Review: Amazing Italy Tours

This month sees our first Travel Review for SBT. We visited the gastro food capital of Italy, Bologna. To make this possible, we teamed up with Amazing Italy Tours to sample its incredible Food and Ferrari tour.

 Italy is renowned for its fantastic food, wine and style. Bologna is the food capital of Italy, so it seemed only fitting to sample some of its finest produce. Suffice to say, Amazing Italy Tours delivered on all aspects.

We were picked up on a luxury mini bus from our meeting point at 8:30am in the morning. Met by our tour guide, Max, who was extremely welcoming and friendly, we were immediately put at ease.. As we departed, Max began by explaining the tour itinerary to us. First stop would be the Parmigiano Reggiano factory, followed by a visit to the Proscuitto factory, then the Balsamic Vinegar vineyard, the Ferrari Museum and finally, to finish off,  a 6 course gourmet lunch at a local family-run restaurant. All in all, it did not sound like a bad day!

En route to our first stop, Max told us about some of the history of Bologna as we drove past some key landmarks – such as the Portico, which consists of 666 arches stretching from Porta Saragozza to the Sanctuary of San Luca. Also the Universita di Bologna, which is the oldest University in the world, as well as one of the leading academic institutions in Italy and Europe. Max was extremely knowledgeable and, in true Italian style, clearly very passionate which added to the experience.

After a short 30 to 40-minute journey, we arrived at the Parmigiano Reggiano factory. We were given our protective clothing, hats and masks (which Max informed us were Gucci and Prada ) and we all looked very much liked dentists. It was amazing to see the process and incredible technique and attention to detail that goes  into producing the Parmesan. It was fantastic to watch each stage of the process and to see the finished article, that only after vigorous testing and tasting will get the Parmigiano Reggiano stamp of approval. At this point, an entire wheel,  valued at a staggering 500 euros each, is placed in a temperature controlled area. We were surrounded by nearly 40,000 of these wheels, worth approximately 20 million euros. Incredible. To finish this part of the tour, we had the opportunity to purchase some of this fine cheese as well as taste both the 24-month and 36-month aged cheeses. This was served with a very pleasant glass (or 2 to 3) of local white wine, which at 10am in the morning is a great start to any day!

On leaving the Parmigiano Reggiano factory, we made our way to the next stop which was the Prosciutto factory. Again only a short drive away, showing that the tour is perfectly mapped out so that you spend the least amount of time travelling and more time experiencing the fantastic produce and their processes. Arriving at what seemed like a small delicatessen, we were taken inside and once again put on our dentist style clothing (these ones, apparently, Gucci). Then we went down the stairs and were surrounded by thousands upon thousands of Prosciutto legs. It was fascinating to see how the meat was cured, stored and the length of the process in order for it to be perfect. Similar to the Parmigiano Reggiano, it is tested and only when perfect receives the official stamp of approval. Again, we finished with a tasting with a variety of meats, my favourite being the Colletto with truffles. It was truly sublime. All meats were accompanied with some more wine, at which point I was pleased not to have booked a Ferrari test drive.

Our next stop was the Balsamic vinegar vineyard in Modena, the home of Balsamic vinegar. This is truly an exquisite place, steeped in history; a family-run vineyard that has produced some of the finest Balsamic vinegar for hundreds of years. It was amazing to see the process. Time and effort goes into creating this fantastic product, perfected over a number of years to get the taste and quality just right. During the tasting, we put a few drops of the 40-year old vinegar on some vanilla ice cream, something I was initially quite dubious about. However, trusting Max our tour guide, I tried it and was very pleasantly surprised, as was I placed a few drops on some of my Parmigiano Reggiano. There was also a mini museum at the vineyard with records and pictures, dating back centuries, which added to the whole experience.

After a fantastic morning of tastings and experiences, the next stop was the world famous Museo Ferrari Maranello. Walking around, it is simply breathtaking and any car enthusiast’s dream. It offers a unique and enthralling voyage of discovery and is truly a story told through the cars that have made automotive history on streets and circuits the world over. During our tour there was also a very emotional, touching tribute to the great Michael Schumacher. The ‘Michael 50’ exhibition is certainly worth a visit. If looking around these incredible vehicles wasn’t enough, you also get the option (for an additional cost) to drive a Ferrari of your choice on the road. We opted not to take part but spoke with some of the people on our tour over lunch who said it was a great experience.

To finish our tour, we had a 6-course gourmet lunch to look forward to at a local family-run restaurant. This was the perfect end to a perfect day. We all shared a large table and it was really pleasant talking with the other people on the tour from various countries and areas in the UK. The food, as you would expect from the food capital of Italy, was first class: antipasti, followed by a variety of homemade pastas. Our Secondi was a beautiful beef fillet with potatoes and vegetables, all accompanied with a continuous supply of wine and finished off with Italian ice cream and coffee.

As a food lover, especially Italian food, this tour could not have been more perfect. It was a truly fantastic experience, really well thought out and planned. There was no waiting around. Travel in between each destination was only short. Max, our tour guide, was engaging, knowledgeable, informative and fun the whole way through and I cannot not recommend Amazing Italy Tours highly enough. I have since looked at the other tours they offer across Italy, such as Milan, Venice, Verona, Rome, Florence to name a few, which I will be looking to book. However, if you love food and cars, then certainly look no further than Amazing Italy Tours’ Food and Ferrari tour in Bologna. It should be on everyone’s bucket list as it was truly a day to remember.

For more information visit www.amazing-italy.com email info@amazing-italy.com.