Emilia-Romagna Tours

Learn to cook with an experienced chef in Bologna — Italy’s famous food capital. Roll up your sleeves and learn authentic recipes from the Emilia-Romagna region, including an appetizer, homemade pasta dough and fillings, a savory second course, and a delicious dessert. When the cooking’s done, sit down to enjoy your well-earned feast with new friends and a glass of wine.

Wine-tasting in Italy is almost a traveler’s rite of passage, but few tours explore the equally rich traditions of vinegar production. With this tour, visit one of Modena’s oldest traditional balsamic vinegar producers, touring the vineyards and seeing all the stages of production from the pressing of grapes to the barrel aging. The tour includes plenty of vinegar samples, regional food tastings, and a bottle of wine produced on-site.

A historic university city, culinary capital, and hub of architectural beauty, Bologna offers no shortage of attractions—and this zippy bike tour through town gives you the perfect opportunity to explore. Get up close and personal with the sights, from the bustling Piazza Maggiore to the Basilica of San Domenico and the modern Manifattura delle Arti district. As you go, hear about the city’s long history from your guide.

Dedicate a day to Ferrari cars, with a visit to the Ferrari Museum of Maranello. The 7-hour experience kicks off with an hour-long test drive of an F430 Ferrari. Sit next to a co-pilot as you learn how to handle the car’s roaring engine. Enjoy lunch at a restaurant loved by the local Ferrari test-drivers, explore the museum, then head to a vinegar factory in Modena to sample its tangy red wine vinegar.

Get behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430 turbo on a 30- or 60-minute test drive through the rolling hills of Emilia-Romagna, then learn the story of Enzo Ferrari at the Maranello Museo Ferrari. Train with a professional Ferrari co-pilot, and hit the road with an internal camera to record your driving experience to DVD.

Fulfill your need for speed on a private full-day tour of Italy’s ‘Motor Valley’ from Bologna. Get an insider’s look into the production of some of the world’s fastest and most coveted cars and sport bikes as you tour the factories and museums of Ducati, Ferrari and Lamborghini. Feel the power of these famously sleek machines with an optional test drive of a Ferrari California Turbo or other world-class model. Taste regional cuisine with a midday lunch break, and enjoy the personalized attention of a private guide all day.

Drive a Ferrari on an Italian race track during a driving tour near Bologna. Open up the power of the Ferrari F458 Challenge as you speed around the track five times. Your professional Ferrari driving instructor shares driving and safety tips for the experience of a lifetime. Upgrade to include round-trip transport between the racetrack and Bologna.

See Bologna, with its narrow streets, crooked medieval towers and miles and miles of arcaded walkways, from a different perspective: from a Segway. Cruise around this handsome Italian city on a Segway, learning about the history of each place, and seeing major landmarks, such as the five-hundred-year-old Fountain of Neptune, the Basilica di Santo Stefano, and much more. This small-tour is limited to just eight participants, which means you’ll get plenty of attention from the local guide.

See a side of Bologna that many visitors overlook—and enjoy unparalleled views of the city—with this electric bike tour. Pick between morning and afternoon tour times, and set off with just a small group for company. You’ll visit photogenic green spaces like the Parco Giardini Margherita and Parco di Villa Ghigi, will admire city panoramas, and will even bike to the hilltop Sanctuary of San Luca.

Take an easy bike tour from Parma city to a cheese factory to see how the city’s eponymous delicacy is made. Sample three agings of parmesan cheese (12 24, and 36 months), comparing how the flavors develop. Then bike back into town via low-traffic back roads, where you’ll enjoy a lunch of cured meats and wine at a local osteria.

One of the jewels of the Emilia-Romagna region, the UNESCO-listed city of Ferrara is famous for its lavish architecture. Get up close and personal with the city and its sights on an immersive bike tour. Explore the banks of the River Po, see the moated Castello Estense, discover the Ferrara Cathedral, and learn about the ruling Este dynasty, who made Ferrara a major capital of Renaissance Europe.

If on your trip to Bologna you feel the desire to totally immerse yourself in the local culinary culture, you are in the right place, welcome to Grazia's kitchen! I offer a cooking lesson which includes the preparation of two types of fresh egg pasta, with two different typical condiments, including Bolognese ragù. It will be a well-balanced cooking lesson, a part with my show cooking where I will show you various sizes of Italian pasta and a part with your hands in dough and a rolling pin. When everything is ready we will sit at the table set with my grandmother's tablecloths, you will taste the freshly prepared dishes according to homemade recipes. Local wine, water and coffee, surprise desserts. Possibility of vegetarian menu on request and many news on the history of food and a small recipe book will be sent by email to be able to cook at home for your friends

Join local host Chiara on her farm outside Bologna for a hands-on private cooking class. Learn how to cook three dishes from scratch, including tagliatelle pasta with prosciuttio di Parma and lemon zest. Catch a glimpse into local life as you share the meal you helped to prepare with your host. Local wine is included and a vegetarian option is available.

Get a taste of Italian culture, literally, during a 4-hour cooking class in Ravenna. At the home of a local chef, you'll learn about the cuisine of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region as you prepare lunch, which you'll enjoy with wine at the end of class.

Come be part of the family as you learn how to cook a homemade meal inside a local’s cozy home. In this hands-on class, learn how to prepare a typical Bolognese pasta, a side dish, and an Italian dessert from scratch. Your hosts—a mother and son culinary team—love to entertain and cook with regional foods that showcase the local terroir.