Nov 16, 2024
Outstanding tour! - Alessandro was our guide through the Reggio Food Tour, despite of being a really expert on the matter, providing useful information and helping clarify the process of production of the parmigiano reggiano, the balsamic and also the wines, Alessandro was really kind, attentive and commited to give us the best experience ever.
This tour is highly recommended by me and my family.
We had lots of fun while getting to know how these amazing products are produced, trying them and seeing with our own eyes all the steps taken to produce the best italian parmigiano reggiano, balsamic and wines.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 9, 2024
Excellent! - A must do. - Amazing experience! It's a must-do.
When it came to booking, I had a few queries. Alessandro responded promptly and comprehensively, instilling the confidence to secure the tour for my husband and me.
Alessandro told me that Valentina, our tour guide, would contact me. Two days before the tour, she texted me to ask if I had any questions and to arrange the pick-up at Reggio Emilia's train station. She was punctual on the day tour, and we had the exciting experience of starting our tour at 8:30 a.m. with another couple, setting the tone for a well-organized and enjoyable day.
We visited three factories: cheese, cured meats, and balsamic vinegar. Each experience was unique, and Valentina was well-informed about each process. She responded to all our questions and was very passionate about each product. We met the factory owners and had product testing and the opportunity to buy products. It was exquisite to see the owners working along with the employees and how proud they are of their products.
The tour pace was very comfortable—not too slow or rushed. We had the time to enjoy it.
At the end of the tour, Valentina gave us recommendations for lunch at a local restaurant. She kindly made a reservation and even drove us there!
Five stars! You won't go wrong with this tour.
Thank you, Valentina and Alessandro!
Review provided by Viator
May 30, 2024
An absolute highlight! - Alessandro and our tour were incredible! He accommodated our large family, had lots of information at each site, and answered every question! He also went out of his way to organize a lunch reservation for after the tour and recommended a beautiful vineyard for us to visit later that day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 20, 2023
Perfect way to learn about Emilia Reggio from a local - The tour was absolutely beautiful! It was just me and my mother because it is low season so we were so pleased having Alessandro all to ourselves listening to stories of the land, producers, Italian life. Would highly recommend this to everyone! Felt like you were in your local friend’s car as he explained about his passionate town.
Review provided by Viator
Nov 17, 2023
Parmesan factory tour - This was a lovely tour with Alessandro. He was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and interesting. The parmesan cheese factory tour was fascinating! We had an amazing day!
Review provided by Viator
Oct 19, 2023
Fantastic Day with Lisa, an Amazing Guide! - We are so happy that we booked this tour! Our guide, Lisa, was amazing and gave us such a personalized experience. She picked us up from the train station in Reggio Emilia and we first toured a dairy to see how Parmigiano Reggiano is made - and taste cheeses of various ages. Then we were off to see how Aceto Balsamic Tradizionale is made - the custard with the aged balsamic was fantastic! We had added on the wine tasting and were able to see a family winery and taste some fantastic Lambrusco and local wines. We ended our day at a small, gorgeous Osteria in Bibbiano that we never would have found on our own and had a fantastic traditional local lunch. Lisa answered all of our questions, was so friendly and kind, and we were able to purchase cheese and balsamic (in 100 ml bottles) to take home to the US with us. We have a greater appreciation of all of these products and the hard work and pride that goes into their production. We will be talking about this tour and our experience for a long time - I can't recommend it enough!
Review provided by Viator
Oct 11, 2023
Wonderful Experience! - Hands on , family run operations! Enjoyed Lisa as well. She was a great host thank you so much was great
Review provided by Viator
Jul 27, 2023
Fantastic Private Wine, Cheese and Balsamic Tour - This tour was a great and very personal experience. Typically, when we book excursions like this, we're with a group of people who also book it. We were delightfully surprised to realize that this was a private tour, just for the two of us, and at a price much better than many of the similar group tours available.
Our goal was to experience, wine, cheese and balsamic. Most of the tours do 1 or 2 of those and add ham in...since we're vegetarians, we didn't want the ham and this itinerary was perfect for us.
Alessandro met us at the Reggio Emilia train station (very easy to get to from any city in the region via train...we were staying in Bologna) and personally drove us to all three locations. We got detailed explanations and tours in all three spots and had yummy tastings too. We didn't feel rushed at all and very much appreciated Alessandro's personal attention.
This was such a great value considering it was a private tour and much less expensive than many of the other similar tours out there.
Alessandro also gave us great tips on what we could see in Reggio Emilia when he dropped us off. He even walked us to a nice local cafe and recommended (and helped us order!) a local pastry for lunch.
And although we didn't take advantage of it, we could have added on other pieces to the tour in the region (castles and more.)
This was a great experience in every aspect and we couldn't recommend it more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 5, 2023
Exceeded my expectations! - You really get to see, learn & taste the best products of Emilia Romagna. And Alessandro (tour guide) made it even better - knowledgeable, fun, fluent in English. Definitely worth it!
Review provided by Viator
Nov 13, 2023
Good, but pricey experience - Alessandro was friendly, personable and really informative at all three stops we went to - a mid -size Parmigiana producer, a family owned salami producer, and a balsamic vinegar producer. The family owned businesses were special and not things you would likely have access to on your own. The reason I gave this 4 and not 5 stars is because I don't think this is a very good value for what it is, it felt overpriced.
Review provided by Viator