This is part 4, and the last post in our series of virtual gastronomy tour articles that follow the program of the 6-day Academia Barilla VIP gastronomy tour to Emilia-Romagna, guided and organized by Academia Barilla Culinary School Alumni Frank DiMaria.

Thursday, September 25, is day five in the VIP gastronomy tour. After breakfast, the tour guests will enjoy an amazing half day gourmet tour to the largest city and capital of Emilia Romagna: Bologna.

Bologna’s historic centre, Europe’s second largest (after Venice) according to Wikipedia, contains a wealth of important Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque artistic monuments.

Gastronomy tour guide Frank DiMaria will lead the tour guests to the discovery of ancient culinary traditions, starting with a guided tour at the Medieval market where tour participants will explore the history, art and traditions of Bologna.

Among the highlights of the Bologna tour, the visit to a traditional bakery and pasta maker to learn about the history of tortellini and tagliatelle, and to one of the most traditional Salsamenterias, to discover secrets in the history of mortadella-making, from the third century BC up to modern times.

More culinary explorations of Bologna will reveal other secrets, such as those learnt during the visit to a traditional chocolate maker who actually invented solid chocolate, and those revealed by a lunch at a typical Bolognese downtown osteria, where to enjoy the fun-loving side and the love for food of the oldest university city in the western world, before returning to Parma for a group dinner and special end-of-tour event at the Academia Barilla Culinary Center.

Tour details may be subject to variations, so we suggest to read our blog post with complete program and tour details and to get in touch with Frank DiMaria for latest news and updates on this Academia Barilla VIP gastronomy tour.

Reach Frank on the phone by calling +1 847 965-0672 or +1 847 417-7587, or via email at frankdimaria@comcast.net.

Note: pictures in this blog post have been found on Google Images.

See you in Parma soon!

As we already announced, we begin this blog post series with articles that are intended to make you wish you were here in Parma, at least for a week.

We took the inspiration from the calendar of events, initiatives and locations included in the 6-day Academia Barilla VIP guided gastronomy tour to Emilia-Romagna promoted by Frank DiMaria, so we decided to show you a little bit around beforehand.

Today’s post is dedicated to the discovery of Parma, which is the centerpiece of the Emilia-Romagna experience in this VIP gastronomy tour.
We wrote many blog posts about Parma in the past, being the capital of the Italian Food Valley and also home town to Academia Barilla and the Academia Barilla Culinary Center.

Last year we created a full virtual visit experience with slideshows, photo galleries and Google Maps, so we have plenty of content to tell you about our favorite city in the world.

With Frank DiMaria you will discover several aspects of Parma. Upon arrival, you will immediately discover Parma’s hospitality, landing at one of the best Hotel locations in town, the 5-star Sofitel Grand Hotel de la Ville, where a “welcome aperitivo” will be waiting the VIP tour participants at the lounge bar of the hotel on the opening night.

Grand Hotel de la Ville is a prestigious building, a place in which the longstanding traditions of hospitality of our charming Italian town, mingles with the most evolved life-styles and the most advanced technology, planned and designed by leading Italian architects of international repute with the extraordinary participation of the great architect Renzo Piano.

More Parma gourmet locations are in the agenda of Frank DiMaria’s guided gastronomic tour, starting with a course at the Academia Barilla Culinary Center, but we will dedicate a whole post to that.

The VIP tour guests will enjoy a gourmet group dinner at an authentic local well-known Parma Pizzeria, check out Frank’s notes about it:

One of the most classical pizzerias of Parma often populated by the local VIPs. Good choice, with a wood-burning oven the pizzas are always good, and even the other plates on the menu are a surprise…

Another gourmet surprise for the VIP tour guests is also a dinner at “Il Cortile“, a delightful local restaurant in the heart of Parma, amidst the picturesque winding streets of the city’s “left bank“. As Frank DiMaria describes it:

The restaurant, a symbol of the Old Parma that has retained its original appearance with its ample, inviting veranda. Il Cortile has remained faithful to its trattoria origins, but owner Mauro and his wife Maria have added a special touch to it.

