We will visit an authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese dairy and the visit will be followed by tasting of 12 months, 24 months and 36 months old Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Visiting a Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese dairy with us, you will be able to follow the whole production chain, from the feeding of milking cows, the milk collection and preservation, to the forming of the curd in the typical copper cauldrons. You will be able to watch the cheese master’s experienced hands during the breaking of the curd with the “spino” and his deft movements during the lifting of the cheese out of the cauldron. After that you will visit the resting, salting and ageing rooms of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with their overwhelming aromas. The visit will end with a pleasant tasting, a real pleasure for the senses!
We will have a Photo stop at mediaeval village & Castle of Torrechiara.
We will visit a plant where famous Prosciutto di Parma is produced.
We will have lunch at a winery or family run restaurant with typical Parma delicacies and exquisite tastings of DOC Parma Hills wines.
Amazing and unique experience! An absolutely perfect day. Learning about the process of making parmigiano reggiano from farm to table was truly fascinating. And further experiences from tasting warm fresh ricotta to a meal with wine and local fresh ingredients took this tour over the top. Great day and strongly recommend.
Roberta and this food tour were highlights of our trip. Roberta is incredible knowledgeable and personable. The Parmigiano Reggiano factory was great, a long part of the tour, but very interesting. We loved the cheese wheel room and the tasting. We booked direct with Artemilia - Definitely book this tour!
Our experience was stellar in every way! Michelle is very knowledgeable tour guide which makes for an immersion into Italian life, cuisine and culture. The agritourismo Alvigneto we visited in the Parma Hills was magic. Chef Ivan Lampredi was superb. Would highly recommend this tour as it is intimate and well worth every penny .
Had the most wonderful tour with Michelle exploring the best foods Parma has to offer. She explained everything in amazing detail and clearly has deep expertise in food, wine, and tourism. Could not recommend this experience more highly - if you’re reading this review, go ahead and book your tour! You won’t regret it.
Our tour guide, Lisa, was exceptional. Highly motivated and knowledgeable. She was genuine, professional, and personable. The tour exceeded our expectations. The master and crew at the dairy were impressive. Thanks also to Parma ham for opening their business to us.
Beatrice was our guide and WOW! What an experience. She was knowledgeable, friendly, excellent at explaining the details and had a clear command of the intricacies of the making of both parmigiana and prosciutto. We wrapped the day up at the loveliest spot for lunch. We had my 6 year old with us who was the most curious and Beatrice explained this to her kindly and patiently.
Absolutely fantastic experience with Michelle! My family stopped in Parma during our most recent trip to Italy and went on the Slow Parma Food Experience. Michelle was excellent, knowledgeable and engaging throughout the experience. We brought our two small children (4 and 7) on the tour and Michelle went above and beyond to engage both of them in the tour and, to their great joy, brought them to see baby cows! The tour of the Parmigiano Reggiano factory was the highlight with the aforementioned cows adding icing on the cake for the experience. The tasting was generous and delicious. Lunch was equally delicious and the setting breathtaking. Will absolutely book another tour when we return to Emilia Romagna in the future!
We really enjoyed this tour! Watching the actual process of making parmigiano was so interesting and our guide was very knowledgeable about the process for both the parmigiano and the prosciutto di Parma. She knew the staff at both locations by name and we were the only tourists there, no other large groups also touring, which made it feel very personal and special. I also thought it was really cool that the prosciutto di Parma factory we went to is 4th generation family women-owned and run! The lunch was fantastic quality at a lovely agriturismo. The whole experience was great!
My family did a slow food tour with Michelle through the Emillia Region during our trip to Italy. We wanted to visit local, organic, family producers that showcased the authentic practices of the food valley, and did not want a touristy, commercial experience. I found Artemilia online, and they exceeded everyone's expectations and created a day that was a once in a lifetime experience. Michelle is passionate about the traditions of the food valley and is extremely knowledgeable about the history of the region. She has deep relationships with local producers, which got us into some incredible locations. Her way of storytelling is engaging and personable. During our day, we visited a local dairy farm, traditional balsamic producer, organic winery/vineyard (where we had a fantastic lunch), and prosciutto factory. All of the visits were intimate/private, included tastings of some of the highest quality products that we've had, and were beyond informative and hands-on. My husband equated the day to a Stanley Tucci experience, which I believe to be the ultimate compliment. If you are visiting the area and want to immerse yourself in the local practices which make this region the food capital of Italy, and arguably the world, you should 100% book with Artemilia.
