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Where
Le Marche, Italy
Group Size
8 - 12 guests
Duration
6 days / 5 nights
Price
5,500 USD/Person
Join us in Le Marche, Italy, for four days of sfoglina training with Simonetta Capotondo. Shorter and more focused than our other trips, this experience is devoted entirely to the art of handmade pasta.
The word sfoglina comes from sfoglia, the delicate, thin sheet of pasta dough traditionally made with flour and eggs. A sfoglina is someone who has mastered that craft, from judging dough by touch to rolling, cutting, shaping, filling, and cooking pasta with precision and ease. With Simonetta, a professional pasta educator based in Le Marche, we’ll spend four days doing exactly that.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced home pasta maker, learning from a true sfoglina is eye-opening. Across the week, you’ll dive deep into fresh handmade pasta, covering classic, regional, professional, and creative recipes. You’ll learn traditional methods using a wooden board and rolling pin, work with professional machines to knead and roll dough, and explore preservation techniques for both professional and home kitchens, from freezing and pasteurization to practical ways to store your pasta once you’re back home.
Each lesson also includes one or two matching sauces, because pasta is never only about the shape. And since pasta and wine are natural companions, each day ends with a tasting paired with wine, including one extended pairing lesson with a professional sommelier.
TASTE
MEET
MAKE
LEARN
TRAVEL
Your itinerary
Day 1
Welcome to Le Marche
We meet in Ancona, a historic port city on Italy’s Adriatic coast. Our time together begins with dinner at Guasco, an intimate restaurant in Ancona's historic square serving dishes that blend tradition with contemporary sensibility, made from seasonal ingredients that are hand-picked every morning by the chef. Over the course of our meal, Simonetta will introduce the days ahead and prepare us for our deep dive into handmade pasta.
Day 2
Traditional and Colored Egg Pasta
Today we begin with the foundations. Simonetta will teach us her formula for enriched egg dough and how to evaluate it by touch, looking for the right hydration, texture, and suppleness. We’ll practice unfilled pasta shapes including tagliatelle, pappardelle, garganelli, mafalde, farfalline, quadrucci, sorpresine, and chitarrine. Then we’ll work with naturally colored doughs made with beet and spinach, learning how added moisture changes the balance of flour and eggs. To complete the lesson, we’ll prepare Simonetta’s basic ragù and sit down to a late lunch. The evening is free to explore Ancona.
Day 3
Filled Egg Pasta
Today we move into filled pasta. Simonetta will guide us through ravioli, tortellini, and agnolotti del plin, working with two fillings and teaching a total of 17 pasta shapes, from classic folds to more intricate regional forms.
We’ll also prepare two classic sauces: butter and sage, and Parmesan cream and then have a late lunch starring what we made with Simonetta. After a break back at the hotel, we’ll meet again for a formal wine lesson and tasting led by a professional sommelier.
Day 4
Baked Pasta
Building on the dough techniques from earlier in the week, today we turn to pasta gratinata, baked pasta dishes such as lasagne, cannelloni, and medaglioni filled with ricotta and spinach.
The evening is free for dinner, an aperitif, a walk through Ancona, or time to explore the city’s piazzas.
Day 5
Eggless and Regional Pasta
The morning is free to enjoy at your own pace before returning to the school for our final afternoon lesson. This class moves beyond fresh egg pasta and into the eggless and regional traditions found across Italy, from Southern shapes such as orecchiette, trofie, and cavatelli to Sardinian culurgiones, Le Marche’s crescia tajata, and Emilia-Romagna’s passatelli.
The sauce will follow the season, with Simonetta choosing the preparation based on the weather and what is available locally. After a break, we’ll gather once more at the school for a farewell dinner, closing the trip around the table.
Day 6
Goodbyes
Our trip together ends. You can extend your time, continue exploring, or head home until your next adventure.
Meet the Crew
We believe deeply in the power of local knowledge. Our guides, cheesemakers, cooks, artisans, farmers, and bakers do not simply lead experiences; they embody the places we visit.
Simonetta
Mita
Where you'll stay
Grand Hotel Palace Ancona
This trip’s focus on deeply local experiences and places is also reflected in where we stay. We always choose independent, design-forward properties that honor their surroundings while offering the comfort and polish expected of an international standard.
