Book 24h in advance! Italy is known for its food but the region of Emilia Romagna might be the best swath of Italy for culinary delights. And this private half- or full-day food tour packs in all that is delicious in the region. Opt to drive yourself or to have a driver take you, and then commence this fulfilling journey of edible treats in one of Italy's most gastronomic regions. Visit a prosciutto producer and a maker of Parmigiano in Parma, for example. Expect to eat like a real 'buona forchetta," the Italian word for a good eater. On the full-day tour, learn about balsamic vinegar.

Half- or full-day private food tour from Bologna or Parma
Discover the revered culinary heritage of Emilia Romagna, an area famed for its fresh produce
Visit a Parmesan cheese dairy, a Parma ham producer and a wine cellar
Pair filled pasta, cheese and cured meat with local wine during lunch at a local wine cellar
Tour a traditional balsamic vinegar house to learn how they make their specialty condiment (if full-day tour option selected)
Pickup and drop-off from central Parma or Bologna included (if car and driver option selected)
Receive undivided attention from a private guide

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off (if car and driver option selected)
Expert guide
Professional driver (if car and driver option selected)
Transport by air-conditioned driver (if car and driver option selected)
Parmigiano, Parma ham & Balsamic Vinegar tastings
Lunch with wine

Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities
Transportation service if Own car option is selected

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Roadhouse Restaurant Parma
Viale delle Esposizioni, 3/A, 43122 Parma PR, Italy
Meet our guide in front of the Roadhouse Grill Restaurant at the exit of Parma out of Autostrada A1

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

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.

What To Expect

Half-Day Tour (5 Hours): Choose the half-day tour and get picked-up at your hotel or another designated meeting point in the center of Parma to commence this fun food-themed tour of the region. If you're driving your own car, pick up your guide in Parma and begin the tour of northern Italian deliciousness in Emilia Romagna.

The first stop is at a diary to sample some of the famed Parmesan (or Parmigiano) cheese. Often referred to as the 'King of Cheese,' Parmesan is aged for 12, 18 or 24 months and has a slightly different taste for each age. Learn about the process of making this amazing cheese and, of course, try some yourself.

Next up: stop by a producer of prosciutto. In Parma, this cured ham is famed the world over. Learn about the process of curing prosciutto and sample some of the melt-on-your palate pork. After, visit the medieval town of Torrechiara for a photo op in front of the imposing 15th-century castle.

Move on to lunch in a wine cellar in Parma where you'll get the chance to munch on cured meats, locally made cheeses and homemade cakes. Wash it all down with a glass of Malvasia or Lambrusco, a lovely sparkling red wine from the region. When you're done, head back to Parma or Bologna where the tour ends by being dropped off at your hotel or your own designated drop off point.

Full-Day Tour (7 Hours):

Follow the tour above as part of your morning itinerary. Then, post lunch, go try some authentic balsamic vinegar in Modena and Reggio Emilia, handcrafted by masters whose techniques go back to the Middle Ages. Learn how balsamic is made and taste some of it, as the guide instructs on what makes excellent balsamic vinegar.

In the afternoon, return to Parma or Bologna (depending on option selected), where your tour concludes.

Please note: A minimum of two people per booking is required.

Consorzio Produttori Latte CPL Parma Soc. Coop. R.L. - Produzione e Negozio/Spaccio Via Puppiola

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Castello di Torrechiara

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
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.
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
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
Your health is our top priority, and we have put special measures in place to keep all guests safe both during and after your activity.
* **Stringent Cleaning** - We’ve increased the frequency of disinfecting surfaces and high traffic areas between each tour, and hand sanitizer will be available to all of our guests.
* **Social Distancing** - Guests will stay at a safe 6-foot distance during all points of the tour. We also ensure that all staff members will be wearing the necessary PPE.
* **Wellness Checks** - Employees receive daily wellness checks to ensure they are healthy and symptom-free. If you or anyone in your group is experiencing symptoms, we will work directly with you to cancel or reschedule your tour.
Most travelers can participate
* **Our preparation!** - Emlpoyees and suppliers have followed exclusive Anti-Covid 19 classes in order to ensure that all our experiences will be perfectly safe and at the same time enjoable.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

This is an excellent tour I highly recommend to anyone interested in the area and its food culture!

