Parma Ham Tours, Balsamic Vinegar, and More in Italy's Culinary Countryside

Northern Italy is home to numerous culinary delights, but more than anywhere else, I'd say the farm lands between Parma and Modena really take the cake.

Below discover the region of Emilia-Romagna, with its quaint hillside agriturismos to host your stay, factories and food tours for discovering the secrets of the land, and some insider tips to exploring Northern Italy's foodie culture - behind the scenes.

Note: Always Pack Tissues represents many tried and tested travel sites as what is called an 'affiliate' partner. That means if you click on my ads I may get a commission from a resulting sale.

Exploring Emilia-Romagna Behind the Scenes

If you've watched Stanley Tucci's Italian foodie show, "Searching for Italy" (if you haven't, you should), one particular episode called out to me and I can't stop thinking about it. The episode was about Bologna, or more specifically, about the Emilia-Romagna area in Northern Italy which comprises Bologna, Parma, Modena, and so on.

These areas are well-known as foodie havens offering up the best of the best in parmigiano-reggiano aged cheeses, prosciutto, and the nero oro "black gold" balsamic vinegar. This trifecta to me, is worth seeking out, especially after seeing Stanley Tucci visit the factories, farms and wineries in this episode.

It became an important quest of mine to do as Stanley Tucci did, and so I put these spots on the map for my next trip to Italy.

The absolute must-do culinary experiences you must have in Emilia-Romagna include:

• Taste balsamic vinegar in Modena

• Try prosciutto ("Parma Ham") from the source in a salumificio near Parma

• Witness how they make and store parmesan cheese near Parma

How to Book Culinary Tours in Emilia-Romagna

I'm not going to lie, booking a DIY tour for these experiences takes some travel planning know-how.

Although there are honestly dozens and dozens of choices for Parma food tours, they all generally offer the same types of tours and prices. It's just a matter of contacting the properties by email, booking online through their booking request forms, and studying up on the vibes that work for you. (Or take the leg work out and just do an all in one private tour).

My best approach to the more painstaking way of planning was by using Google maps. Literally I zoomed in on the map and looked at photos and websites of probably 100 properties. I contacted at least half a dozen of each, until the prices, dates, times and vibes all worked for me. Here's what to look for:

Balsamic Vinegar Tours in Modena

There are so many to choose from, but here's a general guide on what you should look for:

• Websites with cheap or free tours

• Tours that allow you to visit the vineyard

• Tours that include a tasting

• Scheduled or drop in tours (whatever works best for you)

Ultimately we decided on the private customized tour at Acetaia Marchi. For 20 euros we got all of the above.

Here discover the coveted 'nero oro', or black gold balsamico, which is the best of the best in all the world. It is a thick, rich glaze perfect for pairing with parmigiano-reggiano or other aged cheeses.

A regular bottle of this can cost over $100 but makes for a wonderful souvenir that will literally last you years. My parents still have theirs from a decade ago.

On this tour you'll learn about the incredibly fascinating process for making balsamic vinegar, including the intricacies that go into the IGP and DOP certifications. You'll learn about the aging, labeling, and of course sample lots of great options, including some more modern and offbeat options like these balsamic pearls.

A visit will undoubtedly include seeing the different levels of vinegar storage, including a barrel room and an attic space for aging.

Enjoy savoring the amazing flavors of balsamic and be sure to bring some home.

Parma Ham Tours in Emilia-Romagna

What to look for:

• Factory visits

• Included tastings

• Bonus for tastings that include a glass of wine!

• Online booking forms

We chose Salumificio Conti and paid 25 euros per person in advance. I liked their website and location and they had everything I was looking for.

On these tours you will see the aging process of the ham, how they are cured and hung, and will see their interesting measurement tool made from a horse tendon that checks for doneness.

Witness the fascinating steps that include salting and greasing, at every stage and get the camera ready.

It's almost sinful how incredible the smell of the factory is, as each room gets more and more aromatic with the scents of Parma ham.

In fact, you'll be surrounded by walls and walls of it. It's incredible.

Of course at the end, sample the products and take some for snacking in the car.

Book this tour if you don't have a car or prefer to be led around. This private tour includes lunch at a winery, Parma Ham tour AND a cheese tour.

Check prices here.

Parmigiano-Reggiano Tours

Look for:

• Early morning tours to see them making the cheese

• Tours that have you wear caps over your head and shoes, and a protective coat (I find this not only fun for photos, but also very sanitary!)

