An afternoon guided tour of a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy, departing from Modena train station. Production finishes by midday, so afternoon visits focus on the aging cellars — the part of the caseificio where the wheels spend 12 to 36 months maturing on wooden shelves. The tour includes a guided tasting of Parmigiano Reggiano at different stages of aging. Transport, English-speaking guide, and tasting are all included. Duration is approximately one hour.
What you will see
The aging room holds thousands of wheels stacked floor to ceiling, each turned and tapped by staff at regular intervals to check for quality. A trained inspector taps each wheel with a small hammer — the sound tells them whether the interior is maturing correctly or developing a fault. You will hear this process explained and see it demonstrated. The tasting covers wheels at different ages, making the texture and flavour differences between a 12-month and a 30-month wheel immediately apparent.
Book your place
Select your date and book directly below. Departures are from Modena train station in the afternoon.
Searching Availability...
Want to see the cheese being made?
The afternoon tour covers the aging cellars only — production finishes by midday. If you want to watch the cheese being formed from the vats, the morning tours are the ones to book: the morning tour from Bologna departs at 7:30am and the morning tour from Modena at 8:30am — both arriving at the dairy in time for the 9am extraction.
Frequently asked questions
What does the afternoon dairy tour include?
A guided visit to the aging cellars of a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy, a tasting of wheels at different stages of maturity, transport from and back to Modena train station, and an English-speaking guide. Duration is approximately one hour.
See where the food actually comes from.
The Emilia Delizia food tour takes you inside working Parmigiano, balsamic, and ham producers — rated 4.9 stars on TripAdvisor.
Why is there no production on the afternoon tour?
Parmigiano Reggiano production starts at 5am and finishes by midday. By the afternoon, the dairy's production work is complete for the day and the aging rooms are the active part of the facility. This makes afternoon visits ideal for understanding maturation and tasting aged cheese, but not for watching the cheese being made.
Where does the tour depart from?
Modena train station. Transport to the dairy and back is included in the tour price.
How long does the afternoon tour take?
Approximately one hour at the dairy. Factor in travel time from Modena train station to the dairy and back.
Can I watch cheese being made on a different tour?
Yes — the morning tours from Bologna (7:30am) and Modena (8:30am) are scheduled to arrive at the dairy in time for the 9am extraction, when the cheese is lifted from the vats and shaped into wheels.
Discover more from Emilia Delizia
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.