Hello. Traveling independently via car, staying in Ferrara. We'd like to spend a day at a cheese farm and possibly a balsamic tasting in the afternoon.
Any suggestions? We don't want to book an organized tour with a van etc. but prefer to drive ourselves.
Grazie Mille!
Posted by
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
350 posts
We did this with Explore Emilia. We were in one car and the guide was in another. Alice was fantastic, and I highly recommend them. If one of their set tours doesn't work for you, I recommend asking them if they can make something to match your preferences. They were very accommodating when we wanted something a little different from their standard.
Posted by
63 posts
We did not want to do a group tour since all the ones I found started in Bologna and we were staying in Modena. So we did our own day.
Parmesan - https://www.caseificio4madonne.it/en/guided-tours
Balsamic vinegar - https://us.giusti.com/pages/giusti-museum
Lambrusco - https://www.opera02.it/en/
We did the Parmesan and balsamic vinegar in the morning, then drove out to the winery for lunch, then did a winery tour and tasting. It was a great day! One of the best meals we had on that trip.
The winery also had a hotel (only 12 rooms) but had a pool and was so beautiful there that we will try to stay there the next time we are in that area!
Posted by
Vignola, Modena, Italy
542 posts
The Parmigiano-Reggiano dairies follow the same production method, so visit one or another doesn't make a great difference. There are differences depending by the kind of milk, but means tasting different producers. Traditional Balsamic is produced only in Modena province (a little bit even in Reggio Emilia), so probably for your tour is better stay in that province without the need to go to Parma.
I can suggest this tour, where there is only the visit and tasting (no transport included): https://emiliaromagnatours.it/bologna-tours/parmigiano-reggiano-tour/ . That TO is specialized in tailor made tours. There are some dairies (like Quattro Madonne) who do their own internal visit.
In general Parmigiano is done at early morning, so a visit starts at 8/9am. Later the same morning you have time to do a Traditional Balsamic producer visit, so a full time for lunch later and the whole afternoon.
Posted by
Park City, Utah
53 posts
Hi Nancy,
Hubby and I had a car and did all these on a day trip from Bologna. All three I highly recommend. They were also open on a Saturday, which is not the case with all the companies. Enjoy your trip!
8:30-9:45 am Agricola Giansanti (Parmesan cheese factory) in south Parma area
10:30-11:45 am Salumificio Conti (Prosciutto Factory run by a couple of sisters) in south Parma area
3:00 pm Antica Acetaia Cavedoni in Modena (balsamic vinegar factory, small family-run place with a delicious light meal afterward)
Can you stay closer to Parma/Modena for your foodie trip? These towns are quite a distance from Ferrara, I think.