The hills of Parma

The charm of the hills of Parma/Guided tour  full – day

Ham Factory

Our tour starts in the hills of Parma, where the air is fresh and the microclimate is perfect to produce a unique product in the world: Parma ham.
Thanks to the guided tour in a typical ham factory, we can learn and admire the secrets of this activity.
Starting from the first working rooms, we will see the skills of the workers during the salting, one of the most delicate phases of the production.
Crossing  the lowest temperature cells, where there is the first drying of the thighs, we will reach the maturing rooms.
Here the ham and other typical cuts can slowly dry, while in the basements of the factory, the ham rest and then it is controlled by the experts who put the brand.

Torrechiara Castle

The hills of Parma are not famous only for typical products, but they have also elegant residences, as the well-known Torrechiara Castle. With its elegance and magnificence, the castle dominates a little promontory, where in 1448 the noble Pier Maria Rossi built a perfect love nest for his lover Bianca Pellegrino.
After having reached the entrance of the castle and crossed the arch of the portal, we will be in the Court of Honour and, as the famous guests of the time, we will start our visit.
We will go through the numerous frescoed rooms of the ground floor, recalling the daily life of noble families who lived here. Then, stop to admire some particular locations, as San Nicomede Oratory, the dining room and the guest room. We will see the castle kitchen, climb a tower and walk a part of the way of the soldiers. Then we will reach the noble floor, where there is the famous golden bedroom.
Still now it tells the eternal love between Pier Maria Rossi and Bianca Pellegrino with its terracotta panels and the frescoed vault.