Booking choice: The culatello country half day, from $262 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Culatello di Zibello is made by about twenty producers in seven small towns along the Po, about 45 minutes from Parma by car. There is no big coach tour: the tours that visit a producer are private or small-group days costing $245 to $324, with one to six reviews each.
That does not make them risky, just new or niche. Below: the city walks where culatello is on the board, the $25 curing-room tasting, the producer days, the museum on your own, and which one suits you.
The quick answer
To taste culatello, a Parma food walk is the easy answer: the private walk ($129) and the shared two-hour tasting ($74) both serve it. For $25, a curing room just west of Parma runs a one-hour tasting of prosciutto, culatello and culatta. To see where it is made, the private lowlands half day ($262, 6 reviews) and the Parmigiano, culatello and Verdi day ($245, 1 review) go to the Bassa, or you can drive to the Museo del Culatello yourself.
Is there a culatello tour from Parma?
Yes, but only a few, all small: two producer tours on this site plus a private full day on Viator, and each has only a handful of reviews so far.
The big Parma food tours, with hundreds of reviews, are built around Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma. Culatello is harder to sell to groups: the producers are small, the towns are 40 km away across flat farmland, and there is no train. So most culatello experiences are either tastings in or near Parma, or private days with a guide and a car.
How do the culatello options compare?
From $25 for a tasting to $324 for a private full day; only the tours to the Bassa show you culatello being aged.
Prices are from-prices per person; ratings and review counts are each platform's own.
| Option | Sold on | What you get | Length | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private food and wine walk | Viator | Culatello on a cold-cut board, 5 stops in Parma | 3 hours | 5.0 (651) | $129 |
| Two-hour city tasting | GetYourGuide | Culatello on the board, 4 stops, shared group | 2 hours | 5.0 (11) | $74 |
| Curing-room tasting | GetYourGuide | Prosciutto, culatello and culatta side by side | 1 hour | 5.0 (2) | $25 |
| Lowlands half day | Viator | Farm producer at Polesine, culatello lunch | 5 hours | 5.0 (6) | $262 |
| Parmigiano, culatello and Verdi day | GetYourGuide | Dairy, culatello maker, museum, Verdi or Colorno | 6 to 9 hours | 5.0 (1) | $245 |
| Parmigiano and culatello full day | Viator | Dairy, then 3 hours at Polesine with lunch | 8.5 hours | 5.0 (3) | $324 |
| Museo del Culatello on your own | At the door | Museum with audio guide, tasting extra | 1 to 2 hours | - | €7 + €8 tasting |
What is the $25 culatello tasting like?
A one-hour visit to the curing room at La Fattoria di Parma, west of the city, then a comparative tasting of prosciutto, culatello and culatta with bread, focaccia and a glass of wine.
The idea is simple: all three come from the same pork leg, so you learn why they turn out so differently, then pick your favourite. It is on the Via Emilia at Sanguinaro, and you make your own way there (transport is not included). Children up to 4 go free. At $25 it is the cheapest culatello experience with an explanation, but it has only 2 reviews so far, both five stars.
The cheapest way to taste culatello with someone explaining it: one hour, three cured meats, bread and wine.
Explore the $25 culatello tastingWhich Parma food walks include culatello?
The private food and wine walk and the shared two-hour tasting both list Culatello di Zibello on the cold-cut board; the full-meal walk lists prosciutto instead.
The private walk meets at Caffè San Pietro on Piazza Garibaldi and makes five stops over three hours: cured meats including culatello and culaccia, three ages of Parmigiano, two fresh pastas, pastries, gelato and two glasses of Colli di Parma wine. The two-hour tasting starts on Strada Mazzini and packs seven tastings into four stops, with five ages of Parmigiano. Both are run by Artemilia, and neither suits vegans.
The top-rated way to taste culatello in Parma: a private walk with five food and wine stops.
Check dates for the private food and wine walkWhat happens on the culatello country half day?
A private guide drives you north through San Secondo, past the Roccabianca castle and Zibello, then spends about 2 hours 45 minutes at a farm producer in Polesine Parmense, ending with culatello and lunch.
