Italy has always been on the list of a lot of people’s bucket list. Aside from the architectural attractions of this place, another must try in this beautiful country is their food. Aside from pizza and pasta, what a lot of people do not know is that Italy has already perfected the art of curing ham. And one of the best places in Italy to get ham is in Parma. Parma ham is one of the best meats in the world. And a lot of ham shops in Italy offer educational tours in shops where you get to see how hams are made, from slicing it to curing and even up until ageing. So if you happen to be around the area, never miss a chance to have a tour of the best ham stores there.
Below are some of the best places to go for a tour and learn all about prosciutto.

Salumificio La Perla

Address: Localita Quinzano Sotto, 3, Parma, Italy
Opening Hours: Call ahead
Why Visit this place? :
La Perla is a family-owned business where members of the family will personally take you through the process of the tour. Here, you will be able to see how hams are prepared firsthand! And since the whole family manages it, you will surely feel the passion they have for the business. Which means that all their products are made meticulously and with deep love. Plus, the best part of the tour is knowing that this store can produce about 60,000 hams annually! After the visit, their guests will be given a hearty meal offering their best meats plus cheese and wine! And if you like to buy some food souvenirs in the area, there are small shops around the place which you can visit.

Prosciutto Bar Rosa dell’Angelo

Address: Via Per Parma 6, 43029, Traversetolo, Italy
Opening Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Why visit this place?
Prosciutto Bar is one of the unique places in the area since they have their own Biodiversity Park farm where they take their products from. They raise their pigs for the ham and cows for the cheese. And one might think that it’s typical to have pigs and cows, but what makes this place unique are their black pigs and heirloom cow species which they are trying to save.
Aside from meeting the owners personally, you will also get to see how their products are made such as their 24 months Parma ham and their black pig ham. And of course, after the tour, you get to taste their delicious food paired with the best wines!

Salumificio Conti

Address: Strada Fontana 2/A, 43013, Langhirano, Italy
Opening Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Why Visit this place?
Conti is another family-owned business where family members show you the process of preparing their ham. Since it is family owned, you will feel the passion and warmth that they have for what they do. Just like other tours, here, you will see the process of how they prepare the ham from slicing the meat, salting it and until ageing. What makes this place stand out is their process of ageing the meats. What people are not aware of is that meats taste different throughout time. A ham aged for 12 months would feel different than a 24 month aged meat. And after the tour, guests will have the opportunity to have a taste and compare the feelings of hams that are aged differently.

Salumeria Gardoni

Address: Piazza Luigi Leoni 5, 43013 Torrechiara, Langhirano, Italy
Opening Hours: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Why Visit this place? :
In this charcuterie store , you will get to have firsthand experience with a ham expert who is also the owner of the place. Everything you need to know about the preparation of Parma ham will be taught to you. And after learning all about ham, you get to have a lovely meal and taste the best ham this store has to offer.

These are the best prosciutto Places to Visit in Parma. If you happen to be around the area for a visit, make sure to reserve a tour around these stores so you would be able to see the beauty of preparing ham and would also get to taste the different kinds of meat!

Food factories in Emilia Romagna.

A visit to the Emilia-Romagna region of north-eastern Italy will give you the opportunity to visit the production houses of some of Italy’s best-loved and most famous foods. The region is easily accessed from Bologna or Florence and the prized foods are made in and around the towns of Parma and Modena.
The three main foods you can see being manufactured from scratch are Prosciutto di Parma (Parma Ham), Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese) and Aceto Balsamico (Balsamic vinegar). These three products are the most famous of Italy’s food exports and are known far and wide. Visitors to the region will be pleased to know that Parma and Modena are quite close to each other which makes it really easy to visit these 3 factories in one day, and still have time to sip some local Lambrusco (sparkling red wine from the region) before the sun sets.

Food Experiences tours around Bologna and Parma.

The best way to visit all these factories is to go on an organised Culinary Tour, either using your own transport or, better yet, being collected at your hotel and driven around – this way you get to see more of the beautiful countryside.

The town of Parma is the home of Parmesan Cheese and Parma Ham (only Prosciutto from this little part of Italy may be called Parma Ham – likewise with the cheese – their region of origin is protected and similar products from other regions may not use the names.) A typical culinary tour to see the production of these products will start with a visit to one of the many Parmesan Cheese manufacturers in and around the town of Parma. The Parmesan production starts anew every single day, and you can watch the entire process from the arrival of the milk, to the storage in the cellars. You will also be taught how to differentiate between real Parmesan and copies, which is very helpful when you get back home.

After the cheese, you will go to Modena to see how the Balsamic vinegar, Italian “Black Gold” is made. This is a laborious artisanal procedure and you will leave with a better understanding of why the real thing is so expensive. You will also get to taste, and learn some of the correct uses of this delicious condiment.

The cherry on the top of your tour will be when you visit the little town of Langhirano, just south of Parma, which is the original home of Parma Ham. At the factory you will be guided through all the stages of producing a fine Parma Ham, which differs in some respects from ordinary Prosciutto Cotto (Dried Ham). The proof of the pudding is in the eating, they say, and you will end your tour with a tasting session and then go on to enjoy a fabulous lunch.