Reviews

5.0

69 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 69 reviews

Our guide and our driver...

david_c, Nov 2022

Our guide and our driver were both awesome! We loved this tour. I would recommend this tour to anyone….

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hi David, thank you so much for your beautiful words!

Great tour, use a different guide

Mark_G, Oct 2022

The visits of the cheese making facility and the prosciutto aging areas were outstanding. Also the balsamic vinegar tour was way better than expected, i would highly recommend all three. The driver for the private tour was also great. the only issue had was the guide. it was my wife and i, but she only talked to my wife, and frequently started the explanation before i was able to get to the next point, and then get annoyed when i asked for clarification since i didnt hear what she said. i would use someone else in the future.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

We're happy you enjoyed the visits at each food producer! :) but we're quite surprised about the guide, since she is one of best and many people have reviewed her super positively. We're so sorry about that. Hope to see you again in the Food Valley to explore much more about our gastronomy!

Great tour

xavier_s, Oct 2022

Stephany Great guide, very informative and knowledgeable in all items and visits, lunch a little poor but what can expected

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you so much for your review! It's quite strange that the lunch was poor: with our private food tour you enjoy a 3 courses lunch in a restaurant or an agriturismo including our local cured meats, our tortelli (filled pasta) and a typical home-made cake. Anyway hope to see you again in Parma maybe in the lowlands with a super lunch or dinner :)

Full Day All Access Food Tour!

Natalie_H, Sep 2022

This luxury, full day tour began with our driver picking us up at our Airbnb in Bologna. We where driven to Parma where we met our guide, Giancomo, who has extensive knowledge of the Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma production processes. We were able to see first hand various steps in each process at the cheese and ham production facilities as well as taste the different aged cheeses and hams. We enjoyed a delicious lunch in the foothills of Parma. Our third stop of the day was in Modena for a tour of an authentic Acetaia where we learned the process to make traditional balsamic vinegar and enjoyed a tasting. This tour was phenomenal and our family highly recommends the experience!

Response from Host, Sep 2022

Grazie Natalie, come visit us again, we have such a lot to let people try, in our wonderful region!

Best of Bologna in one day!! Great tour guides and personalized service.

Christina_E, Jul 2022

Best food tour experience we’ve ever had! Monica our guide was extremely knowledgeable and just a joy to be around! Rossano our driver was awesome and very friendly. Our teens and my husband and myself had the best time tasting Proscuitto, P. Reggiano and Balsamic vinegar. The personalization of everything was particularly special. Highly recommend the private tours!

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hi, thank you for your beautiful words about Monica and Rossano, we'll tell them everything :)

Excellent Experience and Great Food

Greg_S, Jul 2022

Andrea was an excellent guide and made it a very personal experience for my wife and I. His fluency in English was superb and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you a lot Greg, we'll report this to Andrea!

Would recommend it

Paulo_Z, Apr 2022

We found the tour enjoyable and informative. As a private tour we had more assistance which was useful regards as the guide was able to communicate in two languages. Although pricey, it worked for us.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Hi Paulo, thank you so much for the review! Hope to see you soon again in the Italian Food Valley :)

Great day in the food valley!

Ingrid, Jan 2022

Giorgia was a wonderful guide. She was very knowledgeable and explained the process of making the products very well. We had a great day!!

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Thank you Ingrid, we wil report your compliment to our Giorgia and we are happy youwill have stories to tell about our beloved Food Valley !

2 Factory tours with tastings and a Balsamic tour.

Howard_H, Oct 2021

Tastings! And seeing the cheese rounds and of course all the hams hanging! It is not in the towns of . Modena or Parma

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Ciao Howard, thank you for your review :-). Yes, all Parmigiano and Prosciutto makers are to be found in the countryside, farms and factories are traditionally not hosted downtown. Next time you can try the Culatello Tour in the lowlands of Parma!

