alexxt

We will be in Europe June 2009. 2 adults, 2 kids ages 6 and 12.
Visiting Paris (3 days), Provence (7 days), Varenna (3 days with day trip to Milan) then Venice (3 days). We have one or two extra days before our return and are wondering if it is worth detouring to Modena/Parma area for tours of Balsamico farm and Ferrari tour (or Parmagianno dairy factory in Parma) before we go to Venice (we'll need to head north to Munich after Venice for plane trip home).

Is this a worthwhile detour? Any tour suggestions (or can you visit on your own)?

Any other comments or suggestions are welcome!

Thanks!

notbob

Verona and or Vicenza would be a good alternative. They are on the rail line on the way to Venice. Lots of roman sights in Verona and Vicenza has a lot of great Palladio works. Bologna would also be an easy trip.

alexxt

Thanks! I should mention that we will have a car.

Jean

A tour of the Ferrari factory in Maranello requires an appointment, and those aren't easy to obtain unless you own a Ferrari.

There is a Maserati factory in Modena, and the Lamborghini factory is in Sant'Agata not far away. Finally, the Ducati factory is just outside Bologna's center. I think you need an appointment for Maserati and Lambo. Not sure about Ducati.

You should go to each manufacturer's website for current and accurate info about tours/visits.

WebVisionItaly

I'd go to Parma or Ferrara.

Want to see the Maserati factory, clck here:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=301


We were just in Modena a few weeks ago, but I still prefer Parma or Ferrara.

Nice fresh market in Modena, click here:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=370

In Parma you can do the parmigiana and the prosciutto factories. City is pedestrian friendly, people are great, place is gorgeous. Parma is truly one of Italy's best kept secrets.

We just finished filming Emilia Romagna for 2009 series. You may see some Parma here, with hotels, restaurants, and history shows coming soon:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/category.php?id=27

alexxt

ttt

zeppole

If it were me with kids that age in tow, I'd stop by Verona for the Roman arena, possibly using Lago di Garda as a base. There is an amusement park in Peschiera del Garda called Gardaland, which if you don't want to take your kids to, you should probably avoid being near! But they might enjoy a hydrofoil ride around the lake.

If you do end up going to Parma, a few miles away is Torrechiara, which the kids and you might find fascinating. (It's closed Mondays.)

http://www.festivalditorrechiara.it/ENGCastello.htm

alexxt

Zeppole--
do you have a recommendation for a hotel or farm stay in Parma? 2 kids (6 and 11), 2 adults...

zeppole

I didn't like my hotel when I stayed in Parma (Best Western) mainly because I didn't like its location. It's just a bit too far to comfortably walk to the centre.

I think I would have like to stay at the villa Il Gaidello, which is in Castelfranco Emila (not far), but if you look it up on the web you'll see it's a rather fancy agriturismo with a restaurant -- it's main attraction -- and if you have kids, they might get very, very restless with the long multi-course meals that are almost required to stay here.

I have read many nice things about Country House Leoni, which is just five minutes outside of Parma. I don't believe it has a restaurant.

Rigale Village Bed & Breakfast looks nice to me, and it has a pool. Even in June, that area can get hot.

All of that said, Parma is a pedestrianized town with a huge, lovely park attached to it. With kids, you could do worse than a place right in the town center, even if you had to pay for parking.

zeppole

I should have mentioned that Rigale Village B&B is closer to Modena

http://www.rigalevillage.it/

zeppole

You know where you might think about going if you haven't been and your kids enjoy bike riding?

Mantova

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...52C1A963948260

http://en.agriturismo.it/lombardy/mantua/index.jsp

http://www.aigiardinidelte.it/index.php?IDpagina=25

Also, you might find this website useful

http://www.italiantourism.com/auto.html

flanneruk

If you're driving from Lake Como to Venice, Modena or Parma are a hell of a detour: at least six extra hours of travel.

As far as I'm aware, there are no cheesemakers around Parma, or vinegar factories around Modena that offer unbooked, walk-up, tours for individuals. There's any number of food providers strung out along the seriously horrible Via Emilia (the SS9 older road that joins Parma and Modena, with some of Europe's most unpleasant traffic) which offer "degustazioni" of vinegar, cheese and local charcuterie - though I wouldn't like to stop when seeing their signs with a dozen 40-ton trucks behind me.

