MissVeeM

Hi,

I'm hoping for some assistance, we are travelling from venice ( after a 1 night stay as I have been there twice) to bologna we have 3. Nights before a 3 night stay in lake como.

My boyfriend is a chef & very passionate about food, & I'm a lover of food and wine. I thought we would drive from bologna to lake como & stop off in Modena for the Ferrari factory ( boyfriend likes cars) and then go to parma to see prosciutto & cheese factories, but now I see there is lots of eateries and a top Michelin starred place in Modena (osteria. Francescana) Should we only stay the two nights in bologna & do a night in parma?

Everything I've read about bologna says its the best for food, but some forums say that it perhaps is no longer. The other forums I have read really talk up allessandro's cheese, parma ham & balsamic tour which is a whole day, but it doesn't say if you travel to parma for this. Otherwise perhaps we stay the 3 nights in bologna, do the day tour & then still stop in Modena on the way to lake como... The eateries all sound amazing and I like the little town ideas which is why hiring a car makes sense.

Was thinking that if we travel from venice to bologna we wld have to leave early to get a full day in bologna, then following day do a tour, then have 1 full other day in bologna of eating and then leave early to squeeze in Modena for Ferrari & lunch plus a stop in parma... But then that cuts out a day in lake como ( which we also have only 3 nights in)

Help!!!!! I'm getting analysis paralysis

gailscout

Allessandro's tour is amazing and highly recommended by me and my husband. The parmesan building tour especially is outstanding and informational. Seeing all 3 - parmesan, balsamic vinegar and parma ham in one tour with the affable and much loved Allessandro makes for a fun and memorable day. Worth every euro and nice to share lunch up in the hills afterwards with foodies. The parma factory is more in the country-side so you wouldn't see central Parma and could stop on your way to Lake Como. We did not visit Modena. I would say 1 full day + the evening after the tour would be enough time, then off to Modena for lunch and Parma for dinner and a night could work for you and bf.

Jean

Modena is a great stop for lots of reasons, but, if touring the Ferrari factory (actually in Maranello) is the primary reason you'd stop, make sure you understand what the factory tour entails. Unless you own a Ferrari (or have one on order), the public tour is riding a bus through the factory. No up-close looks, no photos, no getting off the bus.

In the same general area, Lamborghini, Pagani and Ducati offer small, guided tours on their factory floors. If I could only do one tour, I'd probably pick Pagani.

You need to make advance reservations for all of these tours.

http://museo.ferrari.com/

http://www.lamborghini.com/en/herita...factory-visit/

http://www.pagani.com/huayra/default.aspx

http://www.ducatiusa.com/company/visit_us/index.do

Jean

I wouldn't hesitate to take time from Lake Como and give it to the Bologna/Modena area. I love mid-Lake Como!, but the food and wine there don't compare with Emilia Romagna.

MissVeeM

Hi,
Thx all for the advice. Unfortunately Lamborghini & Ducati factory are closed in August as is the restaurant in Modena. The pagani factory looks like it is open and I guess we can just do ferrari museum & not bother with the bus tour which is annoyingly in the middle of the day & doesn't sound that good in any case.

Definitely going to do allessandro's tour, fortunately they re-open in time for when we will be there ( they are closed from 10th -18th August)

Note to anyone reading this forum it seems there is a lot of people who close throughout August for holidays...

kawh

we had very good, but not amazing food in bologna. can highly recommend 'il gaidello' an hour drive from bologna.

also-- highly recommend a visit in modena -- acetaia di giorgio-- which is a small, family-run balsamic producer. if you write to them asking to visit, they will take you through their house, up to the attic where they make their balsamic. it smells like heaven and is a wonderful experience. you can taste all their varieties-- they did not pressure us to buy at all... but we bought a ton and wished we'd gotten more.

parma is an amazing food town-- and one of our favorites is a busy local lunch/dinner place called 'al corsaro' -- their tortelli d'erbetta is the best we've had anywhere.
love this area!

MissVeeM

Thanks for the food advice, sounds like parma is a definite place for us to stop then

kawh

... and if you like thermal water, and have a car, there are some thermal pool spots not far from parma... with several good parm. cheese farms where you can buy cheese along the way. absolutely love the area for food!

greg

It would not be possible go to Parma/Reggio Emilia to see cheese factories in operation after your visit to Modena. Pretty much any visit to cheese farms requires the visitors to be on site at 8am in the morning. You just need to re-sequence your visits.