Experience Bologna with Gioia!!

SusanJoan_S, Jul 2021

You must experience Bologna tastings with Gioia! The city highlights, the sampling of local foods, and our most charming host made it a memorable day. Highly recommended!

Amazing tour! Thanks.

Nodoka_M, Oct 2020

Thank you so much. The driver and guide are both excellent. The places the guide took us were all amazing! And her explanations for the places, foods, cultures and historys were fascinating and made us great time in Parma. In addition to that foods, parmigiano reggiano, Parma ham, traditional balsamico, mines and lunch, which we tried were amzing. We really enjoyed the tour and would like to recommend people to join the tour. Thank you so much.

Response from Host, Oct 2020

Thank you so much for your amazing review!. Expecially in this though period these words give us strenght to go forward in this direction hoping for a better future. Hope to have you with us again!

Food Tour

Vincent_D, Jun 2019

The guide was excellent. Extremely knowledgeable. The facilities were ideal for learning about the famous foods of the Parma region. And the lunch was also phenomenal!

Response from Host, Jun 2019

Thank you so much for your kind review! It's been a pleasure to have you here in the Food Valley! :)

Magnifico

David_C, May 2019

Nora is a wonderful guide -very knowledgeable and engaging and quite fluent in both Italian and English. Our driver was very professional, courteous and on time to all the various areas. We learned so much about the history and culture of the area as well as the intricacies of Parmigiano Reggiano and the Parma DOP process for prosciutto. This is an excellent tour I highly recommend to anyone interested in the area and its food culture!

So sorry this is so late. Had a...

Eli_P, Aug 2018

So sorry this is so late. Had a wonderful time with a local, Simonetta. She was so knowledgeable, we picked her up and drove to the ham factory, cheese factory and a winery with a delicious meal. It was as if we met a distant relative who was showing us around, and when she got into each factory she was met with warm and friendly reactions from the purveyors. We were able to witness first hand and get right in there with the cheese and ham makers. A truly rewarding experience. thank you for the lifetime of memories. There is no better way to see a new region by having a local show you around and get you knee deep involved.

The CHEESE! I learned so much about...

Aryn F, Apr 2018

The CHEESE! I learned so much about cheese. The store is on the first stop so make sure you buy the meat there too. If small is an issue for you being nose plugs the meat factory was a little ripe. Our guide was knowledgable friendly and fun. Great for the whole family.

Tour was very informative and gave...

melanie_G, Mar 2018

Tour was very informative and gave us new appreciation for what should be staple ingredients in one's kitchen. Michele was amazing and very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend!

Fantastic day in the Emilia Romagna...

stephmmcdonald, Jan 2018

Fantastic day in the Emilia Romagna region. Our guide, Georgia a native of Parma, was knowledgable and fun. Highly recommended.

Our private Emilia Romagna Food Tour...

rheaphy, Jun 2017

Our private Emilia Romagna Food Tour was one of the highlights from our trip to Italy. Our tour guide met us in a central location and drove with us to each stop for the first part of our tour. Our guide was extremely informative, providing local history, history on the cheese making process and history on the curing of prosciutto. Our lunch was simply delicious. After lunch we journeyed to Modena for our tour of a family owned aged balsamic vinegar farm. Our tour was much more than expected and if you love food I would highly recommend this tour.

Excellent!!! Very well informed guide...

mark n, Sep 2016

Excellent!!! Very well informed guide, beautiful locations, excellent tour over all. AAA

It was great. Michelle, our tour...

Camilla L, Sep 2016

It was great. Michelle, our tour guide, was wonderful. She was so knowledgeable about every stop. I would like to have her for my friend. The lunch we had at the winery was delicious. I would recommend this tour to everyone. We also went to a restaurant for dinner that she recommended. Again, it was delicious. Thank you, Michellw