Advanced Salumi Course Bologna-Parma
2019: March 20–25
Availability: Feb cancelled | Mar 4 places Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates Course designed and led by Giancarlo Russo, National Coordinator for Slow Food Italy on meat topics and co‐author of Salumi d’Italia This is the sequel to our by now legendary salumi course in Tuscany. You asked for mortadella di Bologna and you’re going to get it. You will visit four artisan norcini covering the main dry-cured and cooked products of the classic prosciutto and salami region between Bologna and Parma. One produces the Slow Food presidium mortadella. Two also rear free-range rare breed pigs, Mora Romagnola and Nero di Parma, and one has his own micro-abattoir. Course suitable for pig breeders, butchers, chefs and amateurs who want to make their own salumi. Open only to people who have already taken the course in Tuscany. Maximum course size: 7 people. If you haven’t yet taken the Tuscan course, go here for details http://www.sapori-e-saperi.com/courses_with_artisan/advanced-salumi-course/ Click on tabs below for more information To request a booking form email 9info@sapori-e-saperi.com |
Course at a glance Wednesday Arrival at Bologna airport or train station no later than 3.30 pm (use airport shuttle bus to Bologna Centrale station and walk 8 mins to Hotel Il Guercino). You may not drive your own car during the course. If you want to arrive by car, you may park it at Bologna airport. Please ask for details. Session 1: Introduction to course by Giancarlo Russo Welcome dinner at Trattoria Via di Serra Thursday Session 2: Mortadella di Bologna (Slow Food Presidium) and other cooked salumi with Silvio Scapin Lunch at Silvio’s Free time in Bologna Dinner at private home, Bologna Friday Session 3: Farm tour to visit free-range, biodynamic Mora Romagnola pigs with owner, farmer and norcino Giorgio Bonacini Tasting lunch at Bonacini’s Session 4: Pancetta-in-depth with Giorgio Bonacini Session 5: Tour of slaughterhouse, cellar and shop Transfer to Parma Dinner at classic Parma restaurant Cocchi Saturday Since the most important sales outlets for our norcini are Saturday morning farmers’ markets, none of them can host us on Saturday. We fill in with that other great product of Parma: parmigiano reggiano. Session 6: From milk to cheese at the Avanzini family dairy Session 7: Visit specialist maturing warehouse (if available) Lunch at Avanzini dairy Session 8: Visit Langhirano, prosciutto capital of Parma Sightseeing in Parma or tour of Renaissance castle of Torrechiara (optional) Dinner at Slow Food restaurant Masticabrodo, Pilastro Sunday All day with the Brianti family on their organic farm San Paolo Session 9: Farm tour to see Nero di Parma free-range pigs with owner, farmer and norcino Aldo Brianti Session 10: From pig to prosciutto, culatello, salami and cicciolata with Aldo and Luca Brianti With a break for lunch with the Brianti family Session 11: Review and Q&A with Giancarlo Russo Dinner at Agriturismo Torrechiara Monday Session 12: Classic prosciutto di Parma with Maurizio Cavalli Lunch: tasting of Maurizio’s salumi Transfer to Bologna airport at about 1 pm to arrive at airport at about 2.30 pm and onward to station to arrive at about 3.00 pm. For more details, please click Course tab above To request a booking form email info@sapori-e-saperi.com |
Wednesday Bologna airport or train station to Hotel Il Guercino Arrival at Bologna airport no later than 3.30 pm. Please take airport shuttle to Bologna Centrale station and walk 8 minutes to Hotel Il Guercino. If arriving at station, walk to Il Guercino. Directions will be supplied. You may not drive your own car during the course. If you want to arrive by car, you may park it at the airport during the course. Please ask for details of a reasonably priced car park. Session 1: Introduction to course by Giancarlo Russo
Dinner: Trattoria Via di Serra Classic Bolognese cuisine with a modern twist in a relaxed atmosphere. Dishes based on the best local ingredients including mortadella from norcino Scapin who teaches our course. Accommodation: Hotel Il Guercino, Bologna | Meals: Dinner Thursday Breakfast and transfer to Scapin, Bologna Session 2: Mortadella di Bologna and other cooked salumi with Silvio Scapin
Lunch: Tasting of Silvio’s salumi Transfer to Bologna centre Free time in Bologna Dinner: private home, Bologna Marcello and Raffa invite you to their home for a typical Bolognese dinner. You’ve never tasted lasagna like this! Accommodation: Hotel Il Guercino, Bologna | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Friday Breakfast, check out of hotel and transfer to Il Grifo farm, Bagno di Reggio Emilia, where you spend the day Session 3: Farm tour with owner, farmer and norcino Giorgio Bonacini
Lunch: Tasting of Giorgio’s salumi including spalla cotta (cooked shoulder) Session 4: Pancetta in depth
Session 5: Tour of rest of establishment
Transfer to Agriturismo La Madonnina, Torrechiara (Parma) Dinner: Ristorante Cocchi, Parma Daniel Cocchi has made his restaurant a citadel of the traditional cuisine of Parma. Accommodation: Agriturismo La Madonnina, Torrechiara | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Saturday Breakfast and transfer to Rivalta Since the most important sales outlets, apart from their own shops, for the norcini we visit are Saturday morning farmers’ markets, none of them can host us on Saturday. We fill in with that other great product of Parma: parmigiano reggiano. Session 6: From milk to cheese at the Avanzini family dairy Umberto and his son Davide produce organic parmigiano from the milk of their own herd.
