Malvasia Myth

The name Malvasia comes from afar: from Monemvasia, a fortified village in the Peloponnese from which the sweet wines of the Mediterranean once set sail. It was Venice that carried that wine across Europe, and its name with it, a name that today covers very different grape varieties. On the hills of Emilia, between Parma and Piacenza, Malvasia di Candia Aromatica has found its homeland. We take you to discover its aromas, among wineries, medieval villages and tables laden with cured meats.

Descrizione

Day 1: The Parma Hills, where Malvasia meets the Food Valley
We start in the hills of Collecchio: you visit a winery in the Parma Hills and taste its wines with local cured meats and Parmigiano Reggiano. Then we climb to Sala Baganza, where you discover the Wine Museum inside the Rocca Sanvitale. In Felino we stop for lunch, amid the aromas of the salami named after the town; if you like, you can also visit the Castle and the Salami Museum. In the afternoon we reach Casatico, in the municipality of Langhirano, a vineyard area already marked in the sixteenth-century Farnese land registry. Here you taste different versions of Malvasia. In the evening we return to Parma for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2: The Arda Valley, among castles, churches and Vin Santo
We leave Parma and follow the Via Emilia, about an hour by car, to Castell'Arquato: the medieval village stands on the first foothill of the Apennines, where the plain begins to ripple. In Vernasca we stop at the Pieve di San Colombano: from its small garden you look out over the valley dotted with vineyards, while at the table you meet the local specialty, Vin Santo di Vigoleno. In the afternoon we arrive in Vigoleno, with its castle, and in a winery you taste Malvasia and Vin Santo. In the evening we dine in a tavern in the village and sleep in a hotel set in part of the castle.

Day 3: The Nure Valley, the Tidone Valley and arrival in Piacenza
In the morning we head to the Nure Valley, on the red soils where a Malvasia of complex character is born. Here you also discover Vin Santo, which rests for about ten years in small barrels. At lunch, sparkling Malvasia meets Piacenza coppa and pumpkin tortelli, a classic pairing. In the afternoon we move to the Tidone Valley, where the clay soils give the wine a distinctive freshness, for a final tasting. We end the journey in Piacenza.

The participation fee includes:

_ Overnight stays in Parma and Vigoleno with breakfast
_ Dinners in restaurants
_ Winery visits and tastings of Malvasia and Vin Santo
_ Tasting of local cured meats and Parmigiano Reggiano