Taste of Italy: Food Museums in Emilia

Parmigiano-Reggiano Museum | Soragna (PR)

An old circular planted dairy houses the Parmigiano-Reggiano Museum, a unique and inimitable product result of land where quality and good food is a lifestyle. The tasting of flakes of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, of different maturation and with precious tips on how to taste it, is certainly one of the unmissable experiences for which we recommend a visit to this museum.
Curiosity: in ancient times the salting was done using the white salt of Salsomaggiore, a well known thermal village in the first Parma hills (Today the salt is used above all for its thermal properties).

Parma Ham Museum | Langhirano (PR)

The Parma Ham Food Museum is located in the town of Langhirano, not so far from the city of Parma.
The museum is dedicated to the swine art par excellence and is housed in the former Forum Boarium, where there are still present the iron rings used to bind the horses.
In ancient times in this area, the old populations of the Etruscans, Celts Galli Boi, and Romans have dedicated to the raising of pigs, thanks to the nature of the Emilian plain that was rich in water and oak woods.
The Museum is composed of eight sections, at the end of which it is possible to taste some products and have some info about the ham factories in the area.

Felino Salami Museum | Felino (PR)

The museum dedicated to the art of making Salami is placed in a stunning old Italian castle, reflecting the strong bond that the product has with its birthplace.
You will enjoy to find out more about this salami produced in the cellars of the eighteenth-century with the meat of mountain pigs, learning all about its making.
An interesting and tasty journey discovering one of the oldest culinary art of Italy, the making of Salami.

Culatello Ham Museum | Polesine Parmense (PR)

The Culatello Ham Museum is located in the great plain of Emilia Romagna, a land dominated by the Po River where the fog is an essential element of taste, and its birth is due from the will of the local population that wanted to preserve its traditions.
In the beginning, the Spigaroli family, that today own the museum, was sharecropper of the great composer Giuseppe Verdi. Due to their experience working the meat, in modern times, they have become excellent restaurateurs and butchers, as much that today they run one of the most famous restaurants od the whole Emilia-Romagna region.
Among the Food Museums of Emilia-Romagna, the Culatello Ham Museum is unmissable spot which reveals everything about the art of Culatello making: the territory, the pig, and their secret link with Sant’Antonio Abate and the fine art of the town of Norcia.

Tomato Museum | Collecchio (PR)

This museum is housed in an ancient monastic complex and is dedicated to tomatoes, a precious fruit introduced in Italy by the Americas as an ornamental plant, and today a pillar of our daily cuisine.
The headquarters are located right in the middle of the tomato growing areas, in the district where one of the Italian most famous products is transformed and then shipped all over the world.
It will be fascinating to undertake the path that will take you from cultivation to the table, finishing your experience with a tasting on the table at the restaurant.

Pasta Museum | Collecchio (PR)

Located in the same place of tomato museum is its complementary dish par excellence, the pasta, one of the products for which Emilia-Romagna is famous in the world.
Born from an idea of Ettore Guatelli and Pietro Barilla, the museum invites you to discover the path that the wheat makes from the earth to the table, without forgetting any advice on the correct rules of nutrition.
Inside the museum, you will find some gastronomic curiosities as well as the history of the colander, the ancient recipe books and the combinations between different pasta shapes and condiments of the regional tradition.

Olive Oil Museum | San Secondo Parmense (PR)

This museum was created to tell a high-quality product like extra virgin olive oil. The Museum is run by the Orsi Coppini family, which has been producing high quality Italian extra virgin olive oil for generations, and with the aim to create a cultural center for olive oil in the Parma area, to spread the knowledge of a product that is part of our history.
Once crossed the gate, an open amphitheater welcomes visitors before entering the real museum that houses the equipment that reveals the secrets of the art of olive oil production.
The visit to the museum is free on Sunday afternoons, while on other days we recommend booking.

Colli di Parma Wine Museum | Sala Baganza (PR)

The suggestive cellars of the Sala Baganza Castle host the museum dedicated to the tasty nectar of the Gods.
Not everyone knows, in fact, that some finds from archaeological excavations in the Parma area, testify to how this was one of the territories in which the way of drinking wine has been evolved for the first time: pure and in glasses, thanks to the Celtic populations.
The exhibition and sensorial path unfold in the Farnese family’s Fortress undergrounds and glaciers, on a journey that goes from archeology to peasant culture, from botany to historical and literary testimonies.
Not to miss a visit to the cellars where you can also drink a good glass of Italian wine.

Wine Museum | Montecchio Emilia (RE)

Montecchio Emilia, between the city of Reggio Emillia, the Via Emilia and the first hills of the Enza valley, it is a land where Lambrusco wine has been cultivated from centuries, and the museum dedicated to this wine is housed in the country house of Medici family, which for over a century is dedicated to this production.

On display, you will find tools that have been used for the production of grapes and wine from the mid-nineteenth century until the post-war period together with some ‘unique’ pieces, often built at home, aimed at improving the cultivation process.
Close to the Museum, there is also a center dedicated to wine tastings, local food products, and an Acetaia, the traditional place where is made the traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia.

Lambrusco Hills – Ph. Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco di Modena

Museum of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena | Spilamberto (MO)

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar has deep roots in the Emilia region since the time of the Este family, and today is a continuous confirmation of the love of the Emilians for their territory and traditions.
The Museum of Spilamberto – Modena – tells the story, the culture and the secrets of one of the most identifying excellences of Emilia Romagna through a suggestive tour inside a wooden barrel.
The visit starts from the large barrel-shaped room, continuing with the cooking room, the cooper’s shop, and the glazing room, and will allow you deepen the intimate and traditional link with the Modena area.

Charcuterie Museum | Castelnuovo Rangone (MO)

MUSA, the museum dedicated to Charcuterie, incorporates in itself the innovative spirit, typical of Emilians, and the strong link with the history and territory from which they originate these delicious products.
This space, wanted by one of the oldest Italian charcuterie industries, is located in Castelnuovo Rangone, in the Modena area, one of the most important pig production districts in Italy.
A modern exhibition tells the whole production process, from the wisdom of cutting meat to the use of spices, from the technique of heat and cold to maturing and lead the visitor to discover the secrets of the secret art of Italian pork-butchery. A perfect synthesis capable of satisfying the curiosity of visitors and the ever more frequent tourists who are passionate about good food.
Combined with the museum there’s a shop where, in addition to different types of meats, you can find knives and a refreshment point where you can taste the local products together with other Emilian delicacies.

Borlengo Museum | Zocca (Mo)

In the fascinating village of Zocca, immersed in the nature of the Modena Apennines, you can learn the art of the Borlengo, the poor food that is part of the culture and tradition of the Panaro valley and known since prehistoric times.
This food is characterized by the simplicity of the ingredients – flour, water and salt – and the complexity of the execution. On display tools and testimonies for the preparation of Borlenghi, including the “Sole” (as they called the pans necessary for cooking).
To taste it or try its hand at preparing it, next to the exhibition hall there is a hall for cooking the Borlengo, where cooking lessons are also organized.