From Bologna: Parmesan Cheese & Balsamic Vinegar Tour+Lunch
Description
Join our exclusive day tour for a delightful journey into the heart of Emilian culinary excellence! Experience the making of two iconic treasures – aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and the revered Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Begin with a guided tour at a cheese factory, witnessing the art of crafting this renowned cheese. Tasting of different ages of Organic Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta and Caciotta cheese, Balsamic Vinegar, a glass of local wine and water at the end of visit. Then, dive into the secrets of 'black gold' during a visit to a historic 'Acetaia,' culminating in a tasting of the exquisite traditional balsamic vinegar, followed by a light lunch, a food tasting, where you could explore the best gastronomic pairing of balsamic vinegar and various typical products. Indulge in genuine Emilian gastronomy – it's not just a tour; it's an immersive feast for your senses!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pickup from your place in Bologna, after a 1-hour drive, we will start our first visit, a dairy farm
DAIRY FARM / We will start our tour with a guided visit at a cheese factory and learn how aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is produced.
ACETAIA - BALSAMIC VINEGAR OF MODENA / Then we will continue with a visit to an “Acetaia” and discover the production of the famous “black gold”, the precious traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena, which you will be able to taste at the end of your guided tour. You will be able to ask questions about the production process directly to the family.
LIGHT LUNCH / We will have a light lunch in a picturesque estate situated among the gentle hills of the Modena area, at the premises of the balsamic vinegar producer.
After the tour, our driver will drop you off in Bologna.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pickup is available from the city center of Bologna. Driver will pick you up at the address you specify or at the closest available point if there is no possibility to reach the place you stay in, by car. All the details will be communicated to you after the tour confirmation. Please be sure to indicate the full address and a contact cell with any messenger. Please note that if you arrive by train, please contact us before booking your train, as we could advise on the best suitable arrival time. It could take 15 to 20 minutes to exit the underground train station where most of the high speed trains arrive. It means that you should arrive in Bologna no later than 08:30 am for the pickup at 08:50 am. We are unable to accommodate late arrivals. No refunds will be possible in such instances.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The remaining time will need for the transportation
- The order of the visits and inclusions for light lunch could change
- Light lunch is served at the premises of the balsamic vinegar producer
- Please communicate any food allergy or intolerance in advance
Reviews(9)
The Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar tour was very interesting. We find the price for the 5-hour tour sporty. Considering that you still buy cheese and vinegar, the tour is expensive. Parmesan cheese and balsamic can also be bought in Bologna. Gruessli Regula & Uelli
Thank you for your feedback—we’re glad you found the experience interesting. We understand your point regarding pricing. Our tours are designed to offer direct access to local producers, behind-the-scenes visits, guided tastings, and comfortable small-group logistics, all in a limited time. Of course, purchasing products is always completely optional, and we agree that while these items can be found in shops, tasting and learning about them at the source offers a very different experience. We appreciate your thoughts and hope you still enjoyed discovering this part of Emilia-Romagna.
A very good tour if you love food. The cheese tasting was amazing and the balsamic vinegar was incredible. Small groups and nice atmosphere. We enjoy a lot.
Thank you for your kind review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the tastings and the atmosphere of the tour. It’s great to hear the small group experience made it even more enjoyable. We hope to welcome you again soon!
We participated in a tour organized by Aurea Travel to visit a cheese factory and afterwards a balsamico vinegar factory, close to Modena. We chose Aurea because they offer tours in small groups, ours was indicated max 8, during the tour we were 6 persons. Contacts before the tour with Aurea went super quick and smooth. The day of the tour the driver picked us up in time at our hotel in Bologna, the van was new and clean, the driver pleasant and a safe driver, but he did not explain anything during the trip, he was clearly not a tour guide. The cheese factory was a small factory, the guide spoke fluent English, explained a lot, was interesting and nice. During our visit, we could observe the staff during their daily tasks, which was really interesting. We had enough time to take pictures and afterwards was a cheese tasting. There was the possibility to buy their cheese and other local products, but we did not feel forced to buy (but we did, the cheese is too good to leave). Next stop was a balsamico vinegar factory. It was a small family-run factory (as far as we understood) where we were invited in the family home for tasting and a light lunch, It was a very personal experience, which was really great. We enjoyed both factories very much. Definitively recommend this tour.
