Balsamic Vinegar Tour & Emilian Lunch in Modena

Taste four centuries of balsamic, then cook lunch with it

A 3.5-hour activity in Modena combining a guided tour and tasting at Casa Giusti, Italy's oldest balsamic vinegar producer, with a live cooking demonstration and two-course Emilian lunch at a local Cesarina's home. The menu centers on Giusti balsamic: taleggio risotto, ricotta tortelloni, and dessert with pears. A guide in English or Italian leads both stops. Local wine is included.

The Experience

You start at Casa Giusti, where balsamic vinegar has been made for over 400 years. The guided tour takes you through the historic cellars where the vinegar ages in wooden barrels, and you taste several expressions of it: the sharp young versions and the deep, syrupy aged ones that cost more than wine. The tasting is not a sales pitch. It is a walk through what four centuries of craft tastes like.

From there you head to a local home in Modena, where a Cesarina, a home cook who hosts travelers, has the kitchen ready. You watch her make the day's dishes: taleggio risotto finished with balsamic, ricotta tortelloni dressed in drops of it, and a dessert of pears with pastry cream and almond crumble. She talks through what she is doing and why the vinegar matters to each course. Then you sit down and eat what you just watched her prepare, with local wine poured alongside.

The whole thing runs 3.5 hours from start to finish. You leave with a sense of how balsamic moves through Modenese cooking, not as a novelty but as a backbone.

What’s included

• Guided tour and tasting of aged balsamic vinegars at Casa Giusti's historic cellars.
• access to the Giusti Museum.
• live cooking demonstration by a local Cesarina.
• two-course Emilian lunch featuring taleggio risotto with balsamic, ricotta tortelloni with balsamic, and dessert with pears.
• local wine.

Days and timesDaily · 11:00

AgesAges 9+ · 4 to 8 years · Under 4 — Free

Meeting point and pickupNo pickup · ends where it startsMeeting point, per the operator: “Your host will wait for you at the entrance of Acetaia Giusti”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Operated by Cesarine: Cooking Class

Is this one for you?Book this if you have a free afternoon in Modena and want to move beyond tasting balsamic in isolation. You'll see how it actually works in the kitchen and eat it as part of a real meal, not as a sample. Small groups keep the pace relaxed and the Cesarina's kitchen intimate.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

Can children come?

4 to 8 years; under 4, free.

What exactly do I taste at Casa Giusti?

Casa Giusti offers a guided tasting of several balsamic vinegars at different ages and intensities, from younger, sharper versions to deeply aged ones that have spent decades in the wooden barrels you see in the cellars.

Do I cook the lunch myself, or watch someone else cook it?

You watch the Cesarina prepare the dishes in her home kitchen as she explains each step and how the balsamic fits into the dish, then you sit down and eat what she has made.

What is included in the two-course lunch?

The lunch includes taleggio risotto with balsamic vinegar, ricotta tortelloni with balsamic, a dessert of pears with pastry cream and almond crumble, and local wine.

Is the guide in English?

Yes, the guide is available in English or Italian. Let the operator know your preference when you book.

How long does the whole experience take?

The activity runs 3.5 hours total, including the cellar tour and tasting at Casa Giusti and the cooking demonstration and lunch at the Cesarina's home.