Formigine Parmigiano tour with full food tasting: review
My verdict: the cheapest tour on this site, and it is near Modena rather than Parma, which settles it for most people before the price does. It puts a proper tasting table around the dairy visit. The listing says nothing about transport, so plan as if you were getting there yourself unless the operator tells you otherwise.
Car, or no car?A dairy visit booked direct costs €15–35. What the tours below sell is the ride out to the dairy by 9am, and the ham and balsamic stops.
Compare all sevenTransport: not stated
The listing does not say whether anyone collects you, and I am not going to fill the gap with a guess. If you are staying near Modena with a car, it makes no difference. If you are in Parma without one, this is the wrong tour on geography alone, because Formigine is on the Modena side. The tours that start from Parma.
What €35 buys, next to going direct
The dairy visit on its own costs €15–35 booked direct through the Consorzio’s booking page. Most listings there sit at €15–25 with a tasting, and the complete two-hour tour at Montecoppe, to take one example, is from €35. So on price this tour sits level with the top of the direct range. What it adds is the table: wine, tigelle and cold cuts alongside three ages of cheese. Coffee, and anything you buy in the shop, are extra. What every option costs, side by side.
What the reviewers describe
Vivien, from Hungary, writes that nobody else was on the tour besides the two of them, and that the guide was very knowledgeable. That is one morning. It tells you a group can be very small; it is not a promise of a private tour, and the listing does not make one. The rating is 4.8 from 115 reviews, a sound score on a modest base.
The hour still decides what you see
I cannot quote a start time from the listing. What I can tell you is that Parmigiano Reggiano is made in the morning and the extraction, when the wheels are lifted from the copper vats in linen cloths, happens early. Turn up late and you will see the brining room and the aging warehouse, not the vats. Take the earliest slot the calendar below offers. Why 9am matters.
What works
- The cheapest tour on this site
- A tasting that goes past cheese: wine, tigelle, cold cuts
- 4.8 from 115 reviews
- One reviewer had the guide to themselves
Worth knowing
- Near Modena, not Parma
- Transport not stated on the listing
- Coffee and shop purchases excluded
- No duration or start time given
Who it suits
Travellers staying on the Modena side with a car, who want a long table as much as the dairy. If you are in Parma, or you do not drive, one of the other six fits better.
Other tours to consider
Cheapest near ParmaFrom Milk to Wheels: Parmesan Tour & Tasting in Parma
Most bookedParma: Parmigiano Production and Parma Ham Tour & Tasting
Best ratedThe Secrets of Parmigiano Reggiano & Balsamic Vinegar Tour
Frequently asked questions
Does the Formigine Parmigiano tour include transport?
The listing does not say either way. Ask the operator before you book if you have no car. For a tour whose listing states pickup, see the cheese and ham tour from Parma.
Is the Formigine tour near Parma?
No. Formigine is near Modena. If you are staying in Parma and can get yourself out of town, the farm tour near Parma is the closer equivalent.
What is in the Formigine tasting?
Three ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, with wine, tigelle and cold cuts, according to the listing. Coffee and anything bought in the shop are not included.
Is it cheaper to book a dairy visit direct?
Usually, yes. Visits with a tasting on the Consorzio’s booking page mostly run €15–25, and about €35 for an extended tour. You book ahead and get there yourself. How to do it.