Unless someone's found factories we've always failed to, getting round a caseificio or acetaio requires inflexible advance booking. You'll not predict accurately how long it'll take you to get to Milan (that lakeside road is BLOODY slow), round it or to deal with the Milan-Bologna motorway - Italy's most congested. So taking this lengthy detour will create pressures on you that no-one, after exposure to them with two children in the back, will ever want to repeat.

Emilia-Romagna's a wonderful part of Italy, and well worth allocating a few days to. Its great cities make a terrific lunchtime (for lunch and a bit of cathedral-spotting) stop on a drive from Milan to Rome. Properly planned, there's a just about doable one-day foodie jaunt betwen Milan (not so sure about halfway up Como) and Venice - at any rate for food-focussed grownups.

But with two kids, as Central Italy's midsummer heat starts up, it's just about the last place on earth I'd want to spend all day in a car.

zeppole

I got the impression they were coming into Italy from France.

jjkbrook

We just did a circuit through the area you are discussing, and have been in the venice- vicenza-padua - verona area before.

the main highways through this region are pretty trafficy and just not very pleasant and the traffic around Modena is particularly congested. Because Emiliana and much of the Po plain area is so prosperous, there is lots of business, lots of trucks, office buildings, malls, etc. and less of a historic feel until you get into the old town centers. I think you might be happier keeping your driving on these roads to a minimum.

Im going to respond to your specific questions below, but I basically think you would be better served with the limited time you have by taking the shortest route between Varenna/Milan and Venice and taking your stops there, rather than going down to Emilia.

Milan is a big crowded somewhat dirty city - there is a lot of interest, including trams and subways for your kids, but getting in and out is a pain. We wound up parking in a big parking facility on the perimeter and taking the metro in for our day in Milan. You should think about how you intend to do your day trip and limit your goals, or you will be overwhelmed. I might be inclined to skip this with kids in tow - the smaller cities of italy are much more manageable for day trips.

If you are looking for some interesting places to stay and stop, there are many outstanding small cities in this zone, but I think Verona and Bergamo are particularly nice and potentially suitable for you Both towns are scenic, with lots of history, good food and walks. In Bergamo, the walled and fortified Citta Alta (all pedestrian inside the walls which makes it good for exploring and kids) is built on top of a mountain overlooking the plain, with amazing views - there are funiculars running down to the lower town and up to a higher peak, San Vigilia, which are fun to ride (and you can ride up and walk down) (very good b&Bs in Bergamo, including apts - we rented a nice apt, La Favorita which was a fine base. http://www.lafavorita.info/index_file/Page295.htm
NOTE RE BERGAMO -

. In Verona, the Roman remains, the scaliger tombs,the walk along the river would be fun for your kids, the ancient square and romanesque churches and the beautify rosy stone they are built in for you.

Ideas for Emilia:
_
We stayed in a pleasant town Rubiera nr Modena for two nights, fantastic food there at Arnaldo's Clinica Gastronomica if you want a sampler of the best there is to offer in Emilia, the food is offered on carts, also a al carte for the house-made pasta - lovely room in the same inn. http://www.clinicagastronomica.com/
convenient for Modena or its southern suburb where Ferrari and Maserati are if that is your interest (not ours)

I would say if all you want to do is BUY balsamico, you can do this in any decent-sized town in the northern region, Milan, Bergamo, Mantova, Brescia, Varenna, etc.without going to Modena. To see it made you need to go to an acetaia in the Modena or Reggio areas (we didnt have time to do this). Some are in the country, some in the city. Its easy to arrange tours through the local trade associations, findable by a websearch. One possibility (what we wanted to do, but we ran out of time) would be to go to slowfood listed Osteria di Rubbiara, which is e. of Modena - the Pedroni family operate an acetaia and also make liqueurs in addition to serving what is supposed to top quality regional food. http://www.acetaiapedroni.it/default...te&pgid=40

Modena has a fantastic cathedral (with some restoration going on now, howeve) an attractive medieval center and market, great for walking but its a very congested area to drive in. Because this whole area is so prosperous, there is lots of business, lots of trucks, office buildings, malls, etc. and less of a historic feel until you get into the old town centers.

Parma is also very interesting and pleasant to walk in, also with wonderful old churches, an elegant town center and great food culture. We stayed at Agriturismo Leoni, and enjoyed the parmigiano cheese factory tour they offered, which also covers the associated pig raising and dairy cow operations. Its up to 25E per person though, for the tour and wine and cheese snack afterwords. They also will arrange tours to prosciutto di parma makers.

there is also parmagolosa a local consortium which arranges food producer tours http://parma.parmatravel.it/agen_parmagolosa_en.html