Inside Italy’s ultimate cheese festival: Parma opens its dairies for Caseifici Aperti 

As a circuit group pauses betwixt rows of Parmigiano Reggiano stacked to nan ceiling, an Italian female explains really she smuggles wedges of nan food to her sister.

“No 1 ever looks doubly astatine thoroughbreds,” she says, arsenic if hiding food successful horseboxes were nan astir earthy point successful nan world. An affineur’s hammer echoes successful nan region — tap, tap, pat — and nan room falls silent. These food professionals specialise successful nan process of maturing and ageing young cheeses to create their afloat flavour, texture, and aroma.

It mightiness sound for illustration a joke, but successful Parma, devotion to Parmigiano Reggiano runs deep. And astatine nary clip does that passion consciousness much live than during Caseifici Aperti, erstwhile dairies crossed Emilia-Romagna unfastened their doors truthful visitors tin find retired what makes Italy’s astir celebrated food truthful beloved.

A uncommon invitation

Caseifici Aperti, aliases “Open Dairies”, is Parmigiano Reggiano’s access-all-areas weekend. Held doubly a twelvemonth successful outpouring and autumn, it invites nan nationalist to spot really nan cheese is made and why nan strict rules down it still matter.

Thousands of visitors flock to hundreds of dairies that unfastened crossed nan Emilia-Romagna region betwixt Parma, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Mantua.

One of nan astir salient is Azienda Agricola Bertinelli.Run by nan Bertinelli farming dynasty since 1895, it hosts tours, workshops and tastings astatine its dairy connected nan outskirts of Parma.

“Caseifici Aperti lets everyone, from nan funny to afloat fledged foodies, participate successful nan commencement of a wheel, locomotion nan maturing warehouses and bargain food straight from nan artisan who made it,” says Nicola Bertinelli, nan 6th procreation proprietor of Azienda Agricola Bertinelli.

“It is simply a existent travel done clip to observe an artisanal method that has remained unchanged for complete 9 centuries.”

For visitors weighing up dates, his proposal is clear: “This is nan infinitesimal erstwhile nan full territory opens its doors, and you consciousness nan relationship betwixt people, animals and nature. It is nan astir complete measurement to understand why Parma’s nutrient civilization is recognised worldwide.”

Three ingredients, a 1000 years

If you want to acquisition Parmigiano Reggiano being made, you request to get early. By 7 aliases 8 successful nan morning, visitors are filing past nan milking sheds towards nan make room, wherever copper, bell-shaped vats beryllium nether agleam lights and guides explicate why dairies support truthful overmuch of nan process connected their ain land.

The centuries-old look has changed very small since 1254, erstwhile Benedictine and Cistercian monks first devised large, long-keeping wheels to sphere surplus milk. Families for illustration nan Gennaris and Valserenas person kept that trade live for generations. They still usage section cattle breeds specified arsenic nan Italian Frisona and spino whisks made from hawthorn branches.

Today, astatine Azienda Agricola Bertinelli, nan process remains vertically integrated, meaning they ain nan herd, nutrient nan beverage and turn nan hay. This ensures, arsenic required by nan European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), that each instrumentality has a flavour floor plan unsocial to its dairy.

Bertinelli recommends watching 3 moments closely.

“Pay attraction to nan curd erstwhile it is surgery into mini granules. It is very delicate and each astir timing,” he says. “Then nan lift, erstwhile nan instrumentality takes style wrong nan hoop, which shows existent artisanal skill. And don’t miss nan ageing rooms, nan agelong corridors wherever flavour, texture and aroma evolve.”

These ageing rooms, often referred to arsenic “cheese cathedrals”, are aisles of shelves moving from level to ceiling. After a brine bath and personality marking, nan wheels remainder present while fermentation continues. After 12 months, a Consortium inspector arrives pinch a mini hammer to sound each wheel; clean, moreover notes bespeak conformity to nan PDO modular and gain nan Parmigiano Reggiano fire-brand connected nan rind.

The standard of this room is besides wherever nan economics of Parmigiano Reggiano are astir visible. Cheese wheels person agelong functioned arsenic collateral because they summation successful worth complete time, pinch respective Italian banks still operating dedicated food vaults to this day.

What surprises visitors most, however, is nan simplicity of nan ingredients. “Milk, rennet and salt. No additives, nary preservatives. Complexity comes from clip and quality ingenuity.”

A play of nutrient and culture

During Caseifici Aperti, Parma is busy, and nan champion restaurants capable up quickly, truthful it makes consciousness to book ahead. Schedule dairy visits for nan morning, erstwhile accumulation is successful afloat swing, and time off clip successful nan day to soak up nan bluish Italian city’s historical centre.

“If you person nan full day, beryllium judge to person luncheon successful a section trattoria aliases sojourn a adjacent shaper of Prosciutto di Parma aliases Lambrusco wine,” says Bertinelli.

Between meals, nan Cathedral of Santa Maria Assuntaand nan Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista some beryllium successful nan Piazza Duomo, making a neat taste stop. The Palazzo della Pilotta is simply a larger analyzable that houses museums, galleries and capacity spaces and tin comfortably capable an hr aliases two. Many city-run museums besides connection free introduction connected definite days, truthful it is worthy checking section listings earlier you group off.

Keeping nan fable alive

In a world of lookalikes, Caseifici Aperti celebrates an Italian culinary icon. The PDO, which has faced repeated challenges from imitation cheeses abroad, continues to clasp patient aft 25 years. This is conscionable 1 of nan reasons why section affineurs and cheesemakers are truthful committed to putting this process connected show.

“The main extremity is to create relationship and knowledge,” says Bertinelli. “More than 22,000 visitors joined nan 2024 edition, and astir 85 per cent of them bought food from nan dairies, straight supporting section producers.” This effect is arsenic taste arsenic it is economic. “Every visitant becomes an ambassador of nan PDO and of nan values it represents.”

A play successful Parma during Caseifici Aperti leaves you pinch a clear consciousness of why Parmigiano Reggiano is astatine nan centre of Emilia-Romagna nutrient culture, and a beardown impulse to bring a wedge location by immoderate intends necessary.

Casefici Apertiruns connected nan first weekends of May and October successful Parma and crossed nan Emilia-Romagna region.