In Ancona, that place is Grand Hotel Palace Ancona, a restored 4-star hotel in the historic heart of the city. Set inside a historic palazzo, the hotel places us within walking distance of Ancona’s ancient port, cultural sights, shops, and restaurants. Originally opened in 1968 and fully restored in 2017, Grand Hotel Palace balances the character of its classical architecture with contemporary comfort, thoughtful design, and an eco-conscious approach. The property has 39 rooms and four themed suites, some with views over the harbor and the rooftops of the old city. For this shorter, hands-on pasta intensive, it offers an elegant and convenient base: close to the center of Ancona, comfortable after long days of cooking, and well placed for exploring the city during free evenings.
Know before you go
PRICING AND ACCOMMODATION
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">The total cost of this trip is $5,500 per person. For travelers wishing to have single accommodations during the trip, an additional $750 supplement will be due at the time of the final payment. A $500 non-refundable deposit per traveler is required to secure space on the trip. The balance is due 90 days prior to the start of the trip.</span></p>
ACTIVITY LEVEL
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">This is a hands-on cooking intensive, and travelers should feel comfortable standing for extended periods of time during pasta lessons. Each day will include several hours of active instruction, including kneading, rolling, cutting, shaping, filling, and cooking pasta. Travelers should also feel comfortable walking through Ancona and navigating city streets, stairs, and uneven surfaces.</span></p>
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">For flights in and out of Ancona Airport/Marche Airport (AOI), we suggest you arrive by 3 p.m. on Day 1 and depart any time on Day 5. We are happy to book you extra nights at the group’s hotel; just email us to arrange that after booking your spot on the trip. We’ll also provide suggestions for things to do and see in the area on your own if you choose to extend your visit.</span></p>
INCLUSIONS
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">• All accommodation throughout the trip at Grand Hotel Palace Ancona<br>• Professional instruction throughout the entire experience<br>• All meals and drinks included in the above activities<br>• All hands-on pasta lessons with Simonetta Capotondo<br>• Wine tastings and pairings included in the itinerary<br>• Admission to all proposed activities, locations, and events<br>• A hungry group of Milk Street travelers, excited to explore the art of handmade pasta in Le Marche</span></p>
EXCLUSIONS
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">• Private individual arrival and departure airport transfers<br>• Airfare and transportation to/from the start and end destination<br>• Meals beyond those specified in the itinerary above<br>• Alcoholic beverages other than those served at the table<br>• Accommodations outside those noted, including pre- or post-trip hotel nights<br>• Activities, tours, and entry fees not included above<br>• Personal purchases and incidentals at hotels</span></p>
DIETARY RESTRICTIONS
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">We encourage an adventurous palate! This trip centers on handmade pasta, with a strong focus on wheat flour, eggs, dairy, cheese, and wine. We try our best to accommodate dietary restrictions, though ingredients cannot always be substituted or omitted from particular dishes. This trip may not be suitable for travelers who avoid gluten, eggs, or dairy. If you have food allergies or intolerances, please contact us to find out if this is the right trip for you.</span></p>
NOTES ON ITINERARY
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Itineraries and daily schedules are subject to change. We expect to do everything listed in the itinerary, though the order may be rearranged based on weather, ingredient availability, or other local conditions. Some sauces and seasonal preparations may vary depending on what is available in Le Marche at the time of the trip.</span></p>
SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">We have reinforced our commitment to sustainability and safety with new guidelines to assure maximum safety of our guests on our trips while maintaining the quality of the experience. All of our experiences are designed to have minimal impact on the community and environment. For more details on our precautions, </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/safety-and-sustainability"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">read here</span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">.</span></p>
CANCELLATION POLICY
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">You may cancel 90 days before the start of the trip and receive a full refund minus a $500 per-person service fee. If you cancel on or after 60 days before the start of the trip, there is a 50% cancellation fee. On or after 45 days, there is a 75% cancellation fee, and on or after 30 days, there is a 100% cancellation fee. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as we are not able to make exceptions to this policy in cases of family or medical emergency, or cases of the trip being canceled. See our Terms and Conditions for full details.</span></p>
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