Session 7: Visit specialist maturing warehouse (if available) Lunch: at the Avanzini farm Session 8: Visit with Giancarlo to Langhirano, prosciutto capital of Parma Sightseeing in Parma or tour of Renaissance castle of Torrechiara (optional) Dinner at Masticabrodo, Pilastro Masticabrodo literally means ‘chew broth’, but is used for someone who chews slowly and noisily or dithers over everything. The menu of this Slow Food guide restaurant resurrects peasant dishes of the past. Accommodation: Agriturismo La Madonnina, Torrechiara | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Sunday Breakfast and transfer to San Paolo farm, Medesano, where you spend the day Session 9: Farm tour with owner, farmer and norcino Aldo Brianti
Session 10: Aldo and his son Luca take you through a range of salumi typical of Parma
Lunch: sometime in the middle of Session 10 we go up to the house to indulge in Sunday lunch with the family Transfer to Agriturismo La Madonnina Session 11: Review and Q&A with Giancarlo Russo
Dinner at Agriturismo La Madonnina Accommodation: Agriturismo La Madonnina, Torrechiara | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Monday Breakfast and check out of agriturismo Transfer to Gaiano di Collecchio Session 12: Classic prosciutto di Parma with Maurizio Cavalli The A–Z of prosciutto di Parma in this family firm that ages the Brianti’s prosciutto. They produce their own prosciutto, coppa, culatello, culaccio and fiocchetto.
Lunch: tasting of Maurizio’s salumi Transfer to Bologna airport There will be one transfer at about 1.00 pm. It takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. Please don’t book flights that leave before 4.00 pm. If you intend to depart by train, you will be taken to Bologna station after the airport stop (15 minutes between airport and station). If you need to leave earlier, I can arrange a special transfer at your own expense. To request a booking form email info@sapori-e-saperi.com |
Course Leader
Giancarlo Russo Giancarlo designed and leads our Courses with Artisans Advanced Salumi Course and the Theory & Practice of Italian Cheese. He was Marketing Director for Mars-Nivea and American Express until he bailed out to adopt a slower, more personally rewarding way of life. Since then he has gained a wide range of qualifications and experience in the field of artisanal food:
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Course Instructors
Giorgio Bonacini, Il Grifo Giorgio and his wife Claudia started in 1997 with a few pigs. They had a dream of an organic farm in balance with nature and a virtuous circle of production all within the farm: free range Mora Romagnola pigs, organic cereals, slaughtering, butchering, transforming the meat into salumi and selling from a farm shop. By 2006 their dream had become a reality, and by 2011 they had also installed a photovoltaic plant to supply their electricity. Because they control the complete line of production, they don’t have to use any preservatives other than salt and cold. |
Aldo & Luca Brianti, San Paolo Aldo started as a butcher and norcino in Parma whose search for better quality meat led him realise he had to rear his own. In 2002 he began farming organic free-range Nero di Parma pigs, as well as rare breed cattle. He built a laboratory and shop on the farm, and the whole family now participates in the production: he and his son Luca do the butchering and make the additive-free salumi, his wife Sabrina and daughter-in-law Erika process the guinea fowl, chickens and ducks, and Sabrina and Luca sell their produce at the Saturday farmers’ market in Parma. |
Maurizio & Luca Cavalli, Salumificio Cavalli Salumificio Cavalli gives a picture of the industrial production of prosciutto di Parma scaled down to family size. On the ground floor regiments of hind legs of pig are subjected to shaping, salting, massaging, trimming and tying, at which point they are transported in lifts to the upper floors to dry and mature and eventually emerge as prosciutto, culatello, culaccio and fiocchetto. The Brianti’s bring their prosciutti to Maurizio and his son to be matured because their care and long experience ensure a well-seasoned ham. |
Silvio & Simona Scapin, Artigianquality For more than thirty years Silvio has been producing organic salumi, first in his shop in Bologna and now in a new laboratory in a suburb. He is a specialist in the typical cooked salumi of Bologna: mortadella, salame rosa, prosciutto cotto siringato alla vena. His sons Lorenzo and Francesco are involved in production and work in the shop, while his wife Enza and daughter Simona are occupied with administration and marketing. They are proud to be the only producer of Mortadella di Bologna in the Slow Food Presidium, one of which uses meat of the Mora Romagnola breed. They are also the first to obtain an organic certification for their mortadella. |
Course Organiser
Hotel Il Guercino, Bologna A 3-star boutique hotel next door to the restaurant we’ve chosen for our first night’s dinner. In addition to the usual amenities, the hotel offers a gym, spa and bicycles. http://www.guercino.it/en/index.html |
