Hey Reader,

It's probably not a surprise to you that I travel to eat! Sure, I love other travel activities like seeing the local sites, walking around or hiking, and visiting museums. But if I had to say why I'm so motivated to travel, it's to experience the food culture of new places.

Italy is very rich in food culture, which is why so many foodies have it as a bucket list destination.

After traveling to Bologna during my most recent trip to Italy, I fell in love with two iconic Italian food cities, Modena and Parma.

You can read more about my experience in Parma here, but today we're talking all about Modena!

It's no secret that the Emilia Romagna region does food right. From rich foods like handmade egg pasta, prosciutto, and parmigiano reggiano, there's no shortage of amazing eats!

Since food is so regionally based in Italy, meaning each region has its own spin on dishes based on the ingredients available, Emilia Romagna really prides itself on the products produced there.

When my friends and I had the chance to visit the city known for some of these iconic foods, we jumped at the opportunity to learn more!

We took a day trip from our home base in Bologna to the city of Modena.

If you're familiar with this city, you know it's known for balsamic vinegar. And no, not the balsamic vinegar you're used to eating from Aldi!

This vinegar is made by companies with hundreds of years of experience, like the Giusti family.

Prior to our trip, we booked our (free!!) tickets to visit the Giusti land filled with vineyards, their aging facility for the vinegar, and a museum showing their long history.

It does require you to grab a car to get out to their facility, but it’s so worth it for the hour-long free tour.

To start understanding more about balsamic vinegar, there are three things you need to pay attention to: the grapes, the barrel, and time.

The Giusti family has been making balsamic vinegar since 1605, when they were founded. They actually started out making charcuterie in the 1500s, then switched to balsamic.

After years of experience, they realized the best balsamic comes from a mix of two types of grapes, lambrusco (red) and trebbiano (white).

The first thing that happens is that the whole grapes are crushed, then the grape must is cooked slowly for 24 hours.

Next, the grapes are moved to their aging barrels, another important piece of the puzzle. Different types of wood can impart different flavors and characteristics to the balsamic.

And now, the hard part that requires patience... it's time for the aging! This is where you’ll really notice the difference between types of balsamic.

Before we get into the differences in aging, it's important to know how the aging process works. The barrels are open to the air (they just place a thin cloth on top to keep bugs out), so the grapes can come in contact with oxygen.

Since the aging room isn’t temperature controlled, the balsamic ferments and evaporates in the summer. During the winter, they move the balsamic from larger barrels to smaller ones to account for the evaporation that happened over the summer.

This was such an interesting part of the process for me because it shows how every single batch of balsamic is carefully crafted to achieve a unique flavor.

Each year, the balsamics they choose to move around to different barrels help determine how that year’s batch will taste.

Obviously, with a company as old as Giusti, they have master artisans who are carefully trained to make the best batches possible.

So let's talk about the different bottles that get produced each year.

DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) balsamic is made once a year in the winter. This process happens as the various balsamics are mixed and moved to smaller barrels.

If you pick up a bottle of DOP balsamic vinegar, then by law, it has to be grown, bottled, and produced every step of the way in Modena.

You’re also guaranteed that it’s been aged at least 12 years, but up to 25 years. These types of balsamics are thick, complex, and often used as a finishing garnish on a dish.

As you can imagine, with all the time it takes to produce a bottle like this, DOP balsamic vinegar is more expensive.

Even with that, we still got to taste multiple samples during our free tour (which is crazy!!). They taught us to only taste on a ceramic or plastic spoon (never metal) to get the most pure taste. Bonus points if the spoon is white, so you can admire the color of the balsamic.

The other type of bottle you’ll see produced is IGP (Protected Geographical Indication). This protects the production, meaning aging and bottling must happen in Modena, but the grapes can come from other locations.

IGP is easier to make and takes much less aging time. Only a minimum of 60 days is required, but some are aged longer. Typically, this variety is thinner and has a more tangy taste.

We saw many barrels at Giusti filled with IGP balsamic vinegar, which they produce twice a year. With fewer restrictions, there’s more room for creativity and variety, so they have multiple “recipes” for IGP.

As a food nerd, what I found fascinating about this whole process is that inside the aging barrels is balsamic that’s been there for 100–200+ years, which helps add dynamic and complex flavor to the balsamic that's currently aging in the barrel. Just think about all the history in one barrel... crazy!

Once the balsamic is bottled, the aging stops, so the flavor stays relatively the same from that point on. Fun fact, the balsamic will never expire!

Even if it starts to crystallize or dry up, you can just heat it up, and it’s still good to eat.

I really can’t say enough good things about the Giusti tour! After learning about the process and seeing the aging room, we toured the museum and ended with 10 free tastings.

I honestly thought the bottles for purchase were going to be expensive, but most (except the 20+ year aged balsamic) were reasonably priced. I picked up a bottle of their IGP blend and some truffle-infused balsamic.

After you’re done with the Giusti tour, there are plenty of other fun things to wander around and explore in Modena, from shops and markets to gelato spots (Bloom Naturalmente Gelato was my favorite!).

And don’t forget to try some gnocco fritto, a specialty in Modena!

Like I said, Bologna to Modena was just a quick 30-minute train ride, and it was super easy to get to and from using the train.

If you’ve never used the train system in Italy, you’re missing out! It’s such a great way to get where you need to go for an affordable price. Our tickets to Modena were just €8 roundtrip.

Every time I travel, I feel like I’ve finally mastered a city (or country) once I’ve figured out how to navigate the public transportation.

Trenitalia is the company that operates most of the train systems, and their app is a lifesaver when it comes to booking tickets, checking platforms, and seeing train statuses. If you ever need help booking your train tickets, let me know!

If you’ve made it this far, you’re definitely my kind of person... someone who travels to eat! I’m already planning my next group trip to Italy, so if that sounds like your dream vacation, make sure you’re on the waitlist.

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