One of the best tours we’ve had in Italy. Roberta was so friendly and very knowledgeable about the cheese making process and prosciutto making process. We included lunch with our tour. We went to a great restaurant with a beautiful view. I would definitely recommend!
My fiance and I had a wonderful day with Michelle touring the parmegianno regianno and prosciutto de Parma plants. The drive was also very beautiful. We had an amazing lunch featuring local pasta, wine, dessert, and Nocino. Michelle was on time, extremely knowledgeable, and provided recommendations for aperitivo and dinner in Parma the evening after the tour. We would highly recommend booking Michelle for this tour. We learned a lot and ate wonderfully well!
Barbara P was a fantastic tour guide! She provided very descriptive information about the food and the way Parma Cheese and Ham are made. She took us to a lovely lunch overlooking a vineyard with spectacular food. She answered all of my father’s questions and was very accommodating with his wheelchair. You won’t be disappointed!!!
This tour is in my top five days of my entire life. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but this tour is worth every penny and then some. My husband and I are both vegetarian cheese-lovers who adore parmesan and an excellent wine tasting, and when I asked Michelle Costa of Artemilia to design a custom tour (based on this one, without parma ham) for us, she delivered an absolutely incredible day. We spent the morning (7:30am pickup from our hotel) doing a private tour of the parmesan cheese factory, where Michelle is a super expert and explained every step of the process in completely fascinating detail, along with a ton of interesting history about parmesan itself. We then went to the farm where they source the milk (and got to meet the cows and a really cute dog), and did a guided cheese tasting with Michelle (with tasting notes!) with parmesan of different ages. From there, we did a tour and tasting of a traditional balsamic vinegar producer, which was VERY interesting and delicious and not to be missed, followed by a wonderful lunch and organic wine tasting at an eco-friendly and gorgeous agriturismo, and ended with a final wine tasting at a lovely hilltop winery. I've done private tours before, and sometimes they can feel awkward or forced. That is not the case with Michelle. She is an absolute gem and could not be easier to talk to. We spent the entire day with her, and not only is she an absolutely stellar tour guide in terms of planning out the day, she has a deep knowledge base in art history, Italian and regional history, food, and wine, and she answered every single one of my (MANY) questions with enthusiasm. :-) 12/10 would recommend this tour and anything else she puts together. Thank you for making my parmesan dreams come true, Michelle! Your tour was one for the books!
We booked the Slow Parma Food Experience Private Tour and Tasting. The trip was so much more than we expected. Michelle Costa at Artemilia went above and beyond to make the experience happen for our group. She is easy to get a hold of and responsive to all requests for help of any kind. We had excellent personal service from her and her company. The tour itself was fantastic. It was very private and we were taken to each spot in a private vehicle. We learned so much about the famous cheeses and prosciutto of the Parma region. Our guide Barbara was fantastic. She spoke almost perfect English and was enjoyable throughout the day answering all of the questions we had. The day ended with an incredible and beautiful lunch at a hilltop restaurant overlooking the beautiful valley in the Emilia-Romagna region outside of Parma. Exceptional food, wine, views and ambience. We were thrilled with our excursion.
We had an amazing day near Parma! It started with a 6 am pickup at our hotel in Florence (our driver Rossano was wonderful). The early wake-up call was well worth it - we got to visit a small parmesan producer and see the cheese-making process from start to finish. Then we headed off for an incredible lunch at an agriturismo that included platters of cured meat (prosciutto, culatello, coppa, salame felino, pancetta), delicious tortelli, and locally produced wines. Then off to a local prosciutto producer before being dropped at our hotel n Bologna. Michelle is a terrific guide - she's incredibly organized, knowledgeable (about food, art, history, culture), and enthusiastic, but also delightful company. I hope to return to the region soon and will gladly book more time with Artemilia - one day was definitely not enough!!
13 days in Italy and this was probably our family's favorite tour of the trip! Now, our family loves food. We love to make it, we love to eat it and we love to share it. This tour got us up close on the making of parmigiano reggiano from start to finish. We were in heaven. And bought some to take home. The tasting was very fun and they even brought fresh ricotta for us to taste - it was amazing! Admittedly, the parma ham tour was not as good as the cheese tour but still so informative and fun. And lunch was incredible, in a beautiful location. Michelle was extremely knowledgeable and taught us so much.
It has been an amazing experience! See how they make Parmesan Reggiano, follow the manufacturing process of Prosciutto di Parma,... with exquisite tastings and all accompanied by Michelle, who has made this experience unforgettable. Thank you for all your explanations and for conveying your passion for this land. We will definitely return in search of the next experience you recommend!
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