Thank you for your kind and detailed feedback. We’re very glad you enjoyed the experience and appreciated the authentic visits and smooth organization. Thank you again for recommending the tour, and we hope to welcome you again soon!
My family of 3 adults and 2 teens really enjoyed this experience. We were picked up at our hotel by Maria who shared some info about the region on the 1 hour drive to the Parmigiana-Reggianno dairy farm. At the farm we learned all about how the cheese was made and sampled several. We then were driven 10 minutes to a beautiful family farm where balsamic vinegar is made the traditional way. After learning about this we enjoyed a delicious multi course meal, sampling authentic aged balsamic vinegar on each food. I will never look at balsamic the same again! Everyone enjoyed.
Thank you for your lovely review! We're so happy your family enjoyed the experience, from the Parmigiano dairy to the traditional balsamic and delicious lunch. It was a pleasure having you, and I'm glad to hear you'll never look at balsamic the same way again!
Great excursions which gave us a deep understanding and appreciation of both of these local producers. Delicious tastings a both properties.
Thank you for your kind review! We're glad the excursions gave you a deeper appreciation of our local producers and that you enjoyed the tastings. We hope to see you again for more delicious discoveries!
This was a wonderful half day trip. We had a friendly and informative stop at a Parmesan farm with tasting. Our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining! It was followed by a very generous tasting. Then we traveled to the balsamic vinegar tour and were impressed with the beauty of the location. We had an elegant tour and presentation, followed by a generous gourmet tasting. Our driver picked us up at our apartment with all of our luggage and dropped us off at the bus station at our request- this helped solve a logistical issue of where to store our bags and how do we get to the bus station- making for an enjoyable morning followed by a seamless commute to our next destination.
Thank you for your detailed review! We're thrilled you enjoyed the tastings, locations, and warm hospitality from our team. We're especially glad the pick-up and drop-off helped with your travel plans. Wishing you many more smooth and tasty journeys ahead!
We had a really nice driver and enjoyed our tours. Interesting to learn the various processes to make the cheeses and vinegars.
Dear Kim, thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad you enjoyed the tours and that your driver made the journey even more enjoyable. Learning about the traditional methods behind the cheeses and vinegars is always fascinating, isn’t it? We’d love to welcome you back for more unique Italian experiences! Maria
Incredible tour of an authentic Parmigiano cheese factory and a wonderful tour of a family owned Balsamico factory in the countryside. It was great to try some local food with different ages of Balsamico, so many surprises! Our driver was polite and friendly, he even gave us some dinner suggestions on the way back home. Recommend
Dear Bob, thank you so much for your glowing review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your tour of the Parmigiano cheese factory and the family-owned Balsamico factory. It's always a pleasure to introduce our guests to the authentic flavors and traditions of the countryside. Thank you for recommending us, and we hope to see you again soon for more culinary adventures! Maria
Too expensive. Laster only 4.5 hours. They said light lunch, and provided only some bread. Not worth for the money.
Thank you for your feedback. As it was indicated in the description, the light lunch is a food tasting aimed at exploring various gastronomic pairing of balsamic vinegar and typical local food. In fact, our driver was surprised and asked you why you decided not to have it. The products that were included that day were: parmesan cheese, local cold cuts, freshly oven-baked bread, bread sticks, artisan ice cream, Lambrusco wine and water. It was just in the second stop, so after the balsamic vinegar tour. You also had a tasting of different ages of Organic Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta and Caciotta cheese, Balsamic Vinegar, a glass of local wine and water at the end of visit of a dairy farm. When you refuse to have your light lunch, the duration of the tour is obviously shorter. The normal duration is 5 hours (as indicated in the description). Warm regards, Maria
