Here is our hotel in Parma.
After checking in and cleaning up for dinner a group of us headed out the back of the hotel which sits next to the Parco Ducale (Duke's Park) and headed across the park to the old part of the city. Here we are walking through the park. Very pleasant, tree shaded stroll.
Parma is a very old city and has been a settlement of some sort since the Bronze Age. Later it was an Etruscan city that was taken over by the Romans 183 BC, then the Germanic tribes, then the Byzantines and then became part of the Lombard Kingdom of Italy. In the Middle Ages in fell under Frankish rule and was part of the Holy Roman Empire created by Charlemagne. In 1342 the city fell under the control of Milan and then was part of the Papal States until 1545 when Pope Pius III gave the city to his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese. The Farnese family then ruled Parma until 1731 when it was give to the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon. The last Duke of Parma had no male heir and so it was left to his nephew, Don Carlos, who was the son of Philip V of Spain. After 1748 in fell under French control until Napoleon was defeated and then it was returned to Spanish control. It finally became part of a unified Italy in 1860.
Parma is the home of the University of Parma which is one of the oldest universities in the world, it was founded in 1117.
To reach the city from the park we have to cross the Parma River.
Right across the bridge is the Palazzo della Pilotta which dates from 1583 with the gates to the old part of the city.
Here we are heading through the old part of the city.
We found a restaurant just off of the main square and ordered dinner. While we were waiting for our dinner to arrive I walked down to the square and took some photos. This is the Baptistry next to the Duomo. It was built starting in 1196 and was completed in 1270.
Here is the Duomo (cathedral). It is built in the Romanesque style with construction starting in 1059 and consecrated in 1106. Unfortunately the tower was completely enclosed in scaffolding so I couldn't get a picture.
Here is where we had dinner. You can see Pat and some of our group at the table. Most restaurants we've seen throughout this trip had tables either on the sidewalk or out in the street.
In the morning we headed out into the countryside to learn about ham and cheese. On the way we passed this spectacular castle. It is the Torrechiara Castle that was built between 1448 - 1460 by Pier Maria Rossi but records show that there has been a castle on this hilltop since at least12th century.
Here is a view from the other side.
We've arrived at the Salumificio La Perla in the town of Quinzano Sotto.
Here we are entering the facility.
This facility produces a lot of hams but takes only a small staff. We are being guided by the owner of the facility and here are his two staff members processing hams.
When the fresh hams (only rear leg of a hog) are received, they are skinned and then coated with sea salt and kept at a temperature of 35 to 40 degrees for a week. Then the ham is washed and recoated with sea salt and stored at the same temperature for another 15 to 18 days. You can see the salt on the hams below. Salt is the only preservative used on genuine Parma hams, there are no nitrates or other chemicals used in the processing. They are then washed a string tied around the end and then hung up on a rack. That is what the workers in the above photo are doing.
The hams are then hung in refrigerated, humidity controlled rooms for 70 days. The hams are then washed again and dried and place in temperature and humidity controled chambers for about three months. Here you can see a lot of hams hung on racks in the drying room.
Next the hams are coated in a mixture of mince lard and salt to prevent the outside from drying to quickly. They are then aged for a minimum of one year. An inspector from the local control board inspects the hams during this time and when they pass that inspection they are stamped with the seal of Parma and a factory control number which you can see in this photo.
Here we are listening to a lecture from the factory owner on the process.
Here our guide is holding an inspection probe that they use in checking the hams. It's simply a piece of bone that has been filed down to a sharp point. It is stuck into the ham in several places and then the inspector smells it. If the smell is right the ham passes.
Here we are in the tasting room getting ready try some samples.
Here is the sample tray with several types of ham and salami for us to try. Now I know what Prosciutto di Parma is and how good it tastes.
And of course they have gift shop.
Our next stop was a Parmesan cheese factory but not any mundane Parmesan but the real genuine article, Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Here we are getting ready to enter the factory. The guy in the blue and white stripe shirt is the owner and he will be our guide.
Every morning several trucks deliver fresh milk from the factory's farms.
The fresh milk is placed in these copper lined vats, skimmed milk, whey and calf rennet (stomach enzymes) are added and then the mixture is left to curdle for 10 - 12 minutes. The curd in broken up into small pieces and then the mixture is heated to about 130 degrees. The curd is left to settle for about 45 - 60 minutes.
After this the curds are lifted from the bottom of the vat and supported by muslin fabric. This video shows how they lift the curds from the bottom of the vat and encase it in muslin.
And here is the curds that have been lifted from the bottom.
This next short video shows them cutting the ball of curds in half.
Cutting Curd Ball
This next video shows how they separate the two halves.
Separating Curd Balls
Once they have drained for a little the curds are placed in containers that give them their cylindrical shape.
Here they are in the initial drying room wrapped in stainless steel molds that embossed information onto the cheese wheels. They will stay in these molds for around three days.
The next stage is soaking in a salt brine bath to absorb salt for around 20 - 25 days.
Here is what one of these cheese wheels looks like. The information embossed into the rind shows where and when it was made. After one year the cheese is inspected. The inspector uses a small hammer and listens for the sound of voids or cracks. If it passes it gets the official stamp as seen on this cheese. Each cheese wheel weighs about 100 lbs.
The cheese is aged stored on shelves that are 24 cheeses high by 90 cheeses long and there are many of these shelves in the aging room. Each double sided rack holds over 4,000 wheels.
As you can see in this photo. Each cheese is taken off the shelf every seven days and it is cleaned and the shelf where it was sitting is cleaned and the it is turned over and put back on the shelf. The cheese wheels have to age a minimum of two years.
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese has been around since the middle ages and records show that the process that is used today was around in the 13th and 14th centuries. So its development was well before that.
In my family, we're of Sicilian origins, we've always used Romano cheese. It's even older dating back to Roman times, hence its name.
This factory dates back to the 14th century and this is the old factory building that is now used as an office and sales room.
Here we are sampling the cheese. First we tried one year old cheese and then two year old. You could definitely tell the difference with the older cheese have a more robust flavor.
The factory compound had its own small chapel which also supposedly dated back to the 14th century.
A very simple altar in the chapel.
Here is a group photo of all of us taken by the factory owner. Our tour director Marina is kneeling in front of the group and our bus driver, Massimo, is the gentleman in the blue shirt and necktie in the center.
This is Massimo's little trash can that traveled everywhere with us.
We are now on our way to Venice. Here is a photo of what I thought was a very interesting suspension bridge. Never seen a cable layout like this before.
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