This facility is where Parmesan Cheese is made! As soon as you walk in, it smells like cheese. A…read moregroup tour for about 15 people was pre-arranged; we took a day trip from Milan and met our tour guide on the way. She also gave us a tour of Parma. Making cheese appears to be a simple task, but there is a lot for a cheese master to know and our group found this to be a fascinating tour. Approximately 120 facilities like this one are located in the Parma area. If you are a foodie, and have a chance to visit one, I highly recommend it. We had to arrive quite early, and had already missed two steps in the cheese making process. The milk is delivered very early in the morning and pumped into large table like vats where the only additive, rennet, is mixed in. Next the milk is moved into large kettles where the mixture is heated and the curds formed. The curds are left in the kettles to cool, and sink to the bottom where they form a solid mass. This is where we began our tour. The next step was to 'scoop' up this huge mass of curds, cut it in two and get it into the 'forms' where it will rest as excess liquid drains. Getting the curds up and into shape takes two men and a couple of very large pieces of, what else, cheese cloth. We are told by our guide she has never seen a woman do this job; this is a mans job. Once the cheese has rested for several days, and the cheese is a solid mass, they take a salt water bath. After which, they rest again for up to 36 months. The cheese master determines how long they rest, take a bath and so on. Our tour included stops in a variety of rooms with explanations of the many processes. For example, how does the rind get that printing on it? What happens to cheese that does not 'make the grade' to be sold as Parmesan? Why is Parmesan cheese only from the Parma area? Did you know the cheese master hits the cheese wheel with a mallet and can hear if there are any cracks inside? Cheese wheels with cracks are NOT sold as Parmesan! The last room on the tour is a vast room full of floor to ceiling wheels of cheese. I have never been more excited about cheese as I was to be in this room! Each wheel must be turned often as it ages and the cheese master keeps an eye on all the wheels to determine when they may be sold. And the smell! Breathe in that aged Parmesan! After this very interesting tour, we stopped in to their shop which included tastings of Parmesan cheese at 12 months, 24 months and 36 months. Wow! What a difference! You can buy Parmesan here, as well as hams (from Parma of course), balsamic vinegars of different ages, jams (that pair well with cheese), gift and household items, sparking wine and the like. Even if you are unable to get into a tour, stopping by the shop is well worth a short trip into the countryside (about 20 minutes) to purchase cheeses, hams and other tasty treats. You could make a tasty picnic with the products sold here! Find this location on a map under Consorzio Produttori Latte Soc. Coop. RL just north of Parma. Give them a call to arrange a tour, or contact a local guide and ask for this option. Buon Apetito!