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Advanced Salumi Course Bologna-Parma

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   Click on topics below for more information
2023: January 25–30 | March 15–20

​Availability: Jan 6 places | Mar 6 places

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Course led by Erica Jarman

Every region of Italy has its own types of salumi. Emilia (the northwestern part of Emilia-Romagna) boasts two of the most famous in the world: Prosciutto di Parma and Mortadella di Bologna. Besides other big sellers like prosciutto cotto (cured cooked ham) and Felino-style salami, there is a host of smaller niche products that validate the saying, ‘From a pig there is no waste’. A movement to rescue indigenous pig breeds and raise them according to organic or biodynamic principles gives you a chance to find out how to work fatty pigs.

New to this course is a hands-on session starting from half a pig and turning it into salumi. We also make mortadella using a small-scale technique suitable for small producers. You don’t have to take the Tuscan course before taking this one. See below for how to decide which one or both. 

Course suitable for pig breeders, butchers, chefs and amateurs who want to make their own salumi. Maximum course size: 7 people.

If you haven’t yet taken the Tuscan course, go here find out whether it's better for you: 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 info@sapori-e-saperi.com

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Which course or both?

Tuscany
  • Small production (working four pigs or fewer a week)
  • More about principles and approach of Italian norcini (pork butchers)
  • More hands on work and time spent on how to cut up a pig
  • Natural maturation (rooms with suitable conditions)
  • How to produce an excellent product using pork from a Large White pig

Emilia
  • Pig farming (organic and biodynamic), rare breeds, micro-slaughterhouse
  • Larger more mechanised production
  • Less hands on (you'll get much more out of it if you have some prior experience)
  • Cold-fermented salami and maturation in controlled environment
  • Different products, especially cooked ones
Still having trouble making up your mind? The January and March courses are scheduled so you can take both. Can’t do that? Ask me for help: info@sapori-e-saperi.com


Course at a glance

Wednesday
Arrival at Bologna airport or train station no later than 2.00 pm and transfer to Hotel Arnaldo Aquila d'Oro, Rubiera. You may not drive your own car during the course.

Session 1: Introduction to course by Erica Jarman & Giorgio Bonacini

Welcome dinner at Trattoria Rana, Marzaglia
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Thursday
Day 1 at Il Grifo farm with owner, farmer and norcino Giorgio Bonacini

Session 2: Farm tour to visit free-range, biodynamic Mora Romagnola pigs 

Lunch at Il Grifo

Session 3: Break down half pig according to 'Modena cut' and prepare to be worked on Friday

Session 4: Tour of slaughterhouse, cellar and shop

Dinner at Clinica Gastronomica, Hotel Arnaldo Aquila d'Oro (Michelin star)

Friday
Day 2 at Il Grifo
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Session 5: Hands-on mortadella

Session 6: Hands-on sausage and salami

Lunch at Il Grifo

Session 7: Hands-on whole pieces

Session 8: Preparation of prosciutto cotto (salted and cooked ham)

Transfer to Rubiera

Dinner at private home in Modena

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 two other great products of Emilia-Romagna: balsamic vinegar and lambrusco wine, both of Modena.

Session 9: Tour and tasting at Acetaia del Cristo, producers of DOP traditional balsamic vinegar

Session 10: Lunch and wine tasting at Cantina Paltrinieri including L'Eclisse, a dry sparkling Lambrusco ranked in the top 100 wines worldwide

Session 11: Visit Langhirano, prosciutto capital of Parma

Dinner at Agriturismo Collina del Sole, Varano Marchesi Medesano

Sunday
All day with the Brianti family on their organic farm San Paolo

Session 12: Farm tour to see Nero di Parma free-range pigs with owner, farmer and norcino Aldo Brianti

Session 13: From pig to prosciutto, culatello, salami and cicciolata with Aldo and Luca Brianti

With a break for lunch with the Brianti family

Session 14: Review and Q&A with Erica Jarman

Dinner at Agriturismo Collina del Sole, Varano Marchesi Medesano

Monday
Session 15: Classic prosciutto di Parma with Maurizio Cavalli

Lunch: tasting of Maurizio’s salumi
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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

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To request a booking form email info@sapori-e-saperi.com
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Wednesday

Bologna airport or train station to Hotel Arnaldo Aquila d'Oro, Rubiera
Arrival at Bologna Centrale station or Bologna airport no later than 2.00 pm for pick up and transfer to Rubiera.

You may not drive your own car during the course.

Session 1: Introduction to course by Erica Jarman
  • Artisanal production in Emilia vs la Grande Industria
  • Indigenous breeds
  • Pig husbandry
    • Organic
    • Free range

Dinner: Clinica Gastronomica, Hotel Arnaldo Aquila d'Oro
Classic dishes of Emilia in a retro 1950s setting.

Accommodation: Hotel Arnaldo Aquila d'Oro, Rubiera | Meals: Dinner


Thursday

Breakfast and transfer to Il Grifo farm, Bagno di Reggio Emilia, where you spend the day with owners, famers and norcini Giorgio & Claudia Bonacini

Session 2: Farm tour with Giorgio
  • Giorgio presents his model of how to keep the whole production cycle at home. The 65 hectare farm on which he rears Mora Romagnola pigs is organic (nearly biodynamic). During the tour Giorgio explains feeding, housing and caring for the pigs.

