Bologna Food Experience: Factory tours & Lunch By Italian Days
Overview
Available languages
9 hours
Mobile ticket
IMPORTANT! NO HOTEL PICK UP
Meeting POINT. 7 am in Piazza XX Settembre, nearby the trainstation in Bologna.
What's included:
- FACTORY/PRODUCTION SITES TOUR
– Pick up at 7am at in central Bologna (no later pick up available)
– Guided tour with English speaking guide
– Transfer in comfortable minivan or minibus
- Generose tastings of all products, breakfast with wine and coffee and multicourse italian-style lunch included
– Please notify us with your diet requirements (vegetarian, gluten or lactose free menu available) AT LEAST 3 DAYS IN ADVANCE
or we won't be able to cater for you.
Guests joining from outside Bologna can contact us to arrange for a different meeting point if driving.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Comfortable shoes are recommended
The minivan/minibus we use are disinfected as required by law before and after each tour
If you have any symtoms like fever, cough or exhaustion, you are not allowed to join the tour. Please inform us immediately should you feel unwell before or during the tour
What To Expect
Province of Modena
We’ll start this incredible journey with an early pick up (around 7:00am) in Bologna with our private minivan or minibus to head to the countryside between Modena and Bologna. Why so early? Parmigiano Reggiano doesn’t wait! It’s made only in the early morning and we want you to get in action ASAP! We will see the cheesemakers taking care of all the production steps right before your eyes. You can touch the creamy curd, taste the cooked cheese and get absolutely stunned by the warehouse, where thousands of wheels all around you wait at least 12 months to be “baptized” as Parmigiano Reggiano. Time to taste it, what’d you expect? Young or aged, creamy or crunchy, delicate or intense: you can decide which of the 2 different-age samples is your favorite… or just love them both!
Monteveglio
Third and last excellence to meet: meat (pun intended)! Prosciutto Factory Montevecchio’s products will conquer your palate with its fragrant smell, buttery texture and delicate savoriness. We’ll learn about the strict regulations, the long curing process, and the tremendous care necessary to transform only 2 ingredients into a typical product with unique characteristics. We’ll taste its wholesomeness and genuineness with other local charcuteries and a glass of Lambrusco, before a proper lunch is served!
Options
Italian Days Food Experience
What‘s Included
Lunch with matching wines
Alcoholic Beverages
Driver/guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Breakfast
Round Trip Trasportation from and to Bologna
Coffee and/or Tea
Food tastings
Gratuities
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
1,250 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Foodies ultimate tour
Barbara B,Jun 3, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Lots of great explanations on the DOP for Modena. Guides and drivers were so friendly and helpful. Highly recommend if you are a foodie. The breakfast and lunchwas unexpectedly good with local foods and the karaoke with the staff was lots more fun than expected too. Long day! I wore long Linen pants and had to roll up several times due to Moisture on floors of the factories. Worth the early start time!
Fun, informative and delicious!
Debra L,Jun 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great tour, worth the 7 am start! It was fun, informative and tasty!! Driver Roberta and Guide Julia were so good - friendly, accommodating, and easy to be with. Highly recommend! In fact, I will do it again when next in Bologna.
Facts, food and fun in Modena
Kirsten H,May 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was an amazing tour with our very informative and friendly guide Julia. We learned all about the parmigiana, balsamic and prosciutto of the Modena locality. Ending with a long lunch in a fun disco like atmosphere. Very enjoyable experience.
Fun day out
H939KFmarys,May 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A great day out with tasting experiences of Parmesan, balsamic vinegar. As a couple travelling it was great seeing producers outside Bologna. Our tour guide was very pleasant and informative. The breakfast provided by Paulo at the balsamic vinegar stop was varied with lambrusco to the side . The lunch was a fun finish to the day, a little bit of varied dishes at a shared table. Overall would highly recommend.
Amazing tour to due while in Bologna!
