The Best Pizza Making Classes in Naples: Three We Would Book

The short version: book the three-hour pizza and tiramisù class if you want the full lesson at a low price, the two-hour pizza and gelato class if you have children, and the class with a working pizzaiolo at his own oven if you care about pizza more than most people. Below is how the classes differ, what a Neapolitan dough actually involves, and what we skipped.

Naples is the one city where a pizza class is cheap, because pizza is cheap, and where the teaching is real, because every second person seems to be a pizzaiolo. The classes differ in length, in whether a dessert is included, and in whether you learn in a class kitchen or a working pizzeria. We compared the strongest review records on GetYourGuide and Viator and picked three, with a note on the Viator alternatives.

At a glance

What a Neapolitan pizza class teaches

The dough is four ingredients, flour, water, salt and very little yeast, and the skill is in the long rise and the shaping. A good class gives you a dough ball that has already had its rise, teaches the stretch and slap that pushes the air to the rim, and shows you why the oven has to be hot enough to cook a pizza in about ninety seconds. Toppings are the classics: marinara with tomato, garlic and oregano, or margherita with fior di latte and basil. Anything that promises a dozen toppings is not teaching you Naples.

1. Pizza and tiramisù cooking class

Three hours, a near-perfect rating across more than a thousand reviews, and a price that would not buy a starter in Rome. You assemble the tiramisù first so it sets, then make and stretch your dough, top it, bake it and eat it, with a drink. Small group, historic centre, several sessions a day, and children are welcome. If you book one class in Naples, this is it. Check dates and book.

2. Pizza and gelato making class

Two hours is the right length for children, and the gelato is what they remember. The pizza part is not simplified: proper dough, proper stretching, a proper oven. Then the gelato base is made and churned while the pizzas are eaten, and everyone gets recipes and a certificate. Small group, central, cheap. Check dates and book.

3. Class with a local pizzaiolo at his own oven

The class kitchens are good; a working pizzeria is different. This one is taught by the pizzaiolo himself at the wood-fired oven of a neighbourhood pizzeria away from the tourist streets, with a starter and a drink included, and usually a second pizza made by him for comparison. Dearer than the others and worth it if pizza is why you came. Check dates and book.

If you book on Viator

Viator’s best-rated Naples classes are similar in format and price: a two-hour class with appetisers in a lab near the Duomo metro, and a class with a top-rated chef at a wood-fired oven with a drink included. Both are listed on our pizza making classes in Naples page.

What we left out

Pizza classes bundled with a Pompeii or Vesuvius day: you will get forty minutes at the oven. Classes on the Sorrento side: often excellent, but they are farm classes with lemon groves and belong on our Amalfi Coast pages. Anything that describes itself as a demonstration.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a pizza class in Naples?

Two to three hours, including eating what you made.

Are Naples pizza classes suitable for children?

Yes; most are built for families and the two-hour gelato version is the easiest.

What does a pizza class in Naples cost?

Roughly 30 to 80 dollars per person, far less than the same class in Rome or Florence.

Will I learn to make the dough from scratch?

You mix and knead a dough, but the one you shape has had its long rise already; a true Neapolitan dough rests for many hours. Good classes explain both.

Is Neapolitan or Roman pizza better?

Different things: soft and puffy versus thin and crisp. Our Neapolitan vs Roman pizza guide explains.

See all classes on our pizza making classes in Naples page, or the Naples hub for food tours and more.