Balsamic Vinegar, Parmesan, Parma ham tastings near Bologna/Milan?

I visited Malpighi Acetaia just south of Modena. http://www.acetaiamalpighi.it/En/z_visite.htm. It is not a factory but a fermenting house. At the assigned time, the guide took me to the fermenting room where she told me about the story and the production of balsamic vinegar. The room smelled heavenly. Then she took me to the ground floor store and gave me a taste of nearly all Malpighi products up to the 25yr old vinegar. At that time, she told me they could not ship my purchage to the U.S., so I bought only as much as I could carry back in my luggage.

The visit is quite short, so unless you are really into balsamic vinegar, the visit would be a disappointment for the hassle it takes to arrange a tour and to get there. Because the visit took less than I thought, I spent time walking around the city. Modena is a pleasant little city and not touristy at all.

There are other places mentioned in tripadvisor http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187768-i20-k345425-Tour_Tasting_of_Balsamic_Vinegar_Facility-Italy.html

Although it is not one of the city you are visiting, the best olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting experience I had was at Baroni Alimentari at Mercato Centrale in Firenze.

We are planning a similar trip in June/July. Could you provide the email info. for the parmeggiano/reggiano factory you have contacted. Also, hope you will take the time to write a trip report!!

Oh my, that sounds wonderful...my all time fav foods! Trip report, please.

Hi Gwyner - Here's a previous post with various links which you might find useful:

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Author: Zimmerer
Date: 02/19/2004, 06:45 am
Message:

My husband and I went on a culinary tour of the Emilia Romana (Italy) and loved it. We toured a Parma Prosciutto producer, a Parmesan producer, and a Balsamic Vinegar producer (from Reggio Emilia not Modena). I had a hard time finding information about culinary tours in this region, so I thought I might share some information with other food fanatics.

I have listed web links to a private tour group and to several consortiums (one for each product). You can find tour and contact information in English at each website.

Consorzio del Parmigiano Reggiano
http://www.parmigiano-reggiano.it

Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma
http://www.prosciuttodiparma.com

Consorzio di Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia
http://www.acetobalsamicotradizionale.it/

The consortiums of producers (cheese, vinegar and proscuitto) were created to protect and guaranteeing the geographical origin, the production process, the quality and the content of products produced in the province.

To find a package tour tailored to your needs, I have listed the company we used. I'm sure other companies exist.
Parma Golosa:
http://www.parmagolosa.it/parmagolosa/home2eng.html

This is the company we used to visit 3 small producers in six hours.

Have fun!

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Hope this helps ...

Steve

Here you will find lots of info on balsamic vinegar from Modena; click on the DSL English version and fill out the form for "visits."

http://www.balsamico.it

Not that the centers for balsamic vinegars are Modena and Reggio Emilia and the cheese and prosciutto are produced around Parma. I have read that the tourist office in Parma is very helpful about arranging visits to ham and cheese producers.

This is not an olive oil producing region. There is very good oil produced around Lake Garda, though, so that might be on your route.

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Hi; We just received our order or 12 bottles of '18 year] balsamic vinegar made in the from the Modena area. Richard www.oldtownoil.com

I totally agree with Greg about Baroni Alimentari at the Mercato Centrale in Florence. That's where I ended up buying my aceto balsamic and olive oil that I brought back home with me. I was so glad they gave me tastes of the olive oil especially. I've always thought any olive oils I've used here in the states just sort of tasted like oil, and a couple of the ones I tasted at BA did also (maybe I have an uneducated palate!), but the third one I tasted - oh, mama mia! In fact I'm going back to Italy this year and before I head home, I'll be stopping at the Mercato Centrale to do my grocery shopping!