Bologna Food Experience: Factory Visits with Gourmet Lunch and Wine Tasting

The whole tour was wonderful. The tour guide Alex has a lot of energy and the wine & food flowed all day.

We booked this tour after another operator cancelled on us the day before and I’m so glad! This was an amazing experience with a fantastic guide. Alessandro was amazing! We were picked up and drove to the Parmesan factory where you put on protective equipment. After an educational tour- seeing the cheese be made and visiting the warehouse- we had breakfast. It was coffee, water, Lambrusco, cheese, meat, and sweet pastries. From there, we went to a prosciutto maker, then to a farmhouse for the lunch and balsamic session. The lunch was incredible! There was SO MUCH FOOD and it was delicious! We also tried a bunch of kinds of meat from the factory before lunch. We had bubbly, more Lambrusco, white and red wine at lunch. Finally, we learned about balsamic and tried some different kinds. I would highly recommend the tour to anyone! Such a great value and amazing tour guide!

Fantastic food tour. Riccardo was brilliant. Really good fun. Would highly recommend for anyone travelling in or around Bologna.

I’ll start with saying that we travelled to Bologna a very short time after the COVID restrictions were lifted. And we booked this trip on the afternoon when we arrived, for the next day. So I have quite a bit of understanding as to why it may not have been as perfect as the reviews said it would be. We were the only actual tourists on the trip. The other two people with us were on a social media promotional tour and it seemed that they were definitely the focus of the trip. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgable about the tour, and did make a good bit of effort to talk to us, however for most of the trip we felt a bit like an English couple tagging alongside an Italian private tour. The visits to the parmigiano reggiano and prosciutto factories were great - very educational and it was super to see how these places work. The advertised “breakfast of champions” was a pot of yogurt and a plate of (very delicious) fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese. It wasn’t exactly what we expected, although there was plenty of wine to go with it. Lunch was delicious and definitely lived up to the hype. Plentiful pasta, I think seven courses in all, and it was certainly worth the wait. Wine was also on tap with the lunch, and although it was seemingly endless, it was just one type. Again, not the “wine pairings” that were advertised. The last part of the trip was meant to have been the trip to the balsamico of Modena outlet. This was an afterthought, and we had about two minutes in a garage at the lunch restaurant. Although, again, it was delicious to taste. The trip ended early and we were back in Bologna after just under 9 hours, when the trip is advertised at 10. All in all, this wasn’t the gourmet food experience that we had expected. I’ve got sympathy with the organisers and I wonder if, had it not been post-COVID, we had booked a little earlier and there were more people on the trip, maybe it would have lived up to expectations? Our experience wasn’t worth the near £320 that we paid for two people.

The factories we visited were very interesting and to see the time and effort that goes into making each of these was good. Lunch was ordinary and our group carried on into the night after the tour which was great. Ariana our guide was excellent and very welcoming. She emailed us photos she had taken of the day and she was more than willing to share information about Bologna and Italy.

Ricardo was very knowledgeable and energetic! I especially enjoyed the cheese making portion or the tour and the lunch was great!

Even with a 7am pick up, it was worth every minute. If you’re a food and wine lover this is a must tour. Parmegano Regaño producers first, then Balsámico then Percuitto producers all with thorough explanations of the processes and viewing of the stages. Perfectly done. The tastings were exceptional with more snacks than we could eat with Wine every time. Lastly lunch was great. A lot of food, great food, the Chef Patty was great and accommodating for an allergy. Great atmosphere. Above all, Ricardo our guide made the day. Very knowledgeable, funny and warm friendly individual. He made us feel at home. Thank you for a memorable day. The driver was great too.

We were told about this tour at home before leaving for Italy. The tour was even better than what we expected. Great time very informative and food was fantastic.

This day out was undoubtedly the best one we have ever taken with any company. The organisation was superb and it ran like clockwork although with such a small group (11 in total) we were never rushed or 'herded' around. Our driver, Alessandro, was friendly, polite and an incredible driver. Our tour guide (also Alessandro!) certainly worked hard - he was very entertaining and great fun but at the same time, incredibly knowledgeable and patient. His command of English was astounding. We were treated so well at all the places we visited and felt welcome everywhere, especially at our last stop - the agriturismo farm where we had lunch. By the end of the meal we felt as though we were part of the family. I really didn't want the day to end, so much so that we ended up spending the evening with some fellow guests once back in Bologna! Many thanks to all involved in the organisation of the trip and a special mention for Alessandro who made the day so enjoyable - and managed to create a few more 'food snobs'!!!! Do not hesitate in booking this trip - you will not regret it!

What an unbelievable journey. We were picked up our lodging in a brand new Mercedes minivan. Cosimo the driver was very professional. He stayed with us all day. After a short 45 minute drive into the countryside near Modena, we met our guide Riccardo. As soon as we were introduced I knew this was going to be a fun day. We started with some espresso and a discussion of the process for manufacturing parmigiana reggiano. Cheese. We then saw the entire process, which was fascinating. We then tasted several cheeses and had some Lambrusco. Riccardo was very liberal with the wine all day. We then went to our second location and learned about balsamic vinegar. Again we we tasted multiple samples including salami, mortadella and ricotta cheese. Again the wine was flowing. Our next stop involved learning about the process for making Modena Ham ( prosciutto), followed by a tasting and you guessed it more wine. At each location we had the opportunity to purchase product. Next came a seven course lunch. The food and wine flowed for 3 hours. We started off with 3 different pastas followed by sliced beef, meatballs and chicken cacciatore. Riccardo always made sure our plates and glasses were full. There was no shortage of anything. Last but not least the meal was finished off with a home made flan with espresso and grappa. The price of the tour sounds expensive, but it was worth every penny. Do not pass up this opportunity if you are in the area. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.