Private Half Day Parma Food Tour: Parmesan Cheese, Parma Ham, Lunch
Description
A journey to discover Parma and its traditions to get to know the culinary traditions for which this area is famous during this 6-hour food tour. Visit a cheese factory. Learn about the famous Parma ham. End the tour in a typical restaurant, where you will enjoy all the products of the territory and taste local wines like Lambrusco and Malvasia.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your English-speaking guide in Parma at 09:00 am. We offer pick-up from your hotel in Parma or Parma train station. If you'll arrive with your own car we'll suggest the most convenient place to meet your guide.
Proceed to discover another culinary specialty of this area: Parma ham. In the ham-producing house, you will see every phase of the curing of the meat and taste the final result, yielded by meticulous aging. Your tour ends in a typical local restaurant where you can enjoy all the specialties of the Parma region matched with excellent local wines like Lambrusco and Malvasia. Taste different types of salami, as well as the tortelli d'erbetta, a round pasta stuffed with ricotta and herbs, a traditional dish of Parma. As for dessert, you will discover the famous Sbrisolona and other dry pies. Lunch also includes water, wine and coffee.
Get picked up at your hotel in Parma to begin your delicious tour of the area. Head first for a cheese factory to see how milk is transformed into Parmigiano-Reggiano. Learn how this cheese, devoid of any chemical additive, can be aged for years to improve its quality. Learn to recognize the various ageing stages thanks to the tasting led by an expert guide.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please, let us know the name of the hotel or apartment you stay in, we offer the pick-up also at the other hotels in Parma. If you will arrive for the tour from the other city we'll advise you the best point to meet your guide. If you will arrive for the tour by train, please let us know the arrival time and your guide will meet you at the ticket office of the train station in Parma.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Reviews(45)
Great experience. Elena was very knowledgeable and friendly. Her choices of places to visit were first class. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Absolutely amazing experience. Our tour guide Elisa was so nice and knowledgeable. She made what was a great experience even more enjoyable. Took us to two non commercial family operated places and walked us through every step of parmeggiano and prosciutto di Parma process. And we had an amazing lunch next to an old castle. Amazing!! Thank you Elisa. Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the tour, from visiting the family-run producers to learning about the Parmigiano and Prosciutto di Parma processes, and that the lunch by the old castle was a highlight. Your recommendation means a lot to us! We hope to see you again soon!
Elena was a fantastic host and guide for our half day parmigiana cheese and prosciutto experience. This was a great opportunity to learn about the specific production processes and deepen our appreciation for these products. The tastings topped off a really fun trip. Highly recommend!
Hi Fred, thank you so much for your lovely review. We are so happy you enjoyed the tour. You're right our tours are very informative because our products are so special and for us it is a pleasure to tell you something about the tradition of our area. We hope to see you again in Parma soon. Rossella
Our tour guide Marika was the best. She was very knowledgeable and passionate. She went the extra mile and helped us to get an earlier train and made sure we knew where to go. If you can request a guide request her.
Hi, thank your for your lovely review. We are so happy that you enjoyed your tour and your tour guide. All our guides are very informative and passionate because we love out territory and product. We hope to see you again in Parma soon. Rossella
The tour was great, however the company operator was rude and very unhelpful. There was a few couples travelling from Bologna and we got in contact with the operator letting them know that the trains were delayed by 1 hour and we will arrive at 9:30 exactly but the bus had already left. We had to find our own way out to the first place. For a tour this expensive where more than half of the group is delayed by trains it's a little unbelievable that they would leave without us all.
Hi Samuel! I'm very sorry we couldn't wait for you yesterday and we know the delay wasn't your fault. Unfortunately, as I explained to you when you warned us of the delay, the departure time is precise at 9.30 am, since we have to respect the production times at the dairy, and even 10 minutes of delay would no longer allow the group to see the most beautiful phase of the Parmigiano Reggiano production, which is the extraction of the fresh wheel. Since this is a group tour and not a private one, it would be unfair if the tourists who arrived in time would lose an essential piece of the experience in order to wait for those who are in late. We are always trying to communicate clearly all the details in order to guarantee the best possible experience for all our tourists, that's why also on the purchased ticket we underlined that arrival at the meeting point must take place 10 minutes before the departure time, as the tour leaves precisely on time. NB: This review regards our Guided small-group tour TastyBus: Parmesan Cheese and Parma Ham, and not the private one
Our tour guide, Stefania Bertaccini, was a blast! We were late due to an accident on the highway and she made sure we got to see everything on our tour. She is very energetic and knows her subject matter inside and out! We went on a Parma Cheese, and Parma Ham tour and then she was kind enough to take us to her In Laws Estate to visit and see her Family Balsamic Vinegar collection! She teaches cooking classes so she shares a lot of information with you about how she uses the products in her own preperation.
Dear Sidney, Thank you so much for taking the time to write the review. I am happy to hear you've enjoyed your foodie experience with Stefania. Hope to see you in Parma again!
We had a wonderful experience! Our private tour with Lisa provided so much in depth gastronomic information about Parma and its food treasures, prosciutto di Parma and Parmesano Reggiano.
Hi Katherine, Thank you so much for taking the time to write the review! I am happy to know you've enjoyed your experience with Lisa and felt our passion for the region and its delicacies, they are truly unique. Wishing you all the best and hope to see you in Parma again!
While Monica was an excellent guide, the tour description included lunch in a farmhouse overlooking the valley. We had the lunch in a small shop instead. Food was great, but I booked the tour expecting what was stated.
Hi Andrea, Thank you so much for taking the time to write the review. I am happy to hear you've enjoyed the tour with Monica and lunch at salumeria. And I am very sorry the lunch location wasn't what you were expecting, yet in our tour description and inclusions, there's no specification about the farmhouse with the valley view. We work with different family-owned eateries in order to ensure the quality of the experience and avoid overcrowded spots.
Cheese, Ham, Wine - what could be better. This was a great way to see how all of this amazing food is made, and the tastings were sooooooo good. Giacomo was great, knowledgeable (is an Italian history and Geography teacher in his day job), so brought the region and processes to life.
Hi Loren, thank you so much for the review. I am glad to know you've enjoyed your foodie experience in Parma and hope to see you again!
A fascinating inside view of the history and dedication behind making of Parmeseano Reggiano cheese and Proscuitto di Parma ham. Our group left with a new appreciation for the skill and artistry behind both and are now cheese and ham snobs. Lisa was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about the Parma region and was excited to share it with us.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback about the tour! I am happy to hear that Lisa has managed to pass you our passion and respect for the gastronomic traditions of our land. Hope to see you in Parma again! Rossella