250mistyr,May 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00AMAZING DAY! First off, very communicative and answered any questions beforehand. Very easy to find the pick up in center Bologna. From the moment we stepped on the bus from the end was perfect. Extremely informative and cannot go wrong with fresh Italian food. Loved the history and watching how parmesan-reggiano is made, tasting of vinegar and learning about prosciutto. The lunch was delicious! Highly recommend and would go again.
So much food. So much wine. So much fun!
Yasila C,May 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Definitely worth the 7am meeting time! Julia knows a lot about all the products and factories and gives a fantastic tour. It's so easy to learn with her. Don't miss her tips on how to find the best quality products at home (and avoid rip-offs). The driver Erika has THE best personality, so bubbly and fun. She makes the closing party the best it can be with her gimmicks and costumes. The rest of the team at the restaurant made an incredible job to bring delicious italian food to the table and to top up our wine a bazillion times. Between the buffet breakfast and the 6-course lunch, be prepared to eat your weight in food.
As good as it gets
Bruce T,May 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Tour of a lifetime. We have done countless tours on 5 continents and this is as good as it gets. Incredible tour following every step of artisanal Parmesan and prosciutto making, and amazing balsamic tastings. Julia’s knowledge of everything related to the food and processing and ties to the people and region were extraordinary and Roberta added so much to the tour. The abundant food tastings and meals were all of the highest quality reflecting the region, and same with the wines. And just so much fun. Amazing. Such thanks to all.
Staff are very friendly...
Elias M,May 19, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00Staff are very friendly and super nice. They also accommodated us well when we needed alternatives which was great too. That being said the factory tours had very strong smells that made some guests feel sick, and the amount of food given was very generous but made some of us feel ill. The karaoke piece is also a bit much for an hour at the end of a busy day too. I think overall this is a good tour and Italian days staff are very nice and friendly, but for how much money it costs I’m not sure I would book this again.
Fantastic and well organized, delicious food and drink
Charleen C,May 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00My husband and I loved the tours of the parmigiana, balsamic vinegar and prosciutto factories. Elena was very responsive and sent me photos to help identify the meeting spot and the grey van. The ride was comfortable and she gave an interesting preview of what we would see in the first noisy room. Everything was perfectly timed to see the key steps in the cheese making process. Breakfast highlights two ages of parmigiano-reggiano, as well as some nice vinegars with a hearty spread of breads, tortas and meats. This was followed by a vinegar tasting with generous spoonfuls so you could actually taste the products. The meat curing process was also fascinating, with a preview info session, tour, and seeing the salting and aging process. We learned how to identify the origin of the pigs and what different products are called that are similar to but not the DOP prosciutto. The day closed with a dinner and party at their place. The table is laid with amazing samples of the meats and lots of vegetables and snacks, followed by several pasta dishes (including two that were better than what we had in the Bologna restaurants), dessert and all the wine and other drinks that you want. All in all, a highly informative and delicious day.
Worst Food Tour Ever!
sdH3147QD,May 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Worst Food Tour Ever! The breakfast consisted of dry bread and hunks of salami. The only coffee on offer was made by the owner of the balsamic factory, 2.5 hours after we departed Bologna. No cappuccino. The balsamic tasting room was dark and littered with the owner’s decades of junk. Turns out they locked us inside, which is very unsafe while the owner peddled his vinegar. Another participant saw the exact same vinegar for 1/2 the price at another stop. Lunch was an agonizing 3 hours affair next to the prosciutto factory. Food was antipasto and assorted pasta dishes. Okay, but the pasta was run of the mill with a few minuscule flecks of sausage or greens. The risotto was severely undercooked. Lots of wine and people were definitely overserved. Extremely loud music was played; at times it clocked over 90 decibels and activated the warning on my Apple Watch. Honestly, it was the equivalent of a booze cruise. Very disappointed to have wasted my time on this. Great food in Bologna, but not with these folks. And they don’t respect your time. We made a significant detour to pick up and drop off guide. I’ve been on great food tours in Italy. This was the worst and the most expensive.
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Operated by Italian Days