Small-Group Italian Food and Wine Tour with Gourmet Lunch from Florence

One of the best ways to experience Italy is through the cuisine, and Bologna is a particularly rich region in this regard. You will depart Florence by high-speed train and reach Bologna train station where you will be picked up in a comfortable air-conditioned minibus with free WI-FI and complimentary water on board. Your guide will be extremely knowledgeable, and fun.

You will learn about the process of making the foods, and you'll never look at Italian food the same way again. The advantage is that you will have a very close look to how the things are made, you will meet and engage with local food artisans and fellow food lovers.

Your first stop will be the Parmesan cheese producer. Parmesan cheese is made today the same way it was made eight centuries ago, using the same typical and genuine ingredients and the skills and knowledge of the cheese masters. You will tour the production area to assist to the cooking of the milk and the birth of the king of the cheeses. Then see the dripping room with the Parmesan molds, the salt room, the hot room and finally the Parmesan heaven! You'll step in an amazing ageing room where you'll admire around 30.000 Parmesan cheese wheels. At the end of the visit you will savor authentic Parmiggiano-Reggiano of different ages.

Your day will continue with the tour of a family-run prosciutto producer. The visit in facts will start with the salt cellars, then the rest cellar, the hot rooms and finally the ageing rooms where one can admire over 20.000 prosciutto legs. Delicious prosciutto tasting accompanied by wine will be offered at the end of the tour.

Then you will reach a boutique producer of balsamic vinegar which is known as the black gold of Modena. The families of the area have always been very proud of their production of balsamic vinegar, and have a set of barrels in the attic as a seal of ancient family traditions, if not a confirmation of noble family roots. Welcomed by the owner, you will visit an amazing cellar counting over 1000 barrels. The most ancient dating back to 1870 that belonged to the owner's great grandfather. You will taste this special traditional balsamic vinegar and learn family recipes and secrets.

Before lunch you will tour the most important winery of the area. You’ll walk through beautiful vineyards with the winery sommelier and enjoy a wine tasting. 

Your yummy food and wine tour will conclude with a delicious 6-course gourmet lunch accompanied by a selection of local wines served in a family-run restaurants on the hills. 

Your guide and driver will drop you off at Bologna train station at the end of the day. Or if you prefer you can take advantage of some free time to discover Bologna high-lights such as Piazza Maggiore with San Petronio Basilica, the old food market and the two Kissing Towers before your return to Florence.