Parma Delights Tour: Parmigiano, Prosciutto & Balsamico

Stayed in Parma 2 nights at the NH Parma specifically for this tour and it didn't disappoint. Picked up in a minivan by Mateo, small group of 6 so no headsets needed. 1 spoke Spanish and the guide was kind enough to say everything in English then again in Spanish. Went to the Parmesan Reggiano DOP facility and learned about how it is made, aged and had a tasting of the various months aged. Went to the Parma ham factory and learned all the specific rules applied to be labeled as Parma ham. Went to a balsamic vinegar factory. Saw the barrels and learned the difference between DOP and IGP with sampling. Great day! There was no communication from the tour company. Just what was in the trip advisor app and a "confirmed" after purchase. All the other tours I did while in Italy sent out reminders and communication by text and email so I was nervous but it all worked out.

We booked the 8:30 start but when we arrived, the tour company said we were booked for the 10 start.. we were VERY lucky that 2 people no-showed so we still went at the earlier time but I am disapointed that there was an issue that could have led to us wasting 1.5 hours waiting. Paulo was our guide for the parmasan and ham portions. He was excellent and things ran smoothly. The guide for the balsamic tour was not the best. She spoke very quickly, seemed either offput or confused by questions and didn't seem familiar with the production process. The tasting portion was much better. I guess she was more of a sales representative than involved or knowledgeable of the production.

It was a wonderful day. Started with an in depth view of the production if Parmagian Chreese. We then took a short drive to a Prosciutto production facility. Tastings at bot were great. Our guide,Matteo,was knowledgeable and Terry. We finished long day in Modena at Balsamiy producer. Great day. Recommend it ho.

This is a wonderful experience. You get to learn about the process for making parmigiana reggiano, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar, with a tasting in each location. You are not rushed in any way. This was a true highlight of our trip to Italy.

Wonderful to be able to experience all 3 experiences (cheese, prosciutto and balsamic). Wonderful guide (Sabrina) & Host (Matteo). Thank you.

We drove almost 2 hours from Desenzano (on Lake Garda) to the beginning of this tour in Parma and the effort was worth it. The group for the tour was large enough for three buses, with guides for each bus load. We drove to a facility which manufactures Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and were led through the steps of its production, allowing us to try Parmigiano cheeses of various ages. Just down the road, a walkable distance, we stopped at another facility dedicated to the Production of Prosciutto di Parma, again with explanation and sampling. Finally, after a short bus ride to Modena, we were taken to a facility producing Aceto Balsamico (balsamic vinegar), with tasting and opportunity to purchase at the finish of the tasting. At the end of this informative day, our bus driver brought us back to the starting point of the tour, outside Parma’s main train station.

Matteo was incredible! We had the best time with him on our Parmesan and Prosciutto tour. He was very knowledgeable and funny, he made the experience feel very personal and specific to us. Would recommend to anyone!

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

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.

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!

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.

You will appreciate the making of cheese, ham and balsamic after this tour. Don’t worry about bringing a snack- you stay satisfied with the samples! A great guide as well explaining the processes. A must do experience if staying in Parma!

Great tour of the farm where Parmesan cheese and Prosciutto was being made. Both were at a small farm but we got to experience the process up close. Overall a great experience. The Balsamic tour in Modena was a disappointment. It was very rushed and we really didn’t understand the process from the tour guide. Based on the itinerary we were suppose to tour the property and vineyards but did not.

This was a great experience- I felt like the company chose the very best places to visit with the best offering of ham, chees, and balsamic vinegar. The tour guide was very helpful with other recommendations as well. I would highly recommend this tour.

This was such an enjoyable and informative tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and pleasant! The parmesano-reggiano factory was fascinating to see the entire process from beginning to end! The parma proscuitto stop was also interesting, but shorter due to the process being more concise. But, Claudio was adorable and the samples were delizioso! The stop to Modena was a bit of a drive from Parma, but was still interesting to add on to our tour. The samples were good, but it was also a bit of a sales pitch to purchase (which we of course did). Overall, I would recommend the tour.

Loved it! We saw Parmesan cheese being made and learned all about the process, saw a small family operations that makes Parma ham, and toured a balsamic vinegar business. We tasted everything and left with edible souvenirs. Book your tour early in the morning to see the Parmesan cheese makers at work.

Our guide Loris, was fantastic! Friendly & knowledgeable about the area and the producers. We had a wonderful time either him and seeing the PR, Parma ham & Balsamico production.

Our guide, Loris was passionate, engaged, knowledgeable and with a very good command of English! In depth information on parmagano reggiano, prosciutto de Parma and balsamic vinegar. Timely pickup. Excellent experience!

Excellent, very informative - did cheese, ham and vinegar tour. Knowledgeable guide. Small family owned production facilities. Would definitely recommend.

Mattia was a very helpful and friendly guide. He dropped us off back at our hotel even and gave us a dinner recommendation that was fantastic!

Guide for Parmesan and Prosciutto tour was an area farmer and his knowledge and skills were excellent.

Fabulous full day of touring. Sergio was an awesome guide, very engaging. The tastings were great, we had a wonderful time and would do again.

This was a wonderful day trip seeing how Parmesan cheese is made, the aging process of prosciutto, and how balsamic vinaigrette is made. The host of the trip was fantastic! He explained everything important to know and made sure we all understood what was happening. I loved this excursion and would recommend it to anyone!

Excellent tour, educational and fun. The tour guide Mathias was very good. We enjoyed our day very much.

