Hidden amongst an active dairy farm is an auto museum! Yes you heard tat right. The family behind…read moreHombre also has one of the greatest Maserati collections in an area that is home to Maserati, Ferrari, Ducati and Lamborghini. I would have never known if not told to me by the folks at Osteria Francescana. So damn cool. Maseratis that go way back to the beginning. There are also aCollection of vintage motorcycles from all over the world. Some cars from other manufacturers too. But the core is the deep history of Maserati. Outside the Panini family also has a vintage collection of tractors in hi or of what they do. If you look carefully you'll see one of the original Lamboghini tractors well before they made sports cars. Simply amazing

This is a lovely place, an art collection in a large manor house seemingly in the middle of…read morenowhere. We've been there a number of times and always make time for it. What's particularly nice is that they have different sort of roving collections in a separate wing, some rather obscure and others such as "Pubblicitta", Italian advertising. Then a Roy Lichtenstein exhibit. Currently, a surrealist exhibit. Well worth a visit.

You will be amazed!!! In the middle of the Parmesan country…read moreside, between the city of Parma and the hills, this amazing villa transformed from Magnani's foundation, after the death of the owner in one of the jewels of the area. There is a GREAT collection of Morandi's paintings (Magnani was a close friend to Morandi) and a complete full collection of other paintings and sculptures (Gentile da Fabriano, Filippo Lippi, Dürer, Tiziano, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, de Pisis, Burri, Canova and Lorenzo Bartolini ) The Villa itself is a place you want to visit and then it has a great museum inside. The park around the villa is definitely a must see. Great to walk around during a nice warm spring day. If you are around during lunch time, you can also sit down at the great restaurant where they serve the BEST tortelli di erbetta you can have in the area. Served with wine and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese produced from the wine yards and cheese factories belonging to the Magnani foundation. The winter garden inside one of the villa's wings is also worth the visit. Plan in advance and book so you are sure not to wait too long. Check the website for all information as the museum is closed during winter periods.

A small producer of wine in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Situated in the hills south of…read moreParma. Stopped here for lunch as part of a larger full day tour of the area. They specialize in Lambrusco and sparkling wines. Lunch consisted of several area specialties. 5 varieties of local made prosciutto. Local grilled sausage with radicchio with melted scamorza (local soft cheese). Ravioli with fresh ricotta and herbs. And tagliatelle with fresh porcini and pancetta. The classic trained chef prepared everything with exquisite detail. Each dish is designed to showcase the flavors and techniques typical to this particular area of Emilia-Romagna. Truly unique experience. Quiet, peaceful, and tranquil. Hopefully putting this place on the map won't spoil that.

Acataia Leonardi of Modena On our way to Tuscany we stopped…read morehere to learn and taste there amazing balsamic vinegar products. Per our wonderful tour guide the farm was founded around 1870 with has been producing 4 generations of this wonderful balsamic vinegar. The process begins and ends here at this site from growing their grapes to the consumer. The place was incredibly beautiful and immaculate and our tour guide was amazing and very informative of every step of the process of switching barrels and let us taste different 100 year old tradition( absolutely amazing). After tasting this I will no longer buy that "grocery store" version after trying this. They do sell there products on line so check them out. As our guide said if it's not from Italy it's not real. Enjoy as I had!!!

I bought some Acetaia Leonardi basalmico (balsamic vinegar) from Enoteca Ducale. I then go curious…read moreto see where Acetaia Leonardi was located so I looked up their website. I noticed that they had tours (three different types) and that they weren't far from the main part of Modena. I emailed them requesting a tour the night before I wished to visit, realizing it might have been a long shot, last minute request. I was delighted to receive an email the next day (the day I wanted the tour) from Chiara, stating that they could do a tour! I was having lunch when I received the email and replied saying I could be there around 1630. When we arrived, we were greeted by Chiara herself. Things weren't really clear about the tour yet, since the website shows they had three types of tours, I was expecting them to ask which one I wanted and to let me know a price. Nothing was said except she asked if we were ready for the tour. The first part of the tour brought us to the barrel room where they store most of the balsamico. She showed us how huge some of the barrels are and taught us about the numbers of years (more correctly, transfers) when making balsamico. She then took us upstairs to where the really good stuff was. There, was the room where the 100+ year old (transfer) balsamico was. It was a room full of black gold. She then surprised us when she offered us to taste some! She gave us each a small spoonful (think of a Baskin Robbins tasting spoon size). IT. WAS. AMAZING. She then brought us to the storefront, as I assumed the "Basic Tour" would end. That's where I was wrong! She offered us Lambrusco AND Parmigiano Reggiano to sample. The two of us were offered pretty much a whole bottle of Lambrusco and quite a bit of cheese. She gave us several different types of balsamico to try with the cheese; 5 year, 10 year, 12 year, 15 year, 20 year, and even 30 year. Aside from the different ages, some infused with juniper, cherry, or even truffle! After all was said and done, she let us wander the store on our own without any pressure to buy. To end the story on a VERY happy ending, there was no charge to the tour! The website doesn't post any fees, so I'm not sure if that's normal, but she said it was free! If you look at the three types of tours on the website, it seems like my tour was a combination of the "Typical Tour" and the "Greedy Tour" I'm glad I was able to tour the place and buy several bottles to take home and give out. I am sad, though, that once I run out, I will have to either try to make it back or purchase online somewhere!

Great castle tour. I would recommend this being done along with another experience like visiting…read moreone of the Parma ham locations. It will only take about two hours total and then the cute little town doesn't have much else to offer beside a good coffee with a quaint view.

Dedicated to showcasing Roman and Egyptian antiquities, the Archaeological Museum of Parma has…read moreeverything you want from those eras...beautiful marble statues, mummies, hieroglyphic stone carvings, old Roman coins... Unfortunately, this is also a very small museum and absolutely dwarfed by other larger and more famous museums in Italy with similar artifacts. Still, since admission here is part of the ticket package you get for getting into the much grander National Gallery, consider this location icing on the cake. TIP: You can leave your backpack and other personal belongings here in a personal locker.