The Best Tour in Bologna: Italian Days Food Experience

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We’ve been on so many great food tours around the world, and while they’ve all been good, none of them have been as fantastic as the one we went on in Bologna, Italy, with Italian Days.

I knew we were in for something special just by reading the Trip Advisor reviews, which rank the Italian Days Food Experience as the top tour in Bologna, with a full five stars.

As you might suspect, it is incredibly difficult to receive that high of a rating.

You might also be interested in: A Self-Guided Wine Tasting Tour in Chianti, Italy

Nick & Laura at a Parmigiano Factory
Nick & Laura at a Parmigiano Factory

What to Expect From the Tour

When the tour started, it only took about 5 minutes for me to understand why it was ranked so high. Read on to learn why. I’ve been wanting to see the Parmigiano-Reggiano factories in Modena, Italy, for many years, which is one of the main reasons we chose to visit Bologna (aside from these other fun foodie reasons).

Italian Days has constructed a food tour that takes you around to the factories where the best DOP products are made. They give a very informative tour of each, where they explain the process, allow you to walk around and take photos, and ask as many questions as you might have.

Italian Days Food Tour
An early start to the Italian Days Food Experience

Then they let you try the products. And when I say “try”, I mean they let you indulge with wild abandon. The amount of food you will consume on this tour will put every other food tour you’ve ever taken to shame.

From the very first email exchange I had with the Italian Days team, I was sure we were in for a great time. The email explains that if you’re looking for a formal, quiet tour that this is not the tour for you.

Every exchange we had while setting up and confirming the tour showed that they are passionate about these tours and happy to have you along. They told us exactly what to expect so there were no surprises.

What is DOP?

DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano
DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano

Bologna is the perfect place to fly into if you’re interested in any of the DOP: Denominazione di Origine Protetta (“Protected Designation of Origin”) products of Italy. DOP products have a strict standard to follow, including that all of the ingredients used must come from the area of origin and use traditional methods of production.

My favorites are Parmigiano-Reggiano, Prosciutto and balsamic vinegar, all of which you can find just outside of Bologna, Italy. The only areas of Italy that are allowed to produce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese are Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and parts of the provinces of Mantua and Bologna.

If it comes from anywhere else, it’s not a DOP-authorized product.

Parmigiano-Reggiano Tour

Parmesan

We were picked up from our hotel in Bologna at 7am in a van, then we picked up a few others and drove out to the edge of Modena to the Parmigiano-Reggiano factory. It was there that we met up with a few other vans of people. In total, there were about 15 people on the tour.

That was when we met Alessandro. As I said, it took me about five minutes, maybe even less, to understand why the Italian Days Food Experience gets such high ratings, and that is Alessandro himself. He is truly one of the most gregarious, cheerful tour guides I’ve ever met.

It was very early and no one knew each other, but Alessandro encouraged smiles and laughs out of each one of us within just a few minutes. He had us talking and making friends with each other right away. If only every tour we took was led by someone with his karisma!

Cheese making
Making cheese involves so many steps!

We arrived so early at the cheese factory in order to see them making the cheese for the day, which was incredibly fascinating. It’s a long process and there are a lot of copper vats full of ingredients that eventually are churned into big blocks of cheese.

Cheese wheels unaged
Loading up cheese wheels

Following the factory tour, we convened outside for what the website and Alessandro bill as the breakfast of champions. If I wasn’t already convinced as to why this is the number one tour in Bologna, it was definitely solidified the second breakfast began.

Parmigiano cheese block
Parmigiano-Reggiano tasting at the Breakfast of Champions

First of all, there were two types of cheese that we tried – one that had been aged for 15 months and one that had been aged for 25 months. The cheese was cut into little hunks and laid out for us to try as much as we wanted. Then came the mortadella sandwiches, the pizza bread, the salami, and the pastries.

We ate until no one could imagine putting another morsel in their mouth. Next, then we drove to an historic acetaia, a family-owned farmhouse where the famous Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP is made.

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Balsamic vinegar battaria
Historic acetaia outside of Bologna where Balsamic Vinegar is aged

I have a new-found respect for traditional balsamic vinegar after seeing the process it must go through. True DOP balsamic must be aged for a minimum of 12 years.

Over that time, it ages in a series of five barrels called a battaria. This is not your typical balsamic. This is certified DOP, artisanal balsamic that can only be made in Reggio Emilia and Modena, Italy.

Balsamic and gelato
Vanilla gelato drizzled with balsamic dressing

Before touring the attic where the battarias are aging, we sampled each grade of balsamic on spoons. Then we had a small cup of fresh ricotta cheese with balsamic jelly, and a cup of ice cream gelato with balsamic dressing.

Each of the balsamic vinegars we tried were fantastic, but the 12-year aged balsamic stood out as the true star. The depth of flavor is something you can only achieve from this type of process and aging, which is why it has an official designation.

Prosciutto di Parma

Our last factory tour was at a Prosciutto factory. Prosciutto can be made in any region, whereas prosciutto di Parma is exclusive to Parma. It’s a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) food, made with the utmost care and strict standards.

The aging process is extensive and the factory is absolutely packed full of meat, from Pancetta, pork cheek, and disossato – which is prosciutto with the bone removed.

Prosciutto
Prosciutto Factory where a ton of meat is aging at all times.

Alessandro walked us around the building, showing and explaining the different levels of aging and drying that must take place. Only two ingredients are used to make Prosciutto di Parma: specially bred Italian pigs and salt. The Large White Landrace or Duroc breeds of pigs are aged to about 9 months before slaughter.

