Cesarine

Cesarine is one of the most authentic culinary experiences available in Italy: a network of home cooks — the Cesarine, named after the "massaie" Roman kitchen tradition — who open the doors of their homes to tourists and food enthusiasts to share traditional Italian regional cooking. Founded in Bologna in 2004, the community has built over twenty years a heritage of recipes, stories, and culinary know-how that would otherwise be at risk of disappearing with older generations. The platform connects guests — predominantly international visitors — with vetted Cesarine across Italy: from family lunches to cooking classes, from local market tours to themed evenings. Every experience is curated and verified by the platform, ensuring standards of quality and authenticity. The format meets growing demand for meaningful travel experiences beyond tourist restaurants — a trend accelerated by the pandemic and the rediscovery of food as cultural heritage. Cesarine is an example of the collaborative economy applied to culinary tradition: a model that valorises the knowledge of everyday people, generates supplemental income for the Cesarine, and offers visitors privileged access to regional cuisines that rarely surface in commercial restaurants.