Lunch: Tasting of Giorgio's and Claudia's salumi

Session 3: Break down half pig according to the 'Modena cut'
  • Preparation of minced pork for insaccati (sausage and salami)
  • Preparation of whole pieces for salting (pancetta, coppa) and cooking 

Session 4: Tour of rest of establishment
  • Micro-slaughterhouse
  • Walk-in fridges
  • Cellar
  • Shop

Dinner at Trattoria Rana, Marzaglia

Accommodation: Hotel Arnaldo Aquila d'Oro, Rubiera | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Friday

Breakfast and transfer to Il Grifo farm for your second day with Giorgio and Claudia

Session 5: Hands-on mortadella

Session 6: Hands-on sausage and salami

Lunch at Il Grifo 

Session 7: Salting whole pieces

Session 8: Prepare prosciutto cotto siringato alla vena (cooked prosciutto with brine injected into vein)

Dinner: private home, Modena

Accommodation: Hotel Arnaldo Aquila d'Oro, Rubiera | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Saturday

Breakfast and transfer to San Prospero (Modena)

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 two other great products of Modena: balsamic vinegar and lambrusco wine.

Session 9: Tour and tasting at Acetaia del Cristo
  • Thirteen years in the life of a drop of balsamic vinegar from vine to barrel to bottle
  • See the barrels reserved for the Queen of England
  • Taste vinegars matured for different lengths of time in barrels made of different woods 
  • Learn why there's so much 'balsamic vinegar' on the market and how to tell the real from the fake

Session 10: Lunch and wine tasting at Cantina Paltrinieri
Lambrusco has either no reputation or a bad one as a sweet, sticky dark red wine. Cantina Paltrinieri are proving it can be light, dry and elegant. Their L'Eclisse came 20th in the Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Wines of 2018. It's the perfect accompaniment to your salumi board.

Session 11: Visit to Langhirano, prosciutto capital of Parma

Dinner at Agriturismo La Collina del Sole

Accommodation: Agriturismo La Collina del Sole, Varano Marchesi Medesano | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Sunday

Breakfast and transfer to San Paolo farm, Medesano, where you spend the day

Session 12: Farm tour with owner, farmer and norcino Aldo Brianti
  • Aldo and his son Luca rear free-range Nero di Parma pigs and Piemontese cattle on their organic farm. During the tour they explain their philosophy and methods of rearing.

Session 13: Aldo and his son Luca take you through a range of salumi typical of Parma
  • Break down a side of black pig of Parma
  • Deboning and cleaning the shoulder
  • Cicciolata di Parma (soppressata with ciccioli)
  • Prosciutto, Parma cut
  • Culatello and fiochetto
  • Prete (stuffed, cured shin)
  • Outdoor air drying
  • Maturing salami in the cold

Lunch: sometime in the middle of Session 13 we go up to the house to indulge in Sunday lunch with the family

Transfer to Agriturismo La Collina del Sole

Session 14: Review and Q&A with Erica Jarman
  • Review of practical sessions and question time
  • Evaluation of course
  • Presentation of course certificates

Dinner at Agriturismo La Collina del Sole

Accommodation: Agriturismo La Collina del Sole, Varano Marchesi Medesano | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Monday

Breakfast and check out of agriturismo

Transfer to Gaiano di Collecchio

Session 15: 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.
  • Massaging prosciutto by machine
  • Salting rooms
  • Resting rooms
  • Maturing rooms

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
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Course Instructors


Giorgio Bonacini, Il Grifo
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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.
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​Aldo & Luca Brianti, San Paolo
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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.
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​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.
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Course Organiser


Erica Jarman

Following Heather’s careers as archaeologist, orchestra and artist manager and chef, she Italianised her name to Erica and came to Lucca to pursue her passion for traditional artisan food. Her tours, inspired by her infectious curiosity, open captivating new worlds to her guests.
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Albergo Arnaldo Aquila d'Oro, Rubiera

​A quirky 3-star hotel with a restaurant stuck in a retro timewarp, with staff in black with white pinnies serving from trollies.
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​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
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Price

Per person: 1790 Euros
Non-participant in same room: 550 Euros

Deposit: €200 when you book
​Balance: due 8 weeks before course starts
​

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: Bologna Centrale station or Bologna airport
When: no later than 2.00 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).

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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
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​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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Klaus Kuhnke, restauranteur, UK, Advanced Salumi Course Bologna-Parma, March 2017

If the course were on Tripadvisor, it would get 5 stars.
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Paul Young, keen amateur, UK, Advanced Salumi Course Tuscany, October 2015
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  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Resources
  • Tours
    • Small Group Tours >
      • Celebrating Sardinia
      • Tuscan Heritage
      • Giants of Sardinia
      • Autumn in Tuscany
      • Tastes & Textiles: Woad & Wool
      • Tastes & Textiles: Hanging by a Thread
      • Tastes & Textiles: Wine to Dye For
      • Tastes & Textiles: Sea Silk in Sardinia
    • Tastes and Textiles
    • Day Adventures
  • Courses
    • Advanced Salumi Course Tuscany
    • Advanced Salumi Course Bologna-Parma
    • Art & Science of Gelato
    • Artisan Bread Course Tuscany
    • Theory & Practice of Italian Cheese
    • Mozzarella & its Cousins
    • Olive Oil Tree to Table
    • Truffle Course
  • Booking
    • Enquiry
    • Booking Conditions
    • Covid-19
  • What people say
  • Blogs
  • Contact