The food, the food… but also the culture, the history, the architecture. The Academia Barilla VIP gastronomy tour includes a full walking guided tour of the city of Parma, with Frank DiMaria as your Cicerone. Thanks to Frank you will discover how undeniably unique Parma is. Culture yes, but you will be totally absorbed by the food pleasures… on one of the guided visits to Parma our tour guests will have the pleasure to discover also the colors and vibes of a local Parma outdoor food market.

Parma is rich in art, culture and history - founded by the Romans in 183 b.c, made famous in Europe by the Farnese dynasty, the Bourbons, and the enlightened Duchy Marie Louise of Austria, Parma is now known worldwide for its unmatchable wine and food traditions.

Do you want to discover a little bit more? Explore the Google Map we created last year - click all the Google Map placemark to see pictures (and random videos) of the several Parma locations (better interaction with a larger map by clicking the link below the map).

Click on this link for a better map interaction

Note: the program may be subject to some modifications - check out the program we published here and just stay tuned with Frank DiMaria for latest news and updates on this Academia Barilla VIP gastronomy tour. For more info and booking call Frank at +1 847 965-0672 or +1 847 417-7587, or email him at frankdimaria@comcast.net.

Next blog post of this series: cooking classes at Academia Barilla!

Here is the full program of the 6-day Academia Barilla VIP gastronomy tour of Parma, Bologna and Emilia-Romagna organized and guided by Academia Barilla Culinary Center Alumni Frank DiMaria.

Remember that tour dates are September 21-26, so you better call soon for your reservations. For more info and booking call Frank DiMaria at +1 847 965-0672 or +1 847 417-7587, or email him at frankdimaria@comcast.net.

Day one - Sunday, September 21

Arrival in Milano Malpensa. Pick up with private bus and transfer to Parma
Check in at Grand Hotel de la Ville (5-star) and relaxing time

06:00 PM - Evening welcoming “aperitivo” at the lounge bar of the hotel

07:15 PM - Group dinner in an authentic local well-known Parma Pizzeria

Day two - Monday, September 22

09:30 AM - After breakfast, welcoming to Academia Barilla
Tour of the culinary center
Morning cooking session
Lunch of what we cooked together

04:30 PM - Walking guided tour of the city centre of the town

07:30 PM - The tour will be concluded in a delightful local restaurant

Day three - Tuesday, September 23

08:30 AM - After breakfast, departure for a visit to a Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese producer

To follow, visit to a Prosciutto di Parma producer
Along the way, pictures’ time at the romantic Castle of Torrechiara

12:30 PM - Visit to a wine cellar, tasting of typical products and lunch

02:30 PM - Transfer to the province of Modena for the visit to the Ferrari Museum

06:00 PM - Visit to an authentic Acetaia of Balsamic Vinegar

08:00 PM - Dinner at one of the best restaurant of the area, famous for the use of traditional balsamic vinegar

Day four - Wednesday, September 24

09:00 AM - After breakfast, walking trip to the local outdoor market

To follow: cooking session at the Academia Barilla Culinary Center with concentration on the products viewed on the gourmet tour

01.30 PM - Lunch at Academia Barilla

Afternoon and evening: free time to relax, individual visits and shopping.
Dinner on your own (not included)

Day five - Thursday, September 25

08:30 AM - After breakfast, departure for an amazing half day gourmet tour to the largest city of Emilia Romagna: Bologna (08:30 AM - 02:30 PM)

Guided tour round the medieval market in Downtown Bologna
Visit to traditional bakery and pasta makers
Visit to mortadella producers and traditional chocolate makers
Lunch in a typical Bolognese osteria

Afternoon: visit to the Ferrari Museum
Evening: farewell group dinner and event at the Academia Barilla Culinary Center

Day six - Friday, September 26

Pick up from the Hotel and transfer to the Airport.

Note: the program may be subject to some modifications - just stay tuned with Frank DiMaria at the contacts above for latest news and updates on this Academia Barilla VIP gastronomy tour.

Experience the ultimate Italian travel experience in the heart of Parma and Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s Food Valley, with Academia Barilla and the VIP gourmet tour organized by Academia Barilla Culinary School Alumni Frank DiMaria we announced with a previous post.

