New: week-long to multi-month cooking courses in Italy, prices read from school sites

Find a course
Cookweeks

City guide · 6 courses from 4 schools

Cooking Courses in Bologna and Emilia-Romagna

Bologna cooking courses are about rolling fresh egg pasta by hand with a long rolling pin, the way the city’s sfogline do, and a week is long enough to move from tagliatelle to tortellini, lasagne and ragù. Emilia-Romagna is also the base for professional training: the Carpigiani Gelato University is just outside Bologna, and culinary schools near Parma run multi-week courses for international students.

Prices checked

Piazza Maggiore in Bologna seen from the Palazzo Comunale
Photo: Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0
Courses listed
64 schools
One week from
€1,500median €1,500
Price per day
€69–€8396 courses with a length and price
Lengths
3About a week, 2 to 4 weeks, Longer than a month

About a week: courses in Bologna

5 to 13 days. 3 courses, cheapest published price first.

Career course

Basic Gelato Course (premium in-class)

Carpigiani Gelato University · Anzola dell'Emilia (Bologna)

€1,500per person, excl. VATabout US$1,676
Length
5 days · 10 h hands-on
Per day
about €300
Taught in
English, Italian, French, Spanish
Certificate
Attendance
Season
Next listed English date: Monday 18 January 2027

€1,830 VAT included. Lessons 9.00am-1.30pm theory, 2.30-4.30pm hands-on. Also sold online. Under-18s must email before registering. Course may change if minimum numbers not reached. Accommodation not mentioned.

School page: “1.500,00 € (1.830,00 € VAT incl.)”

Read 1 Nov 2026School page
Career course

Gelato Business Week

Carpigiani Gelato University · Anzola dell'Emilia (Bologna)

€1,500per person, excl. VATabout US$1,676
Length
5 days
Per day
about €300
Season
Monday 1 February 2027

40 hours, 5 days; business models, operation and return on investment.

School page: “1.500,00 € (1.830,00 € VAT incl.)”

Read 1 Nov 2026School page
US$7,500per personabout €6,713
Length
7 nights
Per day
about €839
Group
up to 12
Season
2027: May 30 – Jun 6 and Oct 24–31
Single room
+US$1,500
  • Lodging
  • Meals
  • Market visit

Group size 8–12 travelers. $500 non-refundable deposit; balance 90 days before. Arrive at Pragatto Hills by 3 pm on day 1. Not included: individual airport transfers, airfare, meals beyond the itinerary, alcohol other than served at table.

School page: “The total cost of this trip is $7,500.”

Read 1 Nov 2026School page

2 to 4 weeks: courses in Bologna

14 to 31 days. 2 courses, cheapest published price first.

€1,941per person, 4 weeksabout US$2,168
Length
4 weeks · 24 h hands-on
Per day
about €69
Taught in
Italian
  • Meals

Price table 'Italian language course + 2 cooking lessons for week': 1 week EUR 530, 2 weeks EUR 1000, 3 weeks EUR 1471, 4 weeks EUR 1941 (page renders the numbers next to template code, so quote is the number only). Extra cooking lessons EUR 68 each, max 3 per week. You taste what you cook at the end of each lesson. hands_on_hours computed from 2 x 3 h x 4 weeks.

School page: “1941”

Read 1 Nov 2026School page

Longer than a month: courses in Bologna

5 weeks up to a year. 1 courses, cheapest published price first.

€6,000per person, taxes not includedabout US$6,703
Length
12 weeks
Per day
about €71
Taught in
Italian, English
Certificate
Professional

Monday-Friday 8:00-14:00, mandatory attendance; 6 students per school year, 2 per class. Entry only after the 3-day course and teacher approval. Diploma signed by Alessandra and Stefania Spisni; no final exam. Students arrange their own housing. Full €6,000 paid at enrolment.

School page: “COSTO: € 6000,00 per persona. (Tasse non incluse)”

Read 1 Nov 2026School page

What Bologna cooking courses cost

Each bar spans the cheapest to the dearest published price per person for courses of that length in Bologna.

  • About a week5 to 13 days · 3 priced
    €1,500median €1,500€6,713
  • 2 to 4 weeks14 to 31 days · 2 priced
    €1,000median €1,471€1,941
  • Longer than a month5 weeks up to a year · 1 priced
    €6,000median €6,000€6,000
Published prices per person in euros (US dollar and pound prices converted at the ECB rate), log scale. The dot is the median.

About cooking in Bologna

The region is the home of Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, mortadella and balsamic vinegar from Modena, so many longer courses add visits to cheese, ham or vinegar producers.

Dishes you are likely to cook: tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini, tortelloni, lasagne, mortadella, gelato.

How to choose a course in Bologna

  • Want real technique? Choose a course that teaches rolling with the long pin (mattarello) rather than a pasta machine.
  • Gelato as a career: compare the professional gelato courses; the starter course runs for days and longer programmes add shop practice.
  • Lodging is rarely included in city courses; budget for a room near the school.

Best months for a class in Bologna

Courses run on fixed start dates through the year; it is hot in July and August and some small schools close for part of August.

Getting there

Bologna Guglielmo Marconi airport is linked to the central station by the Marconi Express; high-speed trains reach Florence in about 40 minutes and Milan in about an hour.

Schools in Bologna

Every school we list, with its lowest published price.

Carpigiani Gelato University

Anzola dell'Emilia (Bologna) · Carpigiani campus outside Bologna (bus stop Anzola-Magli; highway exit Borgo Panigale)

  • Career course

From €1,500 per person, excl. VAT · 2 courses

Cultura Italiana Bologna

Bologna · Via Castiglione 4, Bologna

  • Culinary course

From €1,000 per person, 2 weeks · 2 courses

VSB Bologna (La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese)

Bologna · Via del Partigiano 7, Bologna

  • Career course

From €6,000 per person, taxes not included · 1 course

Culinary Backstreets × Milk Street – Emilia-Romagna Cooking Retreat

Emilia Romagna · Pragatto Hills private estate, a short taxi ride from Bologna airport; outings to Modena and Vignola

  • Cooking holiday

From US$7,500 per person · 1 course

Filter every course by length, budget and diet

The course finder searches all listed courses in one place.

Open the course finder

Cooking Courses in Bologna and Emilia-Romagna: questions

How much does a cooking course in Bologna cost?

About a week (5 to 13 days): published prices run from €1,500 to €6,713 per person (3 priced), the lowest being Carpigiani Gelato University at €1,500 per person, excl. VAT. 2 to 4 weeks (14 to 31 days): published prices run from €1,000 to €1,941 per person (2 priced), the lowest being Cultura Italiana Bologna at €1,000 per person, 2 weeks. Longer than a month (5 weeks up to a year): published prices run from €6,000 to €6,000 per person (1 priced), the lowest being VSB Bologna (La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese) at €6,000 per person, taxes not included. Prices were read on each school’s website; US dollar and pound prices are converted to euros at the ECB rate.

Is Bologna or Florence better for a longer cooking course?

Bologna if fresh egg pasta or gelato is the main goal. Florence if you want a broader Tuscan menu, a semester-length course or Italian lessons alongside cooking.