Meet
Massimo
Massimo is a Venetian home cook, engaging storyteller, and former Merchant Navy officer with a deep passion for the food and history of Venice. Born into a family of restaurateurs, he learned traditional Italian and Venetian cooking from his mother and nonna. After nearly 20 years traveling the world at sea, along with culinary experiences in Germany and France, Massimo brings a unique perspective to Venice’s centuries-old connection to maritime trade and spices. Today, he loves welcoming travelers into his home to share Venetian cuisine, fascinating stories, and the culinary traditions of the city he loves.
What to expect
Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.
Cooking experience:
(2-18 guests)
Discover Venice through its spices in this hands-on Venetian cooking class that combines traditional recipes, local ingredients and the fascinating history of the city’s spice trade. Cook alongside your local host as you learn how spices brought to Venice along ancient maritime trade routes shaped the flavors of Venetian cuisine.
Begin by exploring the aromas, colors and flavors of spices that have been prized in Venice for centuries. Then use them with fresh, seasonal ingredients to prepare a multi-course Venetian meal. Depending on the season and menu, you might make marinated zucchini with lemon, extra virgin olive oil, turmeric and cloves, or homemade ravioli filled with ricotta, prosciutto and fragrant nutmeg.
As you cook, discover the story behind each spice and its journey to Venice. Learn how prized ingredients such as nutmeg traveled thousands of miles from the Banda Islands of Indonesia and how Venetian merchants helped introduce spices from the East to European kitchens. Your host brings a unique perspective to these stories, having spent nearly 20 years traveling the world as an officer in the merchant navy.
After cooking, sit down together to enjoy the dishes you have prepared. Finish your Venetian meal with a creative homemade dessert, which might include ice cream made with fresh mountain milk, garden herbs, pistachios and honey, accompanied by blood-orange marmalade and a touch of ginger.
If you choose the optional alcohol add-on, Massimo will serve a local Italian wine or an Aperol Spritz — Venice’s iconic aperitivo — paired with a traditional cicchetto, a small Venetian bite. Vegetarian guests are welcome too; Massimo is happy to prepare traditional Italian vegetarian dishes with advance notice.
More than a Venice cooking class, this intimate culinary experience connects food, history and storytelling, offering a delicious way to discover how centuries of maritime trade helped shape Venice and its cuisine.
Market visit:
(2-12 guests)
Enjoy a guided tour of Venice’s iconic Rialto Market with Massimo, a wonderful way to experience one of the city’s most vibrant and historic food markets. On this Venice market tour, stroll through the bustling stalls alongside Venetians shopping for the freshest seasonal produce, seafood, and local ingredients, while gaining an authentic glimpse into everyday life in Venice. As you explore the colorful fruit and vegetable stands and visit the famous Rialto fish market, Massimo will share stories, culinary traditions, and insights into Venetian cuisine and the ingredients that define cooking in the Veneto region. Together, you’ll select fresh fish and other ingredients for your cooking class before heading back to Massimo’s home for a hands-on, Venetian spice route cooking class in Venice. Please note that the Rialto market is closed on Sundays.
Notes:
1. Massimo is happy to personalize the menu and can accommodate vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets with advance notice. Please share any dietary restrictions or preferences at the time of booking.
2. For groups of 8 or more guests, Massimo brings in assistants to help host the experience, so pricing is higher. For groups of 15 or more guests, the experience is hosted at a different venue in Venice to better accommodate the group size. For pricing and venue details for larger groups, please contact reservations@travelingspoon.com.
3. For larger groups, guests will be divided into teams and rotate through three hands-on stations to prepare the Venetian meal. Francesco’s home is a traditional Venetian home, offering an intimate and authentic setting for this experience. With a larger group, the space will feel cozy, adding to the charm of cooking together in a real local home in Venice.
Languages spoken:
English, Italian, Spanish
Sample menu
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.
Best meal in Italy so far! Massimo has a lot of personality and he's a ton of fun. His cooking class was hands on. We ate and chat, then cooked and ate, then chat and ate again. It was three courses over 3 hours. We had so much fun and think he'd be a great addition to the Traveling Spoon community. Also, I'm not a fish lover and Massimo helped me love fish. We had a blast with Massimo!
Alex & Mike, Traveling Spoon Ambassador
Traveler reviews
So grateful that we took part in this unique culinary experience in the 600+ year old home. Massimo made helping him prepare a variety of authentic Italian food so much fun. Eating our creations, while sharing wine and laughter, was the cherry on top. I highly recommend this cooking delight.
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remy
October 16, 2026
The greatest dinner of the trip. Massimo was excellent. Made us feel at home. Managed 10 family members with baking bread, making the cheese filling and making/cutting the pasta for tortellini and ravioli. As well as a salad mix and homemade gelato! Everything was made from scratch. We made everything ourselves and ate it for dinner. We also had great wine, music, italian history lessons, Italian cheese and meats. It was an experience everyone should have traveling to Italy. It was perfection. Great guy, even better chef!
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nicola
October 05, 2026
Guide was amazing and fun, food was the best we have had!
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gaby
October 04, 2026
Food was the best I’ve had in Italy!! Came with my family it was so fun. The host was the best!
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riya
October 04, 2026
Amazing cooking class and market tour - makes you feel like you were cooking in your grandma's kitchen!
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stefanie
September 26, 2026
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