecting your room and rate.
