Florence
10 hours
8:15am
10

Highlights

  • Visit a parmesan cheese storehouse to taste Italy's most famous export at the source
  • Tour a farm that produces artisanal balsamic vinegar and taste a vintage that has been aged for 30 years. Afterward, enjoy a gourmet lunch of local specialties with a glass of local wine
  • Take a city stroll through Bologna city center with tastings of mortadella and tortellini

Tour description

Your gourmet day trip from Florence begins early when you climb aboard your private, air-conditioned minibus in Central Florence with a guide and small group of no more than 15 people. As you drive out through the beautiful countryside, your guide will give you an introduction to the foods of the region and whet your appetite for all the incredible things you're going to taste.

Your first stop is a Parmigiano Reggiano storehouse tour where you'll see the famous cheese stacked to the ceiling and taste a block that has been aged for 24 months. Then you'll head to a small farm that produces artisanal balsamic vinegar where you'll sample 12 and 30-year-old vinegars before sitting down for a light lunch of local seasonal food with a complimentary glass of wine.

The next stop on your gourmet day trip from Florence is the foodie city of Bologna. You'll stroll through the amazing Piazza Maggiore, visit the delightful food market and the old Jewish Ghetto, and see the city's two famous towers, the Torre degli Asinelli and Torre della Garisenda. You'll also sample local wine, tortellini and mortadella, the gourmet inspiration for baloney.

After a full day of eating and exploration, you'll hop back into your minibus, you'll be back in Florence a little after 6pm, having experienced the best of the region's incredible food.

Sites visited

  • Parmigiano Reggiano factory
  • small farm producing Artisanal balsamic vinegar
  • Bologna
  • Piazza Maggiore Food Market
  • Old Jewish Ghetto
  • Torre degli Asinelli
  • Torre della Garisenda

Included

Verified guest reviews

4.2 / 5
11 Customer Reviews
  1. Excellent

    7

  2. Great

    1

  3. Good

    1

  4. Average

    2

  5. Poor

    0

Jane

Jul 28, 2019

Overall we enjoyed the Gourmet Day Trip sampling the products of Emilia-Romagna. Our guide Sandra was delightful & knowledgeable. The Parmesan cheese making tour was very comprehensive, however we would have preferred visiting a smaller, more authentic producer. The balsamic tour was difficult to follow as our guide had to translate information from the Italian speaking host. The lunch was adequate but did not match the standard we had experienced on the Chianti tour. It would have been better to have had lunch in Bologna, combining the cheese, balsamic, tortellini & mortadella etc. We do not like single-use & plastic utensils. Unfortunately the day was spoilt by the aggressive nature of the driver. He was impatient & in a hurry. He braked very close to the cars in front. There were young girls in the car. Another passenger remarked about his poor driving ability. We felt unsafe. We do not accept such driving in Australia & the US. Jane & Ted

Alexis

Jul 25, 2019

Laura was simply the best. My daughters and I practically had a private tour so we got to know Laura a bit and talk about Italy and food and wine. The cheese and balsamic vinegar tours were interesting! Fascinating to see and hear how it’s all done. Bologna was quick; Laura allowed time for one of my daughters and me to pop into the basilica. The tortellini and mortadella stops were really good too. Laura was knowledgable and pleasant. We enjoyed this new tour.

Antonio

Jul 14, 2019

A wonderful day. I learned a lot (and ate a lot!) about the extraordinary production of Emilia Romagna. Sandra is lovely, she was very attentive to the needs of her customers with passion and professionaly, and always smiling, a person very positive, smart and funny, I liked a lot this tour, thank you, 5 stars for Sandra.

Francesca

Jun 11, 2019

An incredible experience! Cristiano is a great guide, very knowledgeable and funny as well. We’ve learned so much about parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar, see the production is incredible! Bologna is a nice city and the mortadella and tortellini are delicious... don’t miss the Lambrusco!

Douglas

Jun 04, 2019

To say we loved our guide is an understatement. He went out of his way to keep us informed and interested. OUTSTANDING.... So very happy that we booked this day....