This was one of my most memorable part of my Italian trip. You MUST make a trip here to learn about…read morebalsamic vinegar, get complimentary tastings, and buy authentic balsamic vinegar! I ended up buying the twin pack of the balsamic and white vinegar, the 25 year old balsamic vinegar, and a walnut liquor (they happen to have a lot of walnuts and they make it into alcohol. it's very strong). I totally regret not buying the bigger bottle of their condiment balsamic vinegar though. Getting here from the main station via public transportation was quite stressful because I don't speak Italian and couldn't ask for help. BUT the people super helpful and nice. The bus driver actually got out of her bus to point to where I should stand and was extremely helpful. This doesn't happen in Los Angeles! In my experience, the people of Modena were extremely kind and friendly. Before your trip, contact them and book a reservation. The tour is free. How to get there via bus: From the main station, I took Bus 9, transferred at Modena Autostazione and took Bus 2A to San Donnino. You MUST take Bus 2A, not Bus 2 because Bus 2A goes a little further to your final destination. The cost is only €1.50 and you pay ON THE BUS. I thought I had to buy tickets before boarding like in Rome. The bus driver doesn't check to see if you have a ticket but there are officers who get on the bus at random stops to do a check. And I can tell you from experience that one old lady got in soooo much trouble because she didn't tap her card. She must have been a local trying to get a free ride.

Absolutely charming, family-run restaurant serving traditional Bolognese cuisine. Our group loved…read morethis restaurant with its cozy decor and friendly, professional service. Classic dishes of the region are served here and were at the highest level of quality and flavor. One person in our group was celiac and the chef, Tiziana, makes gluten free versions of 90% of the items on her menu. They were better than any gluten free dish we've ever eaten anywhere. Everyone in the party thought they were as good as the traditional version with gluten. Tiziana is obsessed with making gluten free versions of her dishes to the point that she has a boutique mill make her specially formulated gluten free flour. We went for dinner three times and plan to go anytime we visit the Bologna area again. But don't think of this as a gluten free restaurant, it's an excellent restaurant that happens to offer unparalleled gluten free versions of its dishes.

We visited this factory during a Bologna day long tour and were amazed.A surprisingly small amount…read moreof people crank out tons of cheese wheels each day and allow them to age in a giant room. We were also able to sample a few types of various ages. Worth the time to see.

Amazing tour from end to end. The history and the tasting to cap it off was amazing. Would…read moredefinitely try to make a visit if you can.

Great experience. We were able to do a tasting and then bought more than intended because it…read moretasted so amazing!!

If you watch the first episode of Chef's Table, chef Massimo Bottura is talking about the great…read moreearthquake that leveled much of Modena and caused major damage to one of the greatest Parmesan producers in the region, Hombre. He comes up with an idea to have everyone cook with their cheese, all on the same day, saving what would have been ruined inventory. Instead it saved the producer and they have moved on to make some of the best Parmesan in the world. When someone like chef Bottura and his wife Lara tells you this is among the best in the region, and to go here You go. So I did, getting a great education on what it takes to make some of the best cheese in the world. You get to see the cows, the production warehouse, the inventory and taste the product over various ages in their market/cafe. Another secret is that if you love autos, they also have one of the biggest vintage automobile collections in the region. It's a crazy dichotomy. If you want to know what the best looks like in an area that is renowned for it's food products, come see Hombre.

An outstanding, informative, and kind balsamic tasting and purchasing experience. We found our…read moreperfect match in one aged in mulberry wood!

We had a lovely balsamic tasting here and learned so much. We also went home with lovely…read moretraditional balsamic of Modena. The hosts were lovely!

Say Cheese with a big smile as you taste and love this amazing, freshly prepared beautiful…read moreFormaggio served with even more love and kindness in Modena. So you find yourself 253 miles north of Rome and you just enjoyed the Modena Olive oil factory tour and shopping spree. It gets better! The Ferrari Museum is the next stop but you are famished. Perfecto! I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend this fantastic amazing, beautiful tour of this cheese factory and the store that comes with these generous samplings, ( more like a all you can eat and then some cheese fest), the wine pairings w huge pours and the very big gift bags all for just the equivalent of $69 US. The factory is immaculate, just huge and very well organized. The tour in English is about an hour long and covers the lovely 1000 plus year history, the science behind the production( as viewed through the big microscopes), the patience of the process and the magnificent end result - 150,000 eighty eight pound individually annually produced packages of the one of the most fresh and delicious cheeses .... Ever! The Parmigiano Reggiano. There are five regions that produce this; we got to enjoy 20% of that. Definitely will be back to enjoy the individual taste in each one. I just love that for all of us eggplant parm and chicken parm lovers and fans back in NY and all over the US, this is a fantastic opportunity to see, taste and experience the source and the real deal!

This is exactly what I was hoping for when I booked a cheese tour in Modena. Getting to learn the…read moreprocess and then see it happening and then being able to taste some before we left. Well worth the money. Highly recommend it.