Parma Ham Festival
30th August - 21st September 2008
FINESTRE APERTE (“OPEN WINDOWS”): We all know about ham, but exactly what sort of gastronomical miracle transforms a simple pork haunch into the King of Hams, sweet Prosciutto di Parma. The festival is shows everyone that Parma Hams are created without trickery or cheating. The ham makers of the traditional production will throw open their doors to the public for the highlight of the Parma Ham Festival, aptly entitled Finestre aperte (“Open Windows”). Over the month of September, thousands of gourmet tourists will be able to see with their own eyes and experience first-hand the care with which each pork haunch is subjected to. Throughout the whole manufacturing and maturing process, meticulous checks are carried out on the hams before they can become the authentic sweet Prosciutto di Parma. They are then branded by fire with the logo (the five point Ducal crown), with which the IPQ (Parma Quality Institute) guarantees that it is absolutely genuine. Shuttle buses are planned to accompany tourists straight to the companies involved in Finestre aperte. The Festival is now in its eleventh year and, as well as the large initiative Finestre aperte (which routinely attracts tens of thousands of tourists, not just from neighboring regions but also from across the whole of Italy, and even from abroad), the program includes a series of events for the whole family involving gastronomy, theater and culture. New for 2008, is that the Festival will close with a big festa in Parma, the city that is the capital of the Food Valley and gives delicious Parma Ham its’ name. The complete program of events will be online soon at the Festival’s website: www.festivaldelprosciuttodiparma.com PARMA HAM FESTIVAL DATES Preview 30th-31st August 2008
Calestano/Lesignano De’ Bagni/Neviano degli Arduini 5th-7th September 2008
Langhirano/Tizzano Val Parma 12th-14th September 2008
Collecchio/Felino/Sala Baganza 20th-21st September 2008
Parma DISCOVERING THE PARMA HAM MUSEUM
The past, present and future of the King of Hams Inaugurated on May 2, 2004, the Parma Ham Museum is situated in Langhirano in the vast structure of the old Forum Boarium, between the old town and the Parma River. Structured in thematic sections, the course of the exhibition accompanies the visitor in discovering the principal product of the local gastronomy. You can learn about the most diverse topics: from the territorial environments of production, analysis of the pig breeds, meat processing techniques, specific prosciutto processing techniques and work sites, to instruments and even mentions of the Ham in fairy tales, literature, figurative arts and cinema. It is a glimpse into the fascinating world and extraordinary journey of the King of Hams - which could not conclude without the fragrance, color and unmistakable sweetness of the product itself. The Parma Ham Museum is a part of the province’s circuit of Food Museums, alongside the Museum of Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (in Soragna), the Salami Museum (Felino) and the Tomato Museum (Collecchio).
For further information: www.museidelcibo.it Address: Musei del cibo della provincia di Parma, Via Repubblica, 45
Tel.: +39 0521 228152 Fax: +39 0521 223161 TO LEARN MORE (ONLINE DETAILS AND TOOLS) Institutional site of the Parma Ham Consortium:
www.prosciuttodiparma.com Site about the nutritional value of Parma Ham:
www.analisicrudoparma.it Site of the Prosciutto and Wines of the Hills Road:
www.stradadelprosciutto.it Parma Ham Museum site:
www.museidelcibo.it/prosciutto.asp Site of our certification institute, the Parma Quality Institute:
www.parmaqualita.it Site of the Parma Ham Festival:
www.finestreaperte.it Press Releases:
All press releases are published in a dedicated press area:
www.prosciuttodiparma.com/consorzio/news/ Online image archive
A photo archive has been posted with high-resolution JPG and TIF images on the site www.prosciuttodiparma.com. It is possible to access the photo gallery by requesting a username and password from the following email address: ufficiostampa@prosciuttodiparma.com
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