Pasta Making Class in Livorno's New Fortress, with Opera

This pasta making class in Livorno takes place inside the New Fortress, a stronghold the Medici raised in the late 1500s, ringed by canals in the Venezia district. First comes a walk with a staff member along underground tunnels and old walkways, including corners the public rarely sees, with stories of how Livorno was born.

Next you put on a virtual reality headset and watch the old walls come alive across the ages. Then you move to the kitchen, where local expert Sarah Bertozzi shows you how to make Tuscan pappardelle by hand. The dough is worked with a rolling pin only, no machines.

• Skip-the-line entry to the New Fortress and a map of it
• The VR experience and a one-hour cooking lesson
• Lunch with the pasta you made and traditional sauces
• Welcome prosecco, Tuscan wine, water and a digestif
• A live opera concert of famous Italian arias

Everything fits into about three and a half hours in the city centre, within easy reach of the harbour and the train station, which suits cruise passengers and visitors staying nearby. Part of the visit is outdoors, so check the weather forecast before booking. The fortress is wheelchair accessible, though some areas, such as the walkway on the walls, are not fully reachable.