To me, culture = food. What better way to immerse yourself in a different culture than to tour the factories where they continue to make local delicacies the same way for centuries? This tour will show you that “because that’s how it’s always been done” is the right answer! Bologna Food and Wine Factory Tour #1 – the only and original! – Italian Days – Food Tours In Bologna, Venice, Florence, etc.
We started our tour by meeting at the Grand Hotel Majestic. To our surprise, there were only 6 of us on the tour. (Huge benefit of braving travel to Italy in December!) The tour can accommodate up to 25 people so this was almost like having a private tour at a much lower price.
Alessandro greeted us promptly at 7 am and was our tour guide for the day. We started our tour with a 40-minute drive to pick up our breakfast (more on that later) and then headed to the Parmigiano Reggiano factory. The tour starts early because the cheese-making starts early!
After donning our food safety clothing, we entered the cheese factory. The milk arrives from cooperative farms right after the cows are milked and the smell is unmistakable – this is where cheese is made. Alessandro shared a wealth of knowledge with us from the origination of Parmigiano Reggiano dating back to Benedictine monks in 1254 (or earlier), how ricotta is made from leftover whey, to the 12+ months process until the cheese is ready and can be labeled Parmigiano Reggiano. Fun fact: we were told that Costco is the best place to buy it in the US!
Next, we were loaded into the van for a short drive to discover traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena. Alessandro knew that we were hungry (we were told to eat very light before the tour) so before learning about the balsamic, we enjoyed an incredible breakfast of pastries (what we stopped to pick up), local salame and mortadella, 24 month and 36 month Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic, fresh and warm ricotta, Lambrusco wine and espresso. Now we were ready to learn about the balsamic!
The aging room had a glorious smell and that was the first thing that I noticed, then I quickly discovered that there were many barrels in this room dating from over 100 years old to just 4 years old. The tradition is that when a child is born, a new battery of barrels is started (from the oldest barrel) for them and matures as they do. The pride, love, and craftsmanship that goes into creating this thick, syrupy masterpiece is evident and makes it taste more delicious!
Our last stop was the prosciutto factory where we learned about the strict regulations to be DOP certified, the curing process, and the different types of prosciutto. I have never been in such a clean room full of so much raw meat!
Now that we had learned about the famous food stars of the Emilia Romagna region, it was time to feast again. We were served different kinds of prosciutto, which now taste so very different after learning all about them, followed by 3 homemade pastas, roasted seasonal vegetables, salads, tiramisu and of course all the wine that we could drink.
The afternoon finished with many toasts to how fortunate we were to experience such a marvelous day: appreciating those who discovered these delicacies, new friends that were made while learning and tasting (Hello to Isabel and Harold!), and the memories that we would take with us never allowing us to look at one of the items the same again.
Grazie to the farmers, factory workers, and proud craftsman who continue to uphold such high standards!
