Indelible tour of the famous products of Emilia-Romagna! - Must-do, amazing, and indelible tour of the famous products of the Emilia-Romagna region! Luca our tour guide was incredibly welcoming and knowledgeable and often checks in to make sure our needs are all met. He's also a great photographer to help us capture the amazing moments of our trip. 10 out of 10!

There is nothing like your own private tour. - There is nothing like having your own private tour. We had our own elegant car with driver. Our own wonderful guide. We went outside of Bologna to a parmigiana reggiano cheese factory, and to a prosciutto factory where the owner made a huge platter of various meats and local wines. We also went to a balsamico estate in Modena where they made all kinds of aged balsamico vinegars, and gave us a nice presentation. You can't go wrong with this tour. Lindsey and Jon

Memorable and Extraordinary Private Tours in Modena - This was a very special day in our tour around Italy. Leaving Bologne and heading into Modena to tour balsamic, prosciutto, and parmigiana plants. Our driver was such a great guy. His name was Aris, and our tour guide was Roberta. She was amazing, passionate about the area of Modena as she was raised in that area, and this tour guide group his hooked into great relationships in Modena to make this experience memorable and special. We had a great time with Roberta and Aris. The private tours allowed us to get off the beaten path, and have fully immersive experiences. This was one of the best. Highly recommend and you can’t go wrong with Roberta.

We had a great up close... - We had a great up close look at some amazing specialty food producers. Wonderful guide and driver and each location was welcoming and informative. A wonderful day trip out of Bologna. Highly recommend!

Parmigiano and Basalmic private tour - The “Food Valley” tour from Curious Appetite provides an intimate opportunity to visit artisanal producers of two of the most iconic foods of the region:  Parmigiano Reggiano and Aceto Balsamico.  A private vehicle took us and our local guide to a Caseficio (with cows on the property) to watch as fresh wheels were formed, detached, cut, squeezed into molds and moved to aging. We tasted the fresh product, then wandered through wheels being aged up to 48 months, learning how they were cared for, tested,  sorted and branded. Afterwards we tasted 12, 24 and 36 month old Parmigiano, along with fresh ricotta (made from the leftover whey), salumi and other nibbles.  Cheese and other local products were available for sale. Our second stop was memorable for the hospitality of the family that has been making balsamico for three generations. While on the property the smell of grape must being slowly cooked permeated the air.  We climbed to the attic to see the batteries of barrels, with the unmistakable smell of balsamico everywhere, as the barrels expand in the summer heat and ooze black gold. The process of moving from one barrel to the next was explained and how the different woods add complexity to the flavor over the required (at least) 12 year process.  We then went to the showroom where we tasted Saba, two blends of Balsamico and Saba, two 12 year old Balsamicos and two 25 year old versions, while learning the potential uses of each product. Next, we sat down for three different nibbles that used balsamico in different ways, before returning to the showroom where everything was available for sale. Truly memorable

Frederica was so... - Frederica was so enjoyable on this tour. We were so happy to do this private tour and visit smaller operators and not be with 20 other people doing tours. I loved going to “grandfathers” house for balsamic tour. Her property is so pretty

Great way to experience Moderna’s treats. - This was a great way to experience what this area is really famous for. It was also much more enjoyable going to smaller producers rather than larger places. Our guide, Matteo, was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Loved it! Very worthwhile! - My husband and I booked this private tour with driver and it was well worthwhile! Luca- our excellent guide-was very knowledgable, enthusiastic and great company. The Parmigiano and Prosciutto Factories are a must for foodies, the tastings delicious, ample and informative. The Balsamico showroom provided a lesson in the production of this speciality with a tasting in a beautiful spot. Daniele-our most competent driver, was professional and the car was very comfortable.

6/5 - Stella goes above and beyond - It was everything we had hoped for… and then some! Stella was simply phenomenal. We had come little prepared to the region and arrived a day before this tour. We were disappointed, felt like we were missing the realness the region and city had to offer and were so dissatisfied (partially in ourselves) we even thought of leaving early. The tour kicked some life back into the trip, but Stella is what rescued it! In talking casually, she offered suggestions, ideas, places to try… she helped making recommendations, we switched dinner plans, she even helped making a reservation to a restaurant. She has chosen the locations as easy access from Bologna by car so that we can maximize our time. But this selection was not heavy handed, it was a careful selection: small, local, authentic craft. We did not arrive anywhere with a bus tour, crammed with hundreds of tourists. No! The timing was perfect at the Parmesan manufacturing location as we arrived as a small group was leaving. We had the place to ourselves, she coordinated with the team working onsite to have the craft shown to us, taking the time to do what we wanted to see, answer our questions, follow our pace. Same with the prosciutto and balsamic vinegar. Every. Single. Moment. Was. Perfect. We felt taken care of, we felt her love and passion for the region, for the food, for the culture… but especially for what she does! I would give her 6/5 if I could. P.s. We also learned that Stella does curated tours - this one alone was perfect, but something to keep in mind should/when we come back to the Emilia Romagna Region.

Interesting, but average tour - Touring the 3 facilities was fascinating. We learned alot about the historic beginnings of making balsamic, prosciutto and warmest reggianno. The tour would have been excellent had the tour guide and driver been more engaging. It would also have been better to walk around the towns we visited and stop for coffee or lunch. It seemed as if the driver and guide wanted to do the tours as quickly as possible and return back to Bologna.