Parma food tour: Parmigiano, prosciutto & balsamic tasting

Watch three DOP foods get made, then taste them where they're produced

A food tour of Parma and Modena that takes you inside a Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory, a Parma ham farm, and Acetaia Giusti's balsamic vinegar estate, with tastings at each stop and a local guide in English or Italian. Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Parma are included. The tour runs 7 to 8 hours and operates in most weather.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit cheese, ham, and vinegar producers

• Watch Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production
• Taste Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• Visit Parma ham farm in Langhirano or Felino
• Meet Parma ham producer
• Taste Parma ham with sparkling wine
• Tour balsamic vinegar vineyard estate in Modena
• Visit balsamic vinegar aging rooms
• Taste traditional balsamic vinegar

The experience

The morning starts at a cheese factory where you watch Parmigiano-Reggiano move from curd to aging room, then taste the finished wheel. The scale of production (wheels stacked in climate-controlled rooms, each one marked with the date it will be ready) is the first surprise. The taste is the second. From there the tour heads to the hills around Langhirano or Felino, where a Parma ham producer walks you through how the meat is cured and aged in the mountain air. You taste the ham paired with sparkling wine, which is how it's meant to be drunk in the region.

The afternoon moves to Modena and Acetaia Giusti, a balsamic vinegar producer that sits on a 40-acre estate. You walk the vineyard before entering the aging rooms, where the vinegar sits in wooden barrels stacked several stories high: some of it decades old. The tasting at the end is sharp and complex, nothing like the thin balsamic most people know. A local expert guide leads all three stops and uses headsets so you can hear clearly even in the factory noise. Pickup and drop-off happen at the NH Hotel next to Parma's train station, so if you're staying elsewhere in the city or arriving by train, the logistics are already settled.

What’s included

• Cheese factory visit with Parmigiano-Reggiano tasting.
• Parma ham farmhouse tour and tasting with sparkling wine.
• organic balsamic vinegar producer visit and tasting at Acetaia Giusti.
• local expert guide in English or Italian.
• headsets to hear the guide clearly.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in central Parma.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30 and 10:00

Book up to12h before

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

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

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancy

Operated by CURIOSEETY

Is this one for you?If you're staying in Parma without a car, pickup at the train station hotel means you don't need to arrange transport to the farms and factories. The guide handles the route and timing across all three stops, so the day stays on schedule without you building it.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

What exactly happens at the Parmigiano-Reggiano factory?

You watch the production process from curd to the finished wheel being aged in the storage rooms, then taste the cheese at the end of the visit. The factory shows how the wheels are made and stored before they're ready to sell.

Do I get to taste all three foods on this tour?

Yes. You taste Parmigiano-Reggiano at the cheese factory, Parma ham paired with sparkling wine at the farm in Langhirano or Felino, and traditional balsamic vinegar at Acetaia Giusti in Modena.

How long does the whole tour take?

The tour runs 7 to 8 hours from pickup to drop-off, including travel time between the three stops and time spent at each farm and factory.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Parma; entry and tastings at all three producers; a local expert guide in English or Italian; and headsets so you can hear the guide at each stop.

Can I do this tour if I'm staying outside Parma?

Pickup and drop-off are at the NH Hotel next to Parma's train station, so if you're staying elsewhere in the city or arriving by train, you can meet the tour there. Public transportation options are available nearby if you need to get to the hotel.

What should I know about the balsamic vinegar estate in Modena?

Acetaia Giusti is a 40-acre estate where you walk the vineyard and then tour the aging rooms filled with wooden barrels, some holding vinegar that's been aging for decades. The tasting shows you the depth and complexity of traditional balsamic vinegar.