Parmigiano-Reggiano and Parma Ham Tour

This was one of the highlights of our trip. We visited small artisanal producers of Parmesan cheese and Prosciutto di Parma and loved getting to see the traditional process up close. It was fascinating to learn how much care and craftsmanship goes into making these incredible foods, and of course the tastings were amazing! Larish was a fabulous tour guide—knowledgeable, friendly, and clearly passionate about the region and its food. He made the experience fun and engaging the entire time and shared so many interesting details we never would have known otherwise. If you enjoy authentic local food experiences, this tour is a must. We loved every minute and would highly recommend it!

We booked this tour one month in advance. I got confirmation and all the usual follow up notifications. I even received my tickets. The day before at 5 pm I emailed the tour operator to ask them where to park. They quickly responded and gave me directions as well a a photo of the meeting spot. At 10 pm I received an email from Viator saying the tour was cancelled. I immediately called and was told it was in fact cancelled but could give me no reason. After an hour on the phone of trying to get another similar tour they were unable to book one for us because of the late hour. Needless to say I was more than upset. Then today, the day of the tour, I got an email from the operator saying that there was some mix up with their system and they never got our reservation. If they didn’t have our reservation why did they tell me the meeting spot and then how were they able to cancel it the night before? Then at 8:30 am I get an email from Viator saying today is the day for your tour. I reach back out to the tour operator again and ask them what’s going on. And all of a sudden they do have room on the tour but we will have to pay them directly because Viator has already refunded me the amount of the tour. I have no idea what really happened but I would not book with this tour operator again. Because of the late notice my husband and I ended up booking a cheese tour and a Parma tour each directly with the factories and did the tours on our own.

We were able to see the actual production process of Parmesan cheese at the manufacturing facility which was so interesting. The cheese we tasted were incredible. Then we also got to see the Parma Ham manufacturing facility as well and appreciated learning how to identify qualified Parma Ham. The ham we tasted was delicious and the experience was most memorable!

It was a wonderful way to see two family run small scale cheese and ham operations in small personalized groups. Matthias our guide made it so much fun. The food and wine tastings were perfect. It’s a super way to get out of the bigger city, see the beautiful countryside of central Italy and see why the Parma Region is so special.

Loris was fantastic. All around wonderful experience. We wish we did the third part of the tour including the Balsamic tour of Modena. His knowledge of the process and personality made the experience great.