The meat is cured with salt and refrigerated for about a week before getting a second coating of salt and another 15 days of refrigeration. They are then hung in refrigeration for between 60 and 90 days to absorb the salt. They then undergo a 2 or 3-step curing process that can last as long as 4 years during which the ham develops its unique flavor.

And in case you were wondering, once the tour is over, the eating begins. More than a dozen different types of aged meats from the factory were sliced up by the master slicer and set before us in a huge smorgasbord of cured meat.

Sliced Prociutto
Plates and plates full of prosciutto slices to try

If ever you were to stop eating to take a break, or your plate went empty, Alessandro would come along with a few more slices for you to try. We ate and ate until not one of us could possibly consume one more slice. And we washed it all down with copious amounts of red and white wine.

Now, this is the part of the tour when you’d think the vans would head back home and start dropping people off at their hotels, but that is just not the kind of tour this is. After all, the eating and drinking we’d already done were just tastings of the products we’d learned about along the way.

Lunch Stop

I know what you’re thinking. How can you possibly need lunch after so much food! But there is a final stop on the tour where you will be given a “light” lunch, at a countryside trattoria.

Let me just say, if you’re ever told you’re having a “light lunch” in Italy, it means nothing of the sort. The two times I’ve been told this were the biggest lunches I’ve ever had.

view over the Italian countryside
The view from our lunch trattoria in the hills outside of Bologna

Plate upon plate of delicious homemade dishes continued to arrive at the table. By this time, we were all friends, so the family-style lunch was a perfect ending to a great day. Take my word for it that this is not a light lunch. It is definitely worth saving room for, so be sure to factor that into your eating strategy throughout the day.

We had plates of Prosciutto and salama, two different types of delicious pasta including the famous Bolognese Ragu. There was copious wine, and even a large dessert.

I was absolutely blown away by the excitement, the food, and the generosity shown throughout this tour. Never have we eaten so much food on a food tour before – and that’s saying a lot. You will not only have a fantastic time and eat a ton, you will learn a lot and make some new friends along the way.

There just is no other Bologna food tour that can live up to this one. To sign up for the Italian Days Original Food Tour, head to their website.

In case you’re thinking that the €170 price tag is a lot, remember that the tour includes 3 factory tours with full tastings, an enormous lunch, wine, transportation, insurance and a food coma. It’s packed with value and I assure you it is worth it.

» You can also book the tour here through Viator.

Conclusion

And oh, by the way, you can buy any of the products you tasted during the day. It’s incredibly easy to take home a chunk of cheese or a couple bottles of balsamic.

I took a huge block of Parmigiano-Reggiano back to the U.S. with me and used it for months!  Italian Days Food Experience also offers truffle hunting tours, wine tours and a bunch of other great options for things to do in the area.

Like this post? Why not save it on your Pinterest board to share with others? (Disclosure: We attended this tour as guests of  Italian Days Food Tour. As always, all opinions are my own.)

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Italian days food experience
The Best Tour in Bologna: Italian Days Food Experience

22 thoughts on “The Best Tour in Bologna: Italian Days Food Experience

  1. Meg Jerrard says:

    This sounds like an amazing tour! A full five stars and over 1,000 reviews on Tripadvisor speaks for itself … so I’m thinking I probably just shouldn’t eat for the whole day before I go :D!

    • Laura Lynch says:

      That would be a wise choice. You really want to be able to eat and eat and eat on this tour. Everything is so good!

  2. Drew says:

    Well, this sounds like one of my food dreams come true. I want to go to Bologna just for the specific reason of going to these factories and seeing some of my favorite products being made from scratch. Sounds like I’ve got no excuste now not to make it a reality!

    • Laura Lynch says:

      I had always wanted to see these factories too. And they did not disappoint at all. So unique and interesting.

  3. Lotte says:

    Italian food really is the best… Interesting to see how those incredible products are made and I always love how Italians can speak so passionately about their produce. I did a wine and olive oil tasting once in Italy and the owner of the farm couldn’t stop saying ‘Perfecto, perfecto’ every time she tasted her own product:-).

    • Laura Lynch says:

      That’s awesome, Lotte! I love it. They are so very passionate about the products. It’s inspiring.

  4. Elaine J Masters says:

    Sounds like one of the best food tours possible! I’m not a fan of food comas but would gladly suffer through for the experience. Great pictures too.

    • Laura Lynch says:

      It really was one of the best. I can’t imagine ever topping it. And you’ll be glad to know that the food coma isn’t obligatory! 😉

  5. John Morris says:

    Delicious food and the beautiful Italian countryside – wow. This would make for a great trip with my parents. Thanks for the idea!

  6. Jenna says:

    Oh this just made me super hungry!! We did a similar tour when we were in Bologna–they looked they could be different facilities, but we stopped at all three types of facilities and then had an amazing lunch as well. One of my favorite days by far! I had been wanting to visit Bologna just for this tour too, and we planned our whole trip around it. So amazing and looks like you had a wonderful time, too!

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Awesome, Jenna! It could have been the same tour. They don’t always go to the same factories.

  7. TRISHA VELARMINO (@psimonmyway) says:

    I did cooking classes in Bologna in 2012 and it was one of the best experiences! I love Italian food and I am really missing my time there through this post! Love reading food experiences all over the globe! Thanks for sharing your trip!

  8. Karla | karlaroundtheworld says:

    This sounds really good. I read the tripadvisor comments and everyone is raving about it. I love italian food. Yum!

  9. Uncover Your Caribbean says:

    I would love to eat my way through this tour! Good to know about the truffle tours as thats something that i son our list to do. Thanks!

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