Already on September 5, thousands of Italian gourmets from all over the world will come to Parma to taste the Prosciutto di Parma.
For the seventeenth time in Parma and its environs, the Festival of Parma Ham (Festival del Prosciutto di Parma) will be held, where for several weeks guests and residents of the city will taste different types of amazing local produce.
Prosciutto di Parma is one of the hallmarks of sunny Italy. Amazingly fragrant jerky ham will not leave anyone indifferent. Amazingly, this wonderful product is made quite easily: for its preparation you need only the highest quality ham, sea salt, air and ... time. Local prosciutto masters pay special attention to the quality of ham, specially fattening pigs with corn, fruits, as well as whey, which remains from the production of the famous Parmesan cheese.
First of all, the prepared ham is rubbed with salt and left to dry in the fresh air for several months. From time to time, the future prosciutto is pierced and tasted to assess whether the ham is ready. The traditions of preparing a well-known product are carefully passed from generation to generation, and a special organization - the Consortium of Parma ham (Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma) - carefully checks the quality of ham.
The organizers of the festival, which will be held in Parma from September 5 to 21, offer to get acquainted with all the subtleties and details of the preparation of Parma prosciutto. The Parma Ham Festival is a true gourmet paradise. This year, about 150 prosciutto manufacturing companies, as well as 4,300 pig breeding farms, will take part in it. In addition to ham tastings, the festival program includes cultural and sports events, music evenings, as well as numerous competitions for children.
The culmination of the festivities will be Open Doors Days, when leading manufacturing companies will open their doors prosciutto, inviting everyone to personally attend the production of Parma's business card and taste fresh ham. Excursions in the production facilities will be held only on certain days: September 7, 8, 13 and 14. To farms where excursions will take place, free buses will run. In addition to visiting farms and enterprises producing the legendary prosciutto, it will be possible to go to local vineyards as part of the festival.
Organizers of the festival also recommend that all visitors to the festival visit the Parma Ham Museum, located in the small town of Langhirano, which is located 22 kilometers from Parma.
Details and a schedule of events can be found on the official website of the festival: www.festivaldelprosciuttodiparma.com
How to get to Parma
The distance from Parma to Milan is 120 kilometers, to Venice - 250 km, to Florence - 190 km, to Rimini -210 km. You can view the flight schedule and compare accommodation options using the search form below:
The most convenient way to get to Parma is by train: the city is at the intersection of one of the largest railway junctions in Italy. See train ticket self-service instructions at trenitalia.com
You can also get to Parma by car on the A1 (Milan - Rome - Naples) and A15 (Parma - La Spezia) highways. Compare car rental prices and choose the cheapest option using the auto.italy4.me service