The lowlands half day runs in the morning or afternoon. Pick the option with transport and you are collected within 15 km of Piazza Garibaldi; pick self-drive and you follow the guide in your own car. At the farm you see the animals and the curing rooms, then eat PDO culatello, coppa, pancetta or lard and salami, homemade pasta, focaccia and dessert with local wine. It is rated 5.0 from only 6 reviews, but it comes from the team behind the 651-review city walk.
The most direct culatello tour: a private half day to a farm producer in the Po lowlands, with lunch.
Explore the culatello country half dayAre there full-day culatello tours?
Two: a Parmigiano, culatello and Verdi day from $245 on GetYourGuide, and Artemilia's Parmigiano and culatello private day from $324 on Viator, each with only a handful of reviews so far.
The Parmigiano, culatello, art and music day (6 to 9 hours, 1 review so far) starts at Parma station: a guided visit to the Caseificio Sociale di Soragna with a plate of anolini in brodo, an hour at the Dallatana culatello producer, a tasting lunch at their osteria and entry to the Culatello Museum, then your choice of the Teatro Verdi in Busseto, the Colorno palace or a walk in the Po river park. The same day is sold on Viator for about $255. Artemilia's private full day on Viator (8 hours 30, 3 reviews) starts at 7:30 AM with a dairy and a tasting of Parmigiano aged 12 to 36 months, then drives to Roccabianca, Zibello and three hours at Polesine Parmense with lunch.
Cheese in the morning, culatello at lunch and Verdi in the afternoon, with transfer from Parma.
Check dates for the Parmigiano, culatello and Verdi dayCan you visit the Museo del Culatello on your own?
Yes: it is at Antica Corte Pallavicina in Polesine Parmense, open Tuesday to Sunday 10 AM to 6 PM, closed Mondays and all of January; €7 with an audio guide, plus €8 for a culatello tasting.
The museum sits on a farm estate by the Po where the Spigaroli family, once sharecroppers of Giuseppe Verdi, still make culatello, with aging cellars facing the river and a restaurant on site. Reduced tickets are €5, a family ticket €10, and under-6s go free; the audio guide is in Italian, English or French. Book the tasting ahead. You need a car: it is about 45 minutes from Parma. More in the culatello country guide.
Which culatello tour should you book?
Taste it in town if you have a day and no car; go to the Bassa if seeing the cellars is the point of your trip.
- One day in Parma, no car: the private food walk, or the two-hour tasting if you would rather join a small group.
- On a budget, with a car or taxi: the $25 curing-room tasting.
- Culatello is why you came: the lowlands half day, with pickup.
- You want cheese, culatello and sightseeing in one day: the Parmigiano, culatello and Verdi day.
- You are driving anyway: the museum and its tasting, with Busseto nearby.
Culatello is the point of the trip? Check dates for the lowlands half day with pickup.
Check dates for the culatello country half dayFrequently asked questions
How much does a culatello tour cost?
From $25 for the one-hour curing-room tasting and $74 to $129 for the city food walks, to $245 to $324 for the days that visit a producer in the Bassa. The museum costs €7, plus €8 for its tasting.
Why do culatello tours have so few reviews?
They are small: private or small-group days to producers who make culatello in limited numbers. The lowlands half day and the Viator full day are run by the same team as Parma's top-rated food walk, with 651 reviews.
Do I need a car for a culatello tour?
Not on a tour with transport: the lowlands half day collects you within 15 km of central Parma and the country day starts at Parma station. You do need one to visit the museum or the $25 tasting on your own, or a taxi for the tasting.
Can vegetarians do a culatello tour?
Not really: the lowlands half day and the two-hour city tasting are not available for vegetarians. The private walk offers vegetarian options with notice, but you would miss the point.
Ready to book
Choose your tasting
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Culatello Country: Po Lowlands Half Day
- Private local guide and admission
- Hotel pickup within 15 km of Parma (or follow the guide in your own car)
- Tasting of PDO Culatello di Zibello, coppa, pancetta and salami
Prosciutto, Culatello & Culatta Tasting
Culatello side by side with prosciutto, for $25
Parma Private Food and Wine Walking Tour
- Private local guide, start at Caffè San Pietro, Piazza Garibaldi
- Cold-cut board with Culatello di Zibello, Prosciutto di Parma, culaccia, coppa, salame
- Three ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, two fresh pastas, pastries and gelato
