We left the town of Parma for a day trip into the countryside. The first stop was to be a salumi factory in another small village – I had images of a sterile building, following a guide on an industrial tour. Didn’t sound all that great to me.
The reality was totally different: this place reminded me of the estates one finds in Napa or Sonoma. The property was the birthplace of a famous Italian: Giuseppe Verdi. It became the manor home – some call it a castle – where taxes had to be paid to cross the bridge in the long Po river, nearby. Today it is an exclusive small hotel, with a Michelin started restaurant, and a basement cureing center for pork.
So how does salumi figure into all of this? Salumi is a generic word for all kinds of cold colds, like salami, but the king of cold cuts is called culatello Parma ham, which is taken from the black pork and is considered the ultimate delicacy for those who like cold cuts. The pork is hung and cured in the basement of the building.
These hams are sold to the finest restaurants the world over and are reserved in advanced. It takes at least six months to cure one, and we saw the names of restaurants and individuals who have reserved their pork: Prince Albert of Monaco is one, Prince Charles of Great Britain is another.
After our visit to this magnificent estate, we were driven to the Po river -Italy’s longest river – for our pontoon river cruise with our captain, a naturalist who also fishes the river and knows much of its lore. We docked at Giarola Island and had a picnic lunch in a fisherman’s cabin and heard tales of life on the river . We had focaccio with cold cuts of ham, a fruit salad and cookies, washed down with red or white wine and water.
On the way back, cruising on the river, we were shown the bones of a catfish – a very big one – and some pottery that dates back to Etruscan Times and the Bronze Age. It was amazing. These artifacts were all found on the riverbank.
Returning to Parma, we had dinner with some of our fellow travelers at a restaurant not far from the hotel. In honor of the day, I had the assorted fish starter course and Ann and I split another tiramisu for dessert.
Tomorrow we leave for Lucca, meet new travelers and begin the main tour of Tuscany and Umbria.
What a day! Love all the hanging cold-cuts – and of course, Prince Charles would not go with Oscar Meyer :-). Nice picture of the two of you!
The hotel was beautiful- intimate. Saw an Asian couple being picked up by a very nice car and driver. The venue can be rented for weddings too.
Great commentary!
Those hams remind me of my life on the farm so many years ago.