The VIP gastronomy tour dates are September 21-26, 2008, and the gourmet guided tour to Emilia-Romagna includes:

Culinary Hands-on Experience
Exclusive tasting sessions
Regional delicacies
Authentic menus
Specialty recipes
English-Italian translation
5-Star hotel accommodations
All meals included
Castle and winery visits
World class facilities
Individualized instruction
Courses from Italy’s top local Chefs
One-of-a-kind gourmet and culinary tours
Daily transportation and transfers
Tuition and course materials

Culinary travel highlights include:

The cultural street life, authentic markets, food stores, retail shops, restaurants and cafés of Parma and surrounding areas of Emilia-Romagna

Two hands-on culinary courses at the Academia Barilla Culinary Center
The spectacular historic Torrechiara Castle and medieval town nestled in the countryside of Emilia-Romagna

Gourmet tours to award-winning Parmigiano-Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma producers, where we will witness the production, authenticity and quality of traditional Italian products

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar tastings with professional, expert techniques on how to taste these regional delicacies

An excursion to a winery in the Emilia-Romagna region for a tasting and lesson on discovering the intricacies and flavors of different wines

An excursion to the Ferrari Museum in Imola to experience first hand the history of an Italian icon

Gelato and sorbetto tasting in local area cafés

The exclusive group price for this luxury VIP guided tour is $2,900 per person, airfare excluded. For more detailed information about the VIP tour features, cost and booking please call Frank DiMaria at +1 847 965-0672 or +1 847 417-7587, or email Frank at frankdimaria@comcast.net.

We will be blogging more over the next few weeks about this VIP gastronomy tour to Emilia-Romagna, getting into details of each activity and destination to feed you with more Italian food culture and some desire to come cook with us in Parma!

We have been blogging a lot in the past about Academia Barilla’s gourmet and gastronomy tours in Parma and Emilia-Romagna, as well as the several initiatives from the Academia Barilla Culinary Center such as the culinary learning vacations that conjugate the pleasure of discovering Italian culture and food tradition with the ultimate experience of learning how to cook with top Italian Chefs.

We also blogged several times about other Academia Barilla initiatives that put together Italian food and culture - and no, we don’t mean “just” Italian food culture, but actually gourmet food plus Italian culture, such as in the gourmet cultural tours proposed by Academia Barilla to discover historic and artistic landmarks, contemporary art or classic opera.

Talking about which, we can anticipate that also for this year Academia Barilla will offer gourmet luxury packages to enjoy the Festival Verdi 2008, dedicated to the Italian Opera Maestro Giuseppe Verdi. We’ll blog about it soon, stay tuned!

We are not the only one blogging about the Academia Barilla gourmet, cultural and culinary tours to Italy. The Academia Barilla Culinary Center in Parma, Italy, is listed as a top culinary destination by several Italian food websites and directories, such as ChicagoTribune.com, Cooking In Italy, Alta Cucina and GreatEveryDayWines.com, among others. Not to mention of course Gourmet Magazine, who recently ranked the Academia Barilla Culinary Center among the world’s best cooking schools, among the top 5 in the world in the Luxury category. 

If you want to get more info and details about the cultural, culinary and gastronomic tours of Academia Barilla please get in touch with Academia Barilla in Parma at +39 0521 264060 (toll-free number from Italy 800 376-116), or in the United States at the US toll-free number 1-866-772-2233.

We also already talked about our VIP tours, too, as in the recent case of Lynn Novo’s VIP gourmet tour to Parma, organized by Chef and food entrepreneur Lynn Novo from Atlanta, Georgia.

The Academia Barilla VIP tours are luxury guided cultural and culinary tours designed by Academia Barilla and managed by Academia Barilla Culinary School Alumni such as Lynn Novo or Frank DiMaria, who is organizing a new VIP tour from Chicago, Illinois.

Over the next few weeks we will publish a series of blog posts that will help recreate the experience, albeit in a virtual way, proposed by the Academia Barilla VIP tour organized and guided by Frank DiMaria. For the moment, we anticipate that there will be a lot of cooking, but also visits to local artisan food producers, Medieval castles, the Ferrari Museum, and guided tours to the historic and monument beauties of the cities of Parma and Bologna.

Stay tuned for the next blog posts. If you want to book or get more info on this specific Academia Barilla VIP tour, please call Frank DiMaria at all +1 847-965-0672 or email frankdimaria@comcast.net to reserve your space!