The tour vehicle was a tiny mini-van that had 6 persons already crammed in before stopping to pick us up (an additional 4 adults). I am 6'2" and had zero chance of riding comfortably and safely in this vehicle. My wife is tiny, and I'm not sure that she could have fit. I opted out of joining the tour due to my apprehensions with the van. The driver was very polite, sympathetic, and wanted to somehow rectify the situation. 5 stars to him! Unfortunately one star for the disappointing experience. (and ZERO stars to Viator, who asked for a review and then censored me!)

Great to go to the small pork and cheese producers and get close to the action. The balsamic vinegar experience was a bit more touristy but still a great experience. Our guide Loris was fantastic.

Fabulous tour- worth every cent we paid. Our guide Lioris made the experience wonderful. He was so knowledgeable and entertaining and told us so much about the production of the cheese and the prosciutto production. I highly recommend this tour

Pickup was on time and easy to find. Communication was good. We wanted to be dropped off at Modena Station rather than returning to Parma, and half the group needed the same. It was no problem and well organised. The tour itself was delightful. All I hoped for. Matteo was easily understood & had a great sense of humour. He gave clear explanations of the food processes without any tedium. The businesses we attended were small, privately owned, or coops of a few farmers. It was all very artisanal. And wonderful for that. I can't imagine being able to organise a tour like this on my own.

This tour was simply amazing !!! Truly an unforgettable experience with best tour guides ever !!!! This really gave us an appreciation of how much dedication is involved in the production of these foods.

The first part of the trip- the Parmesan and prosciutto tour was good. The guide was great and very knowledgeable. However, after they drove us all the way back to Parma (about 30 minutes) to drop off some people in our van, and then we drove to another hotel to pick up more people. It was about another 30 minutes to Modena for the balsamic tour. The woman who have the tour spoke very quickly and honestly I don’t really know what she said. At this point I was also very hungry and the few nibbles of cheese, ham, and spoons of balsamic weren’t much. Overall, I was disappointed with the balsamic part of the tour and I feel like a lot of time was wasted having to drive all the way back to Parma instead of going directly to Modena. On the positive side- the driver was kind enough to drop us at the Modena train station on the way back to Parma.

Excellent tour guide, Mateo. He was very knowledgeable and presented information clearly and with humor! The van was comfortable and the description of the trip on line was detailed and accurate.

Great way to learn about Italy’s best known food products, and the history of the people and region where they are produced. The guides and drivers where very nice and knowledgeable. Great experience

They took us to wonderful local cheese, Parma ham, and balsamic places, showing us and explaining the processes and giving us ample opportunities to taste each product. Our guide was also great!

The Parma Delights Tour: Parmigiano, Prosciutto & Balsamico tour was great. The tour at each location were informative, interactive and fun. Furthermore, each location provided samples and vino…which was cool. On top of this our driver / tour guide (Loris) was the best. His explaining skills and knowledge are what made the tours as good as they were. Big shout out to Loris for taking such good care of my wife, daughter and I.

The touring of the facilities was great as was our guide. Really enjoyed it all. The only thing that would have been fabulous is if there was time added for a lunch stop to really make it an awesome day. We got plenty of tastings of cheese and ham but my problem is I don’t eat ham so was hungry. Good thing I had some snacks with me.

It was a fun experience for our family to see how parmesan cheese is produced and the steps involved in making prosciutto. Plus the tasting of freshly made products was delicious. We also signed up for the balsamic tour and tasting in Modena. The driver had to drive back to Parma to drop off 2 people in our van at the train station. Then we went on to Modena. This made our trip about 30 minutes longer and the tour guide from the balsamic place was wondering what happened to us. This was the only negative of the day. The balsamic tour was great and educational plus she was very generous with all the tastings of balsamic vinegar.

Daniella was an amazing tour guide. We loved understanding and seeing how Parmigiano, Proscuitto and Balsamico are produced. The demonstrations as well as explanations of their rich history was enlightening and entertaining. Would highly recommend.

Excellent day from beginning to end and highly recommended. We loved the cheese factory, the ham production and the balsamic making. Our tour guide Loris was superb throughout and made sure we had an amazing day. Thank you!

The whole day long food tour was fantastic and our host’s knowledge of the production locations we visited was very good. Thoroughly recommend.

We enjoyed a delightful tour with Pietro, who was knowledgeable, kind, and accommodating. The full day tour allowed us to see where Parmigiana Reggiani, Prosciutto, AND Balsamic Vinegar are made. Meeting place easy to find and service was prompt! We would recommend this tour to anyone, and especially applaud Pietro for being an excellent guide!

Amazing experience! Everything was beautifully planned, from the meeting point to the tours of each facility. Our guide was very friendly and explained each process in a lot of details and happily answered any questions we had. The tasting of the Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto and Balsamic were also wonderful! I would 100% recommend this tour to anyone visiting Parma.

A fabulous day out with Mattia as our guide. So good seeing parmigiana being made; the curing of Parma ham and production of balsamic at the oldest production place in the world in Modena. Lots of good information from a local who knows his town very well. Would highly recommend this tour

Excellent tour to quality producers. The guide was very friendly and informative. It was interesting learning about their processes and their passion for excellence. The taste tests were amazing! Great day out!

A great day in the countryside. Our guide Mattia was warm, welcoming, very knowledgeable and helpful. The tasting were excellent and we visited smaller producers and not large industrial producers.

Fabulous day. Great hosts, clean & comfy vehicle and visits to the Parmesan Reggiano and prosciutto facilities were so well explained and delivered with passion. ‘George’ aka Sergio, was an excellent presenter, a kind and considerate man who cares deeply about the integrity of the local food culture. As both a cheese and salumi maker the information was spot on. Thankyou.

It wasn’t a full day, it is advertised as such and the agent told us it was 8 hours duration but it was on 6.5 hours. A little let down considering we messaged the agent to confirm finish time. The guide and content were great however.