Private Emilia Romagna Food Tour Full Day





Description
Ever dreamt of spending a full day in the Food Valley of Italy with a top-notch guide and the most famous gourmet products of the world all around you? Well, here you can!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet our guide in Parma and head on 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 ageing in the so-called wheel cathedrals, you will be a privileged witness of almost all the steps of production of this out-and-out food icon. Tasting at the end.
Guided visit with 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.
Full lunch based on the typical products of the area: Prosciutto as well as other kind of local cold cuts, a typical stuffed pasta dish (tortelli di Parma), homemade cakes. All paired up with local wines like Lambrusco and Malvasia!
Guided visit & tasting at a family-run production of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar PDO (visit performed by the producer)
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The driver will pick the clients up at their hotel ONLY if transportation service is selected: - at 07:00 am from Milan - at 07.30 am from Bologna - at 08.30 am from Parma Otherwise in selfdrive mode the guide will meet you at the starting point Viale delle Esposizioni, 3, Parma at 08:30 am OR directly at the dairy. PLEASE CHECK THE COMMUNICATION WITH THE SUPPLIER TO HAVE THE DETAILED PROGRAM AND THE RIGHT MEETING POINT.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- For the self-drive option, please meet your guide in Parma (address provided in your booking confirmation). The guide may come in your car, or will be driving her/his own car and you would follow in your car.
- Please note that the locations mentioned in the program might change for availability reasons with similar ones.
- Please pay attention to the program that the tour provider will send you before the departure date through the Viator message center
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Live production: being artisanal and not industrial products, the working cycle is not repeated every day at the same time, so it is not guaranteed to see craftsmen at work at each site (for example: Wine and Vinegar making, Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello).
Reviews(132)
We enjoyed a great day! The driver was prompt and friendly. Our guide was amazing! She took us to local factories for Parmesan and Prosciutto followed by a wonderful lunch. Two of our party are gluten free and they were able to accommodate without issues. Our last stop at a family run balsamic maker was special.
Thank you, Julia! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed your day in Parma. It was a pleasure sharing our local food traditions with you, and we’re especially glad the gluten-free options worked well for your group. We hope to welcome you back to the Food Valley soon to discover even more of our region’s hidden gems!
Excellent tour of cheese making facility, ham curing plant and balsamic vinegar producer. We learned a great deal about the importance of these key products and their significance in the local culture.
Hi Martin, thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re really happy you enjoyed discovering Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto, and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar with us. We’d love to have you back to explore even more of Emilia’s food specialties!
Being a part of a learning experience and actual footage of production of this king of all foods. Parmigiano reggiano cheese, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar. Immersive and exciting.
Hi Janet, thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re really happy you enjoyed discovering Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto, and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar with us. We hope to welcome you again soon for more delicious experiences in the Food Valley!
May not be handicap accessible so please double check. Driver was right on time to pick us up in the morning. Seeing how the Parmigiana was made was fascinating for a “cheese nerd”. The Parma ham producer was top notch and I had no idea how labor intensive it is to produce. The balsamic vinegar producer was also top notch. Our driver and guides’ English were great and they were very informative of the various productions and products. My wife and I really enjoyed the day.
We’re happy to hear you enjoyed discovering the production of Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar :) It’s great to know you and your wife had a memorable day, and we hope to welcome you back to Emilia for more food discoveries in the future!
This trip was a mixed bag. Our favorite parts of the tour were the Parmigiana Reggiano and Acetaia. Our guide was knowledgeable and informative. The reason I say it is a mixed bag is that it is an all day tour that is not cheap (€440.00/pp), but not even lunch was provided or given as an option for us to pay for! While we were given cured meats, cheeses, and wine to taste throughout the day, it was very rich and never a proper meal. Even our tour guide got a salad for herself at the Culatello stop to provide some balanced food. We inquired about ordering our own food but were told this was not possible. I cannot recommend this tour until a proper meal is included. The tastings should just be that; tastings.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the visits to the Parmigiano Reggiano dairy and the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar producer, as well as the knowledge and passion of your guide. It seems that this review was posted under a different tour. The experience you joined was our Food Valley Gourmet Tour – The Big Fives of Parma, which is not listed on Tripadvisor but is available on our official website. This tour is designed as a super full-day tasting journey through the five iconic products of our region — Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello, local wines, and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. As clearly stated in the tour description, inclusions, and the “Please note” section, lunch is not provided as a full meal; instead, multiple generous tastings are served at each stop, which together provide a complete and satisfying culinary experience. Including a traditional lunch would significantly extend the already long duration of the tour and reduce the time spent visiting each producer. We hope this clarifies the nature of the tour and what guests can expect when joining this super full-day experience.
