Pizza in Basel with living sourdough feels personal. In this small class with Anita and Fabio, you’ll learn dough using a long-fermented sourdough starter and sip Italian and Swiss wines as your pizzas bake.

The only catch: it is hands-on, and it is not suitable for anyone with food allergies.

Key things I’d circle in your plan

• Prosecco welcome and organic antipasti to get you talking fast
• Lievito Madre lessons with a long-lived starter (7- or 9-year-old, depending on the description)
• Wine tastings from Piedmont plus regional Swiss bottles
• A group capped at six, so you actually get time with the chefs
• Nonna-style tiramisu made with local eggs and Swiss chocolate
• You take home a starter portion to bake again later

A Basel-Country Pizza Night That Starts Like Dinner With Friends

Getting to the class is straightforward. If you take tram 11 toward Aesch and get off at Loogstrasse, walk about 100 meters after turning right at the corner. The number 10 is on the top left of the garage, and that’s your anchor point for the evening.

What makes the start feel right is the pacing: you begin with a welcome toast of Prosecco and a spread of organic antipasti like artichoke hearts, green olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s not just snacks. It’s a warm-up that helps you settle in, meet the other small group members, and get in the headspace for cooking.

This is also hosted in a way that feels intentionally personal. The format is built for a small circle (up to 6 participants), with Anita and Fabio guiding you in the kitchen rather than hovering at the edges.

The Real Star: Cooking With Lievito Madre Sourdough

You’ll make your dough with a treasured sourdough starter they use for the class. The descriptions call it 7-year-old in the highlights, and 9-year-old in the important info. Either way, the point is the same: this is not a quick-yeast situation. It’s a starter that has time on its side, and that shows in the flavor and texture.

Here’s what I love about learning sourdough this way. You don’t just get steps. You learn the logic behind the steps: how a starter builds structure, how it brings that tangy depth, and why sourdough dough tends to develop a more interesting chew than dough made with instant yeast.

Expect the session to be hands-on. If you’re the type who hates getting messy, this might feel like a mismatch. The upside is that you walk away with a working feel for the dough—something you can’t fully copy from instructions on a screen.

Wine Pairing That Feels Built Around the Food

This class makes wine part of the meal, not an afterthought. You’ll taste organic wines from Piedmont (Italy) and regional wines from Switzerland during the evening.

The practical value here is simple: you get to connect flavors. You’re building dough and making choices about how it looks and feels, while tasting wines designed to match Italian-style food. And because you’re eating what you made, the pairing has context.

Also, you’re not stuck with only one style. The class is set up for variety across regions—Italy’s Piedmont side on one hand, Switzerland’s local bottles on the other. That makes the tasting more useful if you enjoy comparing how different terroirs handle food.

Included beverages go beyond wine, too. You also receive 0.5 water as part of the included items.

What You’ll Make in 3 Hours: Pizza Plus Focaccia

The session is 3 hours, and the timeline is paced for action. After the welcome, you move into the kitchen work quickly, then you stay with the process from dough prep to baking.

You’ll learn to make pizza and focaccia from scratch, using the starter dough as your base. Equipment is included, so you’re not hunting tools or bringing gear. Instead, you can focus on technique: handling dough without overworking it, shaping with confidence, and understanding how your work changes in the oven.

One of the nicest parts of this class style is that it feels like a cooking night, not a lecture with tasting. You’re making the food in real time. When the pizzas go in, you’re still engaged—often with the wine flowing—so it doesn’t turn into waiting around.

And yes, you’ll taste what comes out. The class is set up as a dinner experience, then ends with dessert.

Dessert Finish: Tiramisu Made From Nonna’s Recipe

Tiramisu is the final payoff, and it isn’t treated like a generic grab-and-go sweet. You’ll enjoy a classic version made from a cherished grandmother-style recipe, using fresh local eggs and rich Swiss chocolate.

This detail matters for quality. Local eggs and Swiss chocolate help the flavor feel rooted, which makes the dessert taste like it belongs in Basel rather than being imported as a standard add-on.

After the cooking work, tiramisu also closes the loop nicely: you start with Italian basics (dough and fermentation), you add Italian and Swiss wine, and you finish with a dessert that ties it all together.

Taking Home the Starter: Your Best Souvenir (and Your Next Project)

One of the biggest reasons this class earns strong word-of-mouth is what you get to leave with: a portion of the starter. You’ll take home a gift portion of their long-fermented sourdough starter so you can bake at home afterward.

Think of it as a conversion tool. Store-bought dough is easy. But once you’ve worked the starter dough and tasted the results, you’ll understand why people stop buying it.

Practical tip: plan for sourdough reality. Starter needs feeding and timing. Even if you get a starter portion, you’ll still want to set aside some attention to keep it happy and active. If you’re already a home-baker, you’ll likely find this gift energizing. If you’re totally new, you might treat it like a learning project you can start small with at home.

Price and Value: Is $194 Worth It?

At $194 per person for 3 hours, the value comes from the mix of instruction, meal, drinks, and a real ingredient souvenir.

Here’s what’s actually bundled:

• Pizza/focaccia cooking class with equipment
• Their sourdough starter (the live ingredient you learn with)
• Organic Piedmont wines and regional Swiss wines
• The dinner-style food experience, including antipasti at the start
• Tiramisu
• 0.5 water
• A take-home starter portion

So you’re paying for more than a recipe. You’re paying for guided technique, a structured food-and-wine dinner, and the chance to carry the method home.

If your goal is purely to eat good pizza without effort, a restaurant will feel simpler. If your goal includes learning a technique you can actually repeat, this price starts to make more sense.

Who This Basel Pizza Class Suits Best

This is a great fit if you:

• Like hands-on cooking and don’t mind rolling up your sleeves
• Want a small-group setting where you can ask questions
• Enjoy comparing food with wine from Italy’s Piedmont and Switzerland
• Care about ingredients and fermentation, not just the final slice

It’s also a solid choice for a couple, a small circle of friends, and even a family-style food night vibe—because the evening is built around shared eating and doing.

Who should reconsider? If you have food allergies, this class is not suitable based on the information provided. Also, pets are not allowed and smoking isn’t permitted.

Should You Book This Pizza and Tiramisu Class With Anita and Fabio?

Book it if you want a true hands-on Italian evening in Basel-Country, with real sourdough instruction, strong food quality, and wine that fits the menu. The small group size helps you get time with the chefs, and the take-home starter is a souvenir that can turn into a home-baking habit.

Skip it if you’re allergy-sensitive, or if you really don’t want to touch dough. And if you’re traveling with limited time, remember it’s 3 hours and there’s no private transport provided—so plan to arrive with your own way to get there.

If you’re the kind of person who likes learning how food works as much as eating it, this is the kind of class you’ll remember for a long time.

FAQ

How long is the cooking class and dining experience?

It lasts 3 hours.

How big is the group?

It’s a small group, limited to 6 participants.

What’s included in the price?

You get the pizza and focaccia class with equipment, the sourdough starter (lievito madre), organic wines from Piedmont and regional wines from Switzerland, plus 0.5 water. You also eat during the class, including tiramisu.

Can I take sourdough starter home?

Yes. You’ll take home a portion of the long-fermented sourdough starter. The description mentions it as 7-year-old in the highlights and 9-year-old in the important info.

Are dietary restrictions accommodated?

They say they can accommodate dietary restrictions if you inform them in advance. However, the class is not suitable for people with food allergies.

How do I get there using public transport?

Take tram 11 in the direction of Aesch, get off at Loogstrasse, turn right, then walk about 100 meters. Look for number 10 on the top left of the garage.