Thirty years of building relationships. Today, I build them around the table.

I work in Sales & Marketing management and, alongside my professional career, I have been running culinary and language experiences for international guests since 2016. My work has brought me into contact with people from many different cultures and, over time, has taught me how to adapt my communication, pace and style of hospitality to the people in front of me. These are the same skills I now bring to the experiences I offer.

The idea for the Cooking Classes came about while I was already hosting travellers. By observing them, I realised that what they were looking for was a simple, authentic way to experience everyday Italian life. A request from a German guest made me realise that something I was already offering spontaneously could become a structured format.

Before starting, I looked at what was already available locally: on Lake Garda, there were no experiences designed and conducted in several languages and hosted in a real home. I started in 2016.

The experience lasts two hours and is based on active participation. It begins with the ingredients: recognising them, discovering what is in season and understanding why certain choices are made in Italy. Then come the hands-on work, the aromas and the transformation of the ingredients.

People meeting for the first time find themselves working together, and the initial distance between them gradually disappears as they make something together. Each group works in its own language. This gives guests the freedom to ask questions, interact and explore things in greater depth: this is when the experience becomes personal rather than simply a demonstration.

The work begins before the guests arrive: understanding who they are, where they come from, how much to explain and how much to leave to practice, when precision matters and when it is better to keep things light.

I deliberately keep the groups small because this is the size that allows me to guarantee quality. I would rather turn down a booking than increase the number of participants: hospitality requires discipline.

I welcome guests from many different countries and collaborate with hotels and other properties that want to offer their guests an authentic Italian cooking experience, in several languages, without having to organise it in-house. I read every review: many of the changes I have made over the years have come directly from guests’ comments. My average Airbnb rating is 4.9 out of 5, and my profile is verified.

The other two experiences grew out of the same approach: Private Chef and Everyday Italian for Travelers, designed for those who want to experience Italian food or language through direct participation. Both are presented on the dedicated Experiences page.