• Tours that offer a visit to the stables to see the cows

• Tours involving the maturing rooms (where the giant wheels of cheese are housed)

• Tours including tastings

We eventually booked with Latteria LaGrande for all of the above, their availability on our timetable, and online presence. This tour, unfortunately, does not include a visit with the cows, but it didn't matter once we saw the value of what we paid for.

The cheese factory tour, I think, is by far the coolest of the three, for its uniqueness in seeing the cheese preparation. From vats of milk see the cheesecloth process, the curdling process, and eventually the maturing (and then the sampling!) processes.

We were literally bumping into the cheese makers, surrounded by boiling hot vats of milk that had been taken from the cows that morning. The milk has to be used within two hours of milking, so production continues endlessly every single day of the year.

As the copper tubs boiled and were stirred both manually and by machine, we witness the curdling before our eyes and literally saw the end to end process within just minutes. We gawked, took photos, and got to sample slices right off the finished cheese within 20 minutes.

To say "you can't do that in America", would be an understatement.

Rubbing elbows with the cheese makers was incredibly memorable, but on to the next room we learned how they stamped the cheese to read "parmigiano-reggiano" on the sides of the wheels.

It's a cool braille looking plastic sheet that wraps around. Neato.

In the final aging room, they use a drumming tool to check for hollow gaps in the cheese. This ensures whether or not the cheese is sound. I.e., if it came out right. If the sound of the drumming is the same throughout, you've got a good cheese!

Lastly, the cheese tasting is always a special treat, of course. Sampled with lambrusco, which is a sparkling red famous in this region, we enjoyed chit chat and cheese snacks a plenty.

If you prefer to take a tour (accountability is good when you need to report to the cheese factory by 8 or 9am!) then, consider booking this affordable small group tour.

The half day tour includes lunch at an adorable trattoria, Parma Ham tour and cheese tour (yes, both again!)

Check prices here.

Also, psst...if you are on the fence about renting or going about it by tours...check out my Do's and Don'ts: First Hand Tips for Renting a Car Abroad.

Other Hidden Gems in Emilia-Romagna

The Best Agriturismo in Emilia-Romagna

For me, I like a little luxury, a little roughing it, and a lot of charm. For this, agriturismos are perfect stays for my family. A typical agriturismo is located in the countryside, perhaps with a farm, a restaurant, and places to relax like lounges or a pool.

In my case, we found all of the above at the lovely Agriturismo Ca' del Ciuco south of the main highways, between the hills of Modena and Parma.

Take a swim, have an aperol spritz, or enjoy arranged dinners, starting typically around 8pm.

We had a very special experience here, making friends with the owner, and enjoying dinner onsite both nights of our stay.

The food was all farm to table fresh from the land and surrounding farms, and the ingenuity of the meals was simple yet superb.

Try the "gnocco" which is a puffed cloud of fried pasta dough. It's a great appetizer served with other local area specialties.

There's also a local dessert which translates to "chocolate salami" (salame di cioccolato). It's chocolate and crispy, and delicious, and it looks like sausage! We sampled this here and loved it.

The dining room was so beautiful indoors, where we had dinner the first night due to rain and also breakfast in the morning. The second night we were able to dine outdoors under an awning for an al fresco dinner after an apertivo picnic nearby (more on that below).

The overnight rooms were carefully and comfortably curated for charming travel and we couldn't recommend this place more. Just be aware, it's in the hills so you will need a car.

Enjoy A Fairytale Picnic in the Hills

About 20 minutes from the agriturismo, find the hidden gem Podere Broletto Azienda Agricola, where they host fabulous picnics in their vineyard and farm to table dining.

Words can't fairly express the beauty of the common picnic space, where we enjoyed homemade gin cocktails, meats and cheese from their farm, and twinkle lighting.

The views were stellar, the music was hip and vibey and it was truly a dream. Just maybe bring bug spray. It's not a picnic without bugs, right?

Emilia-Romagna Culinary Adventures Overall

I've always wanted to be like an Anthony Bourdain type, or in this case, Stanley Tucci - doing these amazing, behind the scenes things in lands that I love. I guess I never realized while I was there, doing it, that I'm already at that point. I'm doing cool stuff, eating amazing things, and traveling the world just like the best travel channel and food network stars. So take that, TV, I can do it too!

Although we barely scraped the surface of the culinary offerings in the area, these top tours are a great way to start. There is so much to explore and discover, and I hope that these insider tips help to guide your journey.