Day 19: Reggio-Emilia

After a good night’s sleep we had a great breakfast at hotel (included) then took a short cab ride to a parmesan cheese factory.  There were 3 workers making the cheese and we had a wonderful personal tour of the whole operation.  Today was a holiday in town so the cheese shop was closed but the nice lady working in the cheese production opened it just for us and we were able to make our purchases.  We had a sample of the 24 month old cheese and it was superb.  Parmesan cheese is aged from 24-36 months and we found the 24 month to be the best we have ever tasted!  We had been told when we returned to our hotel we would see the riot police brought in from Rome because a politician was going to be at our hotel this morning but not to be alarmed.  Sure enough, a lot of streets around our hotel were blocked off but we had no trouble reentering the hotel to store our purchases then had a walk around town, lunch and gelato before an afternoon nap to continue recovering from yesterdays trains.

Tonight, the hotel manager has connections to a Balsamic farm with restaurant where we had a free private tour and got to see the aging room before dinner.  This was the best meal of our trip so far.  We had assorted crostini starters, pasta primi (Tim had pumpkin tortellini and I had pasta with chicken livers/mushrooms/sausages) and our mains were sausages for Tim and pork roast with juniper berries.  Most dishes features balsamic vinegar and between courses we had tastings of different aged balsamic vinegars.  During our tour we saw how small farms age their balsamic—first year in an large oak barrel then into 5 barrels for at least 12 years.  The 5 barrels – largest down to smallest- are made of oak, chestnut, juniper, cherry and final one of oak.  As the smallest one looses moisture/volume during the 12 + year aging process it is topped off out of the cherry barrel beside it, which is topped off out of the juniper………on down the line and the last one is filled from the large barrels where it first goes.  No barrel is never emptied so the minimum age is 12 years before being bottled.  This particular farm bottles only 1000 bottles per year of varying ages. After a wonderful meal we made our selections of which bottles we wanted to purchase.   

Becky & Brian:  This is definitely another town to add you your next trip to Italy! 

Susan: I know your birthday present is late, but think it will be worth the wait!

Reggio Emilia- square beside hotel

making parmesan cheese

trays where milk is first put overnight

1st cheese mold for when it comes out of copper kettle

2nd cheese mold after it cools down

stamp liner for 2nd cheese mold

placed in brine solution after a few days in mold

then stored in warehouse to age for 24 to 36 months

bringing out cheese after it settles to bottom

after put in cheese cloth it rests for 5 minutes

then is cut in half

and put in cheese cloths again

resting after being halved

put in cold water bath to cool down

before being placed in 1st mold

and weighted on top overnight

ABC (another bloody church) in Reggio Emilia

protesters going down street with stinky smoke coming from truck

and riot  police on hand, but not needed

gelato!!!

back entrance to Hotel Posta

Hotel Posta lobby sitting area

Balsamic vinegar aging room

fig tree

farmhouse dinner

bread