Salami Museum

The first document concerning salami dates back to 1436 when Niccolò Piccinino, in the pay of the Duke of Milan, ordered that he be provided with “porchos viginti a carnibus pro sallamine.”
That is, twenty pigs to make salami.
It is kept in the ancient 18th-century cellars of Felino Castle, along with knives, cleavers and an early 20th-century cage in which the pigs were transported for slaughter.

Of note: the pork-butcher’s tabard is the iconic item also used by country men to protect themselves from the foggy Po Valley cold.

Felino Castle, Strada del Castello 1, Felino

Ham Museum

Inside the Ex Foro Boario, an early 20th-century rural architecture has become the Prosciutto Museum.
It is in Langhirano, the kingdom of this noble cured meat born from a land just right for raising pigs.
The museum itinerary is organized in eight sections that illustrate all the steps in the production of prosciutto, starting from the territory and ending with gastronomy, that is, the use of prosciutto in cooking.

Of note: the film on salt extraction from wells in Salsomaggiore.

Former Boario forum, via Bocchialini 7, Langhirano

Culatello and Masalén Museum

On the bank of the Po River inside the Antica Corte Pallavicina, set up and curated by the Spigaroli family, is a tribute to the King of Salumi and to the pig that for centuries has been of vital importance in the economy and farming culture.
Ancient utensils sit alongside modern touch screens, old photos alongside videos, then picture postcards, books, billboards and a visit to the spectacular cellars where culatello rests.

Of note: Po Forest, the open-air extension of the museum is a 1.5-kilometer trail divided into 12 stages.

Antica Corte Pallavicina, Strada Palazzo Due Torri 3, Polesine Parmense

Parmesan Museum

The former “tollhouse” of the Meli Lupi princes has architecture dating back to 1848.
It is circular, with an interior colonnade.
In the exhibit are more than 120 objects that were used between 1800 and the first half of the 1900s, such as the huge copper cauldron where cheese was cooked.
Before leaving the museum, it is worth satisfying the palate with bites of cheese and honey in the shop for tastings and purchases.

Of note: a 1600 print with the first official image of Parmesan cheese.

Castellazzi Court, Via Volta 5, Soragna

Porcini Mushroom Museum

The exhibition is a journey through the history of the mushroom, its nature, but above all a journey through the strong connection with the tradition of the Apennines.
It is divided into seven sections that talk about the forest, harvesting, processing, but also about the mushroom in culture in art and gastronomy.
A large part of the museum is devoted to the environmental, biological, organoleptic and nutritional aspects of the product.
In addition to the Borgotaro location, there is also one in Albareto where the work of mycologists is discussed and aspects related to its many properties are explored in depth

Note: the relief pattern describing the many characteristics of the mushroom.

Museum of the Walls,” Via Cesare Battisti, 86 Borgotaro