At Il Salotto di Penelope, as the sofa in the logo indicates, you can learn how to cook, meet people with different traditions, interests and passions, so that the “Chiacchiere/ chatting” often takes over the “Cucina/cooking”. In 2010, Barbara and a friend of hers decided to embark on this adventure with the idea to create a place where you can meet people, share experiences, and enjoy a familiar and fun environment. They wanted to put their skills into play as well as the years spent cultivating a passion for cooking and traveling in search of different flavors and aromas.

Il Salotto di Penelope has found its natural space in the heart of Bologna “la grassa”, in the same historic premises where in the 70s the Simili sisters were teaching wives-to-be the mandatory skill of rolling pasta.  “We instantly fell in love with the atmosphere that can be immediately felt upon entering the long courtyard of one of the  Bolognese case di ringhiera and through the echoes in the wide arches that characterise the interior space.  It was love at first site so we decided to make that place our living room”.

Today the team has changed, but not its spirit. Alongside Barbara there is Pietro, an engineer with a passion for cooking so deep that he has turned it into his profession.

Over time the services have been expanded and the cooking school has grown and evolved by offering its Italian and foreign customers, catering, home chefs, delivery and an online shop with fresh pasta and products of the Italian eno-gastronomic tradition.