Cooking class at a Cesarina's home with tasting in Siracusa

My wife, our two daughters (16 and 23), and I spent this evening in Gilda Failla's home in Ortigia for a cooking class, and it was one of the highlights of our time in Sicily. Gilda's kitchen is small and cozy, so when it came time to make pasta, we moved to her dining room table, which turned out to be perfect — plenty of room for all four of us to flour the surface, roll dough, and shape cavatelli side by side. There was something wonderful about the whole family working elbow to elbow, flour on our hands and clothes, laughing at our uneven first attempts and slowly getting the hang of the little ridged shapes as Gilda moved between us, gently correcting technique with real patience and good humor. She has a natural way of teaching that never feels like a lecture. While we worked the dough, she told us stories about growing up in Ortigia, about Sicilian cooking traditions, and about why certain ingredients and methods matter the way they do. Once the cavatelli were shaped, we moved back into the kitchen for the cooking itself, and Gilda walked us through building the sauce with the same care and clear explanation she'd brought to the pasta-making. Nothing felt rushed. She explained the reasoning behind each step, which made the techniques feel genuinely learnable rather than just something to watch. By the end of the evening, all four of us — independently — said we wanted to make cavatelli at home. That's the best compliment I can give a cooking class: it didn't just entertain us, it actually taught us something we plan to use. When the food was ready, we invited Gilda to sit and eat with us, but she politely explained that wasn't something she does — a boundary she held warmly but firmly. It didn't take anything away from the evening; if anything, it reflected a kind of professionalism and respect for the experience that we appreciated. We ate the meal we'd made together as a family, with Gilda checking in from nearby, clearly pleased with how it had turned out. This was exactly the kind of experience we hoped to find in Sicily — hands-on, personal, and rooted in real tradition rather than a tourist routine. Gilda is a wonderful teacher: warm, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in making sure everyone at the table (or in this case, the dining room) leaves with something real. If you're in Ortigia and want an evening that's more than just a meal out, book a class with Gilda. We're already talking about making cavatelli together back home.

Great class. Really enjoyed making pasta from scratch and seeing how to make a few new dishes. Maria was a great host

Gilda was accommodating g about pick up and made it very easy. The venue was magnificent. She was warm, informative and friendly. Explained the process and the products. Food was delicious. Highly recommend.

Maria’s class was good. Her apartment was very warm and she eventually turned on the air conditioning . The we made pasta which was good, but the pistachio pesto sauce was out of a jar, not home made which was disappointing. She asked if she could add a person to our private class and we agreed. She added some shrimp to dinner but really didn’t want to clean them and cooked them head an all in oil and garlic, nothing fancy and they were tasteless . The ricotta pie we made for dessert was the best thing. All in all, we had a good time but was very expensive for what we got. Also parking near her apartment was very difficult. We were supposed to get all the recipes and she sent a PDF that wouldn’t open. She sent pictures of some of the recipes but not all which was disappointing

Ewa was so welcoming and we felt like family from the get go. She was very knowledgeable and we had so much fun cooking in her home. She uses many ingredients from her own garden which was amazing to see. Get prepared to use your hands and eat lots of amazing food. She is truly warm and generous. The experience was once in a lifetime.

We were so delighted to meet Eva and we instantly bonded over the common language of women-that transcends culture, language and time. This was made even better by traditional wine that flowed and the hard work of making 6 different kinds of pasta. To be honest, we both had a long day and didn't even know if we were up to a cooking class. However, we were warmly greeted by Eva in the courtyard of the home that she and her son own together. Her son works in Roma. We were given refreshments and lovely antipasti with divine homemade cheese. The conversation flowed with all of us using Google translate along with broken English and Italian. We were supposed to make 2 kinds of pasta but Eva noted our enthusiasm and we made 6 kinds of pasta. She was a natural cook and gave us such great tips that we can take home to extend our cooking adventures. By the time we sat down to eat -we were tired and excited to try our pasta and baked eggplant dish. The food was awesome -there was enough to feed a family of 15 and there was just the three of us. Eva shared with us all the drinks and potents she makes with the herbs and plants in her garden. We connected, laughed, and got our hands covered in flour. Sicily is about tradition, family, and culture and this experience embodied that.

Maria and her husband were very inviting and warm in allowing us into their home. We made homemade pastas and sauce and tiramisu. It was a wonderful experience and the food was so delicious. Highly recommend for everyone of all ages!

Upon arrival, my husband and our close friends were warmly greeted by Maria Rita. The kitchen was setup with all the tools needed to make an authentic sicilian meal of bruschetta with sicilian pesto, 3 types of pasta with the sicilian pesto, sicilian caponata and tiramisu, way more food than we could eat, especially after the delicious snacks layed out upon arrival. Maria Rita was warm, welcoming, and great at providing instruction. I thought making pasta from scratch would be so much harder, but she made it easy amd fun, very engsging, an experience we enjoyed so much that we are already planning on doing it for a party when we get back home. We got to meet her husband Giuseppe and son Giacomo which wss really a treat for us, such a lovely family. The location of the home was perfect, directly across from the archeological park with amazing views. After a wonderful experience learning to cook and eating a delicious meal, we went to the archeological park before heading home, the perfect end to a wonderful day. I highly recommend this experience to anyone seeking an authentic sicilian experience, especially if you love food. Two members of our group don't even enjoy cooking and absolutely loved this experience.

We had an absolutely fantastic experience with Maria Rita’s cooking class! She was very passionate about Sicilian cuisine. We felt very welcomed in her kitchen, where we learned to make authentic dishes from scratch. It was a highlight of our trip! We would give her more than 5 stars if allowed! And we loved meeting her family - husband Joseph and son James!

Look no further. This is the best cooking class! Ewa was a fantastic host. She made a fun day for our group in her beautiful outdoor kitchen and served us in her own dining room. We really enjoyed her company. She even cut a beautiful rose from her garden for my sister and I since it was Mothers Day.