Half-day Food Valley Gourmet Tour from Parma

Here is what you will live

Spend a half-day in the Food Valley of Italy and taste some of the most famous products of the world, Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma.

You will meet your expert guide at your hotel in downtown Parma (or at Parma's train station) at 08:30 am and together you will head to visit an authentic producer of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO: you’ll discover how the King of all cheeses has been literally made by hand in the same way since the Benedictine monks invented it 10 centuries ago!
From the curdling into the typical copper heaters to the salting and the final aging in the so-called wheel cathedrals, you will be a privileged witness to almost all the steps of production of this out-and-out food icon. At the end of the tour, you'll enjoy a Parmigiano Reggiano tasting.

Up next, a picture stop at the medieval fortified village of Torrechiara, dominated by its breathtaking castle: one of the most spectacular among the manors included in the Italian network called Castles of the Duchy, it dates back to the early Renaissance time and – with its gentle lines and the golden frescoes housed in the highest tower – it still represents the switch from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

At around 11:15 am, you'll take part in a guided visit with a final tasting at one of the local family-run ham factories producing the mythical Prosciutto di Parma PDO: you will get to know why the best ham can only be made in the hills of Parma, where the Marino wind blows from the Ligurian Sea through the river valley.

At 12:30/45 pm you'll enjoy a private wine tasting at a winery in the hills of Parma to celebrate the aromatic essence of the white Malvasia DOC and the red Rosso dei Colli DOC. You will also enjoy a full lunch based on the typical products of the area: Prosciutto as well as other kinds of local cold cuts, a typical stuffed pasta dish (tortelli di Parma), homemade cakes, all paired up with local wines like Lambrusco and Malvasia!

At approximately 02:30 pm it will be time to head back to your hotel.