Italy 2021

Giorno Sei

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Un altro giorno bel tempo. (Another day of good weather.) Per favore non fermarti (Please don't stop.)


We got up early walked to the train station (15 minutes) then to our meeting place, the NH hotel. We saw Novotel and asked someone and he thought that it was NH hotel, well it was not.  After waiting 15 minutes beyond our pickup time we got a call - “where are you”? We were in the wrong place - after checking many places we finally found the right hotel. We thought we missed the tour but someone was coming to the tour from Florence that was late because they took the wrong train. The driver was waiting for them so we got lucky. However we missed the first part – from milk to churning and shaping of the cheese.


Drove about 10 minutes outside Parma to a farm that produces the Parmigiano-Reggiano. In one building there were 150 cows (organically fed) that produce milk for the cheese everyday. The milk from those 150 cows only makes 7 wheels of cheese a day - no wonder Parmigiano-Reggiano is expensive. But, it is the king of cheeses. The tour was very interesting. After the tour we were treated to a tasting – one cheese was 20 months old and one 30.  We liked the 20, but the 30 is best for grating, it has less moisture. We are thinking of starting our own cheese production – well, maybe not.


Since it is Monday most restaurants are closed so we got lucky again because La Frochetta had only one table left.

Sì, abbiamo mangiato lì due volte. (Yes, we ate there twice.) Out for Negroni in the evening. Long day!


Driver taking us to the cheese building
big copper vats where cheese is churned and shaped
Today's production - 7 wheels
2nd day-wrapped in metal to dry
Then a salt water bath
they turn them over once a day
wrapping for the cheese
This how they get the label on the cheese
Our guide
Checking for air bubbles
which one is the old one??
those marked in green had too many bubbles - sold as seconds







hoping I get the 3rd one in the 5th row
Can we take a coupe wheels?




















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Machine that lifts the wheels - they are turned every day
tasting room
Teaching us
Chance to buy some cheese - from the owner
Lunch - and what was our complementary app?

Polenta with truffles
Octopus carpaccio
Pasta with proscuitto
Veal and roasted potatoes
In the piazza
Negroni time
What a day
side street
side street
Four doors to get to our place. First door to open from street
Second door
third door
and finally our place

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