Parma, Italy

Next our our trip was all about the food!  Modena is known for their Balsamic vinegar and Parma for their Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano. We signed up for two factory tours while staying in Parma.  First up the Prosciutto factory!!!  We were able to see the process it takes to make that delicious melt in your mouth prosciutto!

 If you could only smell this room.  Ryan joked and said they should rent out a room with a cot to sleep in because it smelled wonderful!!!! 

And the reward in the end was a table full of food to try!  After this tour Bobo was named the "Prosciutto King".  I couldn't believe how much he loved the tour and how much he ate!

 For the rest of the day we checked out the city of Parma.  We had so much fun just exploring and shopping and eating our way around the city. 

 In town their is an old library and theatre which we all enjoyed seeing.

For dinner we made reservations at a Michelin star restaurant, I Tri Siochett.   Again this city is all about the food!

 More meats and cheeses and pasta!  As you can see on the table most of the time we have some sort of quiet activity.  When we sit down we make the kids look over the menu, decide what they want and then order for themselves.  Then I let them color or whatever until the food arrives.   Sometimes if we want to finish our drinks or dessert I let them color again at the end, but this is how we manage 2-3 hour dinners at nice quiet places with two kids!

The place we stayed in was called Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati and Bobo loved taking the stairs and seeing the beautiful courtyard.  Most of the places we stayed had two bedrooms and a kitchen with nearby parking.

 Day tour we went with the same guide, Mateo, to a Parmigiano-Reggiano factory.  We most importantly learned this is the real Parm cheese!!!  This is the good stuff.

 We were here all morning and got to see how they start the process of the cheese barrel.   We have so much more appreciation for the food after seeing what a traditional and tedious process it is to make it.

 Our guide grew up in the house attached to this factory and this is his dad "The Cheese Master".  We learned how hard he works....14 hour days and has taken one day off in 40 years!!!

After all the walking, tours and tastings we were ready for our next stop and some down time.