Parma Delights Tour: Parmigiano, Prosciutto & Balsamico

We thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Parma food traditions. The hosts were welcoming and happy to share their industry with us.

Nice guide. Very pleasant visits.

Excellent tour that gave a lot of information about parmaggiano reggiano, prosciutto di parma and balsamico modena.

Not to be missed experience. Our guide, Mathio, is incredibly knowledgeable on the process of cheese and prosciutto making and explained everything clear and interesting. The tastings everywhere were ample and well done. The tour itself was well organised- I can absolutely recommend it

The actual stops (cheese, ham, and balsamic) were very good. Our guide during the cheese and ham stops was excellent! The balsamic stop was guided by someone from the winery. However, the organization of the transportation of the 3 stops was very disorganized. From the description, we thought the tour would include at the most 8 people. It's true that each van held 8 people, but there were 3 vans so a total of much more than 8. The tour we were on was approximately 16 people (the other van toured separately). However, because the balsamic stop was an option, the people in the vans were a mix of those that selected that option and those that didn't. As a result, we had to return to the meeting place after the cheese and ham stops to drop those off that didn't choose the balsamic option. They should have separated the two groups into different vans, so we didn't have to return to the meeting place. In addition, after the balsamic stop, out of the 11 people left, 7 requested to be dropped off at a different drop off location (Moderna train station). The four of us that needed to go back to the original drop off had to ride along to the unscheduled drop off because our driver didn’t speak English and did not know how to use GPS. The end result was that the length of time of the total tour was extended by about an hour. Perhaps the next tour will be better organized.

A 10hr visit to follow the cheese production

The experience was extremely immersive and offered a great tasting and tour of the production areas. Our favorite place had to be the Parma Ham factory where we were able to meet the master himself, Claudio. This in itself was worth the entire tour in addition the smaller production of Parmigiano Reggiano was extremely interesting to see the handmade crafting of wheels of cheese. Lastly, the balsamic experience offered a quicker tour, but a very immersive tasting experience with multiple different types, ages, and flavors of balsamic products. This tour was the highlight of our trip!

Much better than imagined, very well organized

We decided on this tour because we wanted to learn about what makes these products so special around the world. The tour did not disappoint! The tour guide Mateo, spoke Italian and English, along with some French which made communication very easy. He was thorough and very engaging. Facts about the region, the facilities we visited and providing an overview of the process that went into making the cheese, processing the ham and aging the balsamic vinegar was very interesting. Watching the professionals at each venue demonstrate and speak from experience made the occasion memorable. The sampling at each location made each experience not only stick in your mind but on your taste buds. Be prepared for some driving between locations, the last stop to Modena took an hour. However, just remembering where we were and views, made the ride enjoyable.

Excellent tour. The transportation (vans) were in excellent and clean condition. The driver was very friendly and helpful. We enjoyed seeing the three food sites. The tour guide was great! The only suggestion is to provide seating at some of the places with longer presentations or shorten the periods of standing. For some in our party, standing in one place for 20 minutes is more difficult than to keep moving (walking) during the tour.