Macerata Vincisgrassi & Marche Classics Class

This four-hour cooking class teaches vincisgrassi, the rich baked pasta that is one of the Marche's defining dishes, in a kitchen in the historic centre of Macerata, the inland university and opera town. Working with a local cook, guests learn to make vincisgrassi from scratch, rolling fresh egg pasta sheets by hand and layering them with a long-cooked meat ragù and béchamel into the dish that the region regards as the ancestor and rival of modern lasagna. The class also covers a second handmade pasta and a regional accompaniment, giving a rounded introduction to the cooking of the Marche interior. The session is hands-on throughout, with the cook demonstrating each stage before guests try it, and it closes with everyone sitting down to eat the vincisgrassi they have made, accompanied by a glass of Rosso Piceno, the structured red of the southern hills. The €95 price covers all ingredients, instruction, the recipes, and the sit-down meal with wine; transport and additional bottles are not included. Groups are kept small so each guest gets individual guidance, and classes run in English at a patient pace suited to beginners, with no prior experience needed. Vegetarian substitutions can usually be arranged with advance notice, though the classic vincisgrassi ragù is meat-based. The experience suits travellers who want to take home a genuine regional skill that is hard to find outside the Marche, and who enjoy learning the layered technique behind the dish. Macerata's historic centre is compact and walkable, making the kitchen easy to reach, and aprons are provided to protect clothing from flour. The class doubles as a window into the home cooking of the Marche interior, distinct from the better-known dishes of neighbouring regions.