This is a long day and starts early. Observing the process for making Parmisino was very interesting. Our tour guide Sara stepped in to walk us through the factory b/c of an illness of the factory’s guide. Sara has a history with the process through her grandfather, so she knew exactly what went on throughout the process. We then went to see the process for making prosciutto. Also, very interesting. Both processes have a very strong odor associated with them. Lunch at the farm-to-table restaurant was a different experience for our group.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re glad you enjoyed discovering the fascinating processes behind Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar — such unique treasures of our region. We’re also happy to hear that our guide Giulia helped make the day even more special with her knowledge and passion. Grazie again for joining us, and we hope to see you again for more delicious adventures in Emilia-Romagna!
Our family of 5 people thoroughly enjoyed our Full Day Immersion Food Valley Gourmet Tour- The Big Fives of Parma. It was the highlight of our trip to Emilia-Romagna! Our driver (Renada?) picked us up at the hotel in a spacious and comfortable van. We spent the day with him and our guide Giulia Muratori who is the most charming person. Her love of her home city of Parma just radiated from her beautiful smile and bright eyes whenever she spoke of the Parma -Emilia-Romagna area. She was a wealth of knowledge of all of the producers of the products we tasted. We began our day with Parmigiano-Reggiano at the Caseificio Sociale Coduro- lovely family owned producers of Parmigiano-Reggiano, pristine facilities, delicious cheese! We then moved on to taste and witness the production of Culatello di Zibello DOP at the Salumificio Dallatana facility and were given a tour by the patriarch of the family. He was an unpretentious gentleman, despite the superior product his family produces. He is kind and warm with an easy smile. He walked us through the facility describing in detail the process of creating this spectacular product and their other salumi, while Giulia translated for us. We lunched at his family restaurant Ristorante Osteria Vecchio Mulino Dallatana. The restaurant was delightful! Charming and beautiful! The Culatello was sublime. We were served 2 ages of culatello along with salumi. Each of us chose our favorites, but both culatellos and the salumi were delicious! The meats were served with the fried puffy bread of Emilia-Romagna and some italian baguette. We washed them down with a glass of an amazing local Fortana red wine. Then off we went to taste more wine! It was a beautiful drive to La Bandina winery for tastings of 6 delicious wines and a short tour with the charming winery owner Mattia. It was plain to see that he loved his vocation and was very good at it. Delicious wines in a stunning area near the Torrechiara Castle. The vistas were beautiful. The wines were refreshing and delish! We bought bottles of all 6 wines. Mattia arranged for shipment back to the states via a QR code on site! Then off we went to visit a traditional Proscuitto di Parma producer at Salumificio Conti. The facilities were pristine. Hundreds and hundreds (thousands?) of legs of proscuitto and many floors of production area were viewed, followed by a tasting of 6 different meats with breadsticks. All were tender and amazing! Then off to our final destination Tenuta Medici Ermete to taste 3 ageings of traditional balsamic vinegar. Our guide Alessandra Medici showed us through their family Acetaia where barrels of vinegar are stored to honor family members old and young. The vinegars were thick as molasses and perfectly balanced deliciousness! The perfect ending to the perfect day. The foods of Parma and Emilia-Romagna are spectacular! It was plain to see why our guide Giulia was in love with her birthplace and home.
Thank you so much for your amazing review! We’re thrilled that you and your family enjoyed every moment of your Food Valley Gourmet Tour – The Big Fives of Parma (not listed here on Tripadvisor). It’s wonderful to hear all the details and see how special the day was for you. We’d be delighted to welcome you back to discover even more culinary treasures of Emilia-Romagna!
Great experience. Our guide Guilin was very knowledgeable and proud and made it an awesome day. Highlight of our trip to the Parma area
Thank you so much, David! We’re thrilled to hear Giulia made your day so special. It was a pleasure having you on tour, and we’d love to welcome you back to discover even more of Parma’s culinary treasures!
We visited a parmigiano reggiano factory, a prosciutto di Parma factory and a balsamic vinegar house. The guide was very knowledgeable and pleasant. Lunch was spectacular! We all enjoyed the day!
Thank you so much, Catherine! We’re really happy to hear you enjoyed the day exploring Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and Traditional Balsamic with us — and that lunch was a hit too! It was a pleasure to have you on tour, and if you’re ever back in Emilia Romagna, we’d love to take you to discover even more of our region’s delicious treasures.
Wonderful experience on this private tour of the production of the main food products of Parma (prosciutto, parmigiana, and balsamic). The lunch was fabulous with great food served in a very scenic castle. Our guide (Federico) was excellent and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We're so happy you enjoyed the experience — from the delicious tastings to the scenic castle lunch. We'll be sure to pass your kind words along to Federico, he'll be thrilled to hear your feedback! Grazie again for joining us — it was a pleasure to have you, and we hope to welcome you back to Emilia for more foodie adventures soon!



