A day with your personal chef

Spend a day in an organic farm, a wonderful location in the green hearth of the Italian Apennine mountains. Meet with our qualified Chef, the owner of the farm, who is also agriculturalist, viticulturalist and livestock farmer who has chosen to live in harmony with nature. Spending a day with him means learning all about local raw materials and hand made fresh pasta, both traditional and modern techniques.

EXPERIENCES:

• Guided visit to a Parmigiano Reggiano PDO production with tasting
• Homemade gelato cooking class
• Lunch at the organic farm with 0-miliage products
• Themed-guided excursion in the wood
• Homemade fresh pasta cooking class
• Farewell dinner at the organic farm

DETAILED PROGRAM:

In the morning you will visit a mountain dairy producing Parmigiano Reggiano PDO accompanied by the Chef. You will discover why mountain-cheese is more sought after and of higher quality, with aromas and flavors that distinguish it from cheese from the plains. The visit will end with a vertical tasting of Parmigiano to enjoy firsthand the uniqueness of the 3 proposed ages (12-24-36 months) and their pairings.

Next, at the exclusively reserved Agriturismo, with a terrace overlooking the green hills of the Apennines, mini-cooking course for the preparation of homemade ice cream: you will learn the secrets of traditional Italian ice cream, using only natural ingredients, without the addition of chemical synthesis products. After the necessary resting phase, you can enjoy it for dinner with an endless range of toppings to accompany it!

Lunch at the Agriturismo where 0 miliage and organic products take center stage: tasting of cured meats, goat and cow cheeses of different kinds and areas, focaccia, savory pies and stuffed pies, salad with seasonal vegetables and a first course. To end on a sweet note: "Amors," the typical Borgotaro dessert!

In the afternoon you can choose the activity that most intrigues you and suits you according to the season, including:

• You will wander into the woods and meadows of the Alta Taro Valley, where in spring one of the most difficult to find but also most exciting mushrooms to taste is born: the blackthorn mushroom (Calocybe gambosa). You'll observe its habitat, catch its characteristics, and learn to recognize it from other species.
• You will visit the oldest facility for spawning and rearing native trout in the Taro Valley. You will understand the difficulties and commitment required to obtain the best results, the unique organoleptic qualities, and the environmental aspects necessary to obtain a product highly valued in the kitchen.
• You will also find many herbs and berries in the forest: the perfect ingredients to accompany traditional dishes and to prepare homemade alcoholic infusions. You will learn which herbs are the most fragrant and which berries can be used in cooking.
• Precious fruits grow in the rich soils around Parma's Apennines: Borgotaro Mushroom PGI and Fragno Black Truffle. Intense flavours of autumn, these valuable delicacies are the perfect complement for traditional mountain dishes. Enjoy a delightful excursion to the fragrant woods of the Parma Apennines, accompanied by expert Chef (authorized environmental guide) and his faithful, hardworking truffle dogs, to gather these delicacies before using them in a personalized cooking lesson at the end of the day.

Upon returning to the Agriturismo, a cooking class will be set up in the panoramic room for the preparation of fresh handmade pasta typical of the area. You will get to work together with the chef to make a dish created in this small portion of the territory: crosetti pasta. Not only will you make the dough needed to make them, but using the special wooden mold, you will produce and print the "discs" of pasta that, once dressed with a typical sauce, will be part of your final dinner. Upon request, we can get customized molds make by hand by the historic carpenter in the village with drawings or letters or logos, to take home a tangible souvenir of the experience. Use your mold at home to impress friends and relatives with this delicious recipe.

To follow dinner at the Agriturismo: appetizer with trout croutons, freshly handmade crosetti with dried porcini mushrooms, salami and chicory, stuffed guinea fowl with roasted potatoes, the homemade ice cream prepared by you in the morning. You can end the evening savoring homemade spirits losing yourself in the starry mountain sky.

Possibility to stay overnight in the Agriturismo, immersed in the peace and calm of the green hills of the Alta Val Taro. In the morning you will be pampered with a rich sweet and savory breakfast made with genuine and tasty 0-miliage and organic products: fresh traditional pastries, tasty jams, milk, butter and yogurt from the local dairy, fragrant bread, homemade cold cuts and cheeses. Breakfast is the most important moment of every day, loaded with expectations!

You can continue your stay among the green valleys of the Apennines, visit the castles of the Castelli del Ducato of Parma, Piacenza, and Pontremoli, discover other PDO products such as Prosciutto di Parma and Culatello di Zibello, visit the elegant and welcoming city of Parma, or spend a day at the nearby charming Cinque Terre.