PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA FESTIVAL
September 2008
30 August - 21 September Parma Celebrates its Prosciutto Tastings, Exhibitions and Concerts for a Month of Celebrations in the Province of Parma
Parma, 6 September 2008 - The King of Hams will once more take center-stage in Parma on the 11th of September. There will be a huge range of events involving gastronomy, performance and culture. Tastings, concerts and exhibitions will be held in the 12 municipalities of the Parma hills – Parma Ham's traditional production area. The highlight of the project will be Finestre aperte ("Open Windows"): 33 ham makers will throw their doors open to the public, offering them the opportunity to observe the Parma Ham manufacturing process and take part in free tastings. The
producers themselves will illustrate the secrets of treating the pork haunches which,
through a magical combination of climate, tradition and passion, become Parma Hams. New for 2008 - for the first time the Festival will also stop off in Parma with a big festa on 20-2st September. There will be sampling stands, an exhibition/market in the streets of the town center and a charity auction in a city that is already abuzz with the opening of the Correggio exhibition. The city will also host a round-table discussion, ‘Il Prosciutto di Parma, un'eccellenza nel mondo’ ("Parma Ham, a point of excellence in the world"). This will involve internationally renowned chefs (including Piero Selvaggio from Valentino restaurant in Santa Monica) and an outdoor photographic exhibition: ‘Prosciutto&Moda’ ("Ham & Fashion") by Parma native Michela Coppa, co-host of Gerry Scotti's television show Corrida. Celebrations will close with Stefano Tedeschi, the president of the Consortium, who will meet the press at 7:30 p.m. at the Casa della Musica for a reflection on the progress of
the sector and to present the new publicity campaign. A national premiere of the new television ad for Parma Ham will be screened. The calendar of events in the province is extremely rich. Langhirano officially opens the Festival with various initiatives, from the very central ‘Prosciutteria 24... e oltre’ ("Ham Making, 24...and Beyond"), where visitors can sample hams of various ages alongside local wines, to ‘Merende Italiane’ ("Italian Snacks") in the company of chefs Massimo Bottura (Osteria La Francescana, Modena) and Christian Broglia (Executive Chef, ALMA): delicious and creative snacks that revisit the concept of the Italian afternoon snack. On Saturday 6 September a meeting will also be held: ‘Prosciutto e dintorni’ ("Prosciutto and Surrounds"), organized by the Parma Agricultural Consortium on the topic of correct nutrition. The occasion also won't be without music in the Afterhours concert on Saturday at 10:00 p.m. in Piazzale Celso Melli in Langhirano. There is a "slicing competition": on Sunday the 7th at 5:00 p.m. in Piazza Ferrari, where the ham makers taking part in Finestre aperte, armed with vise and knife, will compete in slicing by hand. The winner is the person who reaches 250 grams in the least amount of time. The celebrations will continue for a month in all the municipalities of the traditional production area, including tasting workshops – which will be attended by the renowned enologist Luca Maroni – art exhibitions, concerts and sporting events (the complete program of the initiatives is attached and can be downloaded from the site
www.festivaldelprosciuttodiparma.com http://www.festivaldelprosciuttodiparma.com/. A shuttle bus service has been organized to take tourists directly to the firms involved in Finestre aperte. For information on the event and the firms open for visiting, the toll-free number is 800 165 300. Parma Ham Festival Dates
30-31 August 2008 Preview Calestano/Lesignano De' Bagni/Neviano degli Arduini
5-6-7 September 2008 Langhirano/Tizzano Val Parma
12-13-14 September 2008 Collecchio/Felino/Sala Baganza
20-21 September 2008 Parma
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