Agriturismo La Madonnina, Torrechiara Paola Gorgatti has converted the old family barn into luxurious farm accommodation. She produces wine and is a great cook. Hidden in the cellar is the batteria for balsamic vinegar. www.la-madonnina.it/agriturismo |
Price Per person: 1790 Euros Non-participant in same room: 450 Euros Includes 5 nights welcoming, relaxing accommodation, single or double room with en suite bathroom Local ground transportation for 6 days Daily continental breakfast, 5 lunches, 5 dinners Course lectures and sessions with norcini, course notes Non-participant fee includes: accommodation in same room as participant, transfers with participant to and from airport or station, daily continental breakfast, dinner every evening, parmigiano visit, beer and salumi pairing Does not include Airfares Travel and cancellation insurance Wine and drinks other than those served with meals, additional meals Personal expenses such as telephone, mini-bar, etc. Meeting point Where: Hotel Il Guercino, Via Luigi Serra, 7, Bologna When: no later than 4.00 pm Recommended international travel: Airlines from UK: British Airways, EasyJet Airlines from USA: You have to fly to another European city and take a connecting flight to Bologna airport or train to Bologna Centrale. There are good low-cost flights from many European cities. There are direct trains from Milano Centrale (about 1h) and Roma Termini (2–2h15). Departure points Bologna airport, Bologna Centrale station (Parma station can also be accommodated) There will be one transfer at about 1.00 pm. It takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to Bologna airport. Please don’t book flights that leave before 4.00 pm. If you intend to depart by train, you will be taken to Bologna station after the airport stop (15 minutes between airport and station). If you need to leave earlier, I can arrange a special transfer at your own expense. Dress Informal. Jeans are acceptable everywhere. Protective aprons and hats will be provided. Weather January 2–5˚C/29–41˚F, precipitation 43 mm/1.7 in March 4–13˚C/39–56˚F, precipitation 61 mm/2.4 in Itinerary is subject to change if necessary due to weather or agricultural conditions or other events outside our control. To request a booking form email info@sapori-e-saperi.com |
As a small scale hog farmer and butcher in the process of opening my own shop in Portland, OR, I’ve been looking for extra education around the craft of salumi as well as ideas and inspiration. I’m always hesitant to sign up for tours or courses when I travel because they can be really impersonal and often don’t deliver what they promise, so I felt like I was taking a big risk when I signed up for both courses at once. However they far exceeded my hopes. It was immediately clear to me how much Erica and Giancarlo care about the integrity of the courses and how hard they work to weave the knowledge and experience of the different artisans into a comprehensive educational experience of culture, tradition, and practical knowledge. I'm so excited to go home and integrate what I’ve learned into my own butchery.
Austin Piccone, pig farmer & butcher, USA, Advanced Salumi Course Tuscany & Bologna Parma, January 2018
Thank you so much for a brilliant few days. Great producers + great food + great company = perfect recipe. Thoroughly enjoyed the trip and will recommend to others.
Sally Morgan, organic farmer, UK, Advanced Salumi Course Bologna-Parma, March 2018
It is not easy to compare the Tuscany course with this new one because they are so different – except that one learns a lot through each. The home dinners are simply stellar, one gains a much greater feeling for Italian culture and people through these events, not to mention a knock out dinner. The classes this year – the Mortadella with Silvio Scapin and his daughter, was a once in a lifetime experience! The farm tours with Giorgio Bonacini and Aldo and Luca Brianti were again sites that may never be seen by me again (to say nothing of the noon meal they provided!). The organic Nero di Parma pigs on Aldo’s farm were a rare view and quite a privilege! The trip to Parma was also great, visiting the organic Parmigiano-Reggiano farm and seeing how parmigiano is made – just fascinating. The morning at Maurizio’s family owned and operated Prosciutto laboratory and curing facility was also most memorable. Erica, you and Giancarlo out did yourselves on this one. It will be hard to beat.
Cullen Case, USA, Advanced Salumi Course Bologna-Parma, January 2017
I really enjoyed the salumi course in Bologna. Lots to learn, lots to see and of course lots to eat. Just haven’t managed to convince anyone that a course organised by you actually qualifies as work.
Klaus Kuhnke, restauranteur, UK, Advanced Salumi Course Bologna-Parma, March 2017
If the course were on Tripadvisor, it would get 5 stars.
Paul Young, keen amateur, UK, Advanced Salumi Course Tuscany, October 2015