As I promised, here is my report on a recent trip to Modena and parma.
We arrived in the small city of Modena on a Friday and checked into the Hotel Real Fini on Via Emilia Est. Having booked a suspiciously cheap rate of 63 Euro per night (in June) on Venere.com, I was not expecting much from this four star hotel. However I was pleasantly surprised. The hotel was clean, stylish, well located, and had a great breakfast.
We did end up hiring the guide from parma golosa to take us around to the Prosciutto factories, where they make parmigiano reggiano, and a lovely winery for lunch.
The region was fantastic, and the tour we chose was worth every penny. Full trip report online at http://tinyurl.com/ne83l5