Cheese museum · Fontevivo

Parmigiano Reggiano Museum

The Parmigiano Reggiano Museum is now at Piazza Convento 1 in Fontevivo, on the plain west of Parma. It moved there from Soragna and opened on 13 June 2026. From 1 March to 8 December it is open on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10am to 6pm, and on weekdays by booking. Tickets cost €5, and a tasting of three ages is €10 extra.

Address: Piazza Convento 1, Fontevivo
Open: Weekends and holidays, 1 Mar to 8 Dec, 10 to 18
Ticket: €5
Tasting: €10 extra

A New Home

From 2003 the museum was in a 19th-century dairy building in Soragna. That site closed on 15 September 2025, and the museum reopened on 13 June 2026 in the former Capuchin church in Fontevivo. The move has a reason: Fontevivo's Cistercian abbey helped drain the Parma plain and raise cattle, and the church was commissioned by Duke Ranuccio I Farnese, who in 1612 signed the first rule protecting Parmigiano Reggiano. Some maps and guides still give the Soragna address.

What You See

The route runs through the church's nine side chapels and follows the cheese from the land to ageing and selling. An old copper vat stands in the apse, with more than 150 objects from the 17th century to the mid 20th, and the displays add augmented reality, video mapping and interactive installations. The museum shop sells books, tableware and local food.

Hours

From 1 March to 8 December: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 10am to 6pm; Monday to Friday by booking only. From December to February it is closed to the public, with visits by booking.

Tickets

Full price €5. Reduced €4 for over-65s and groups of 15 or more, €3 for school groups and ages 6 to 18. Free for children under 6 and for disabled visitors and their companions. A vertical tasting of three ages of Parmigiano Reggiano costs €10 on top of the ticket. Guided tours cost €25 for groups under 12 or €2 a head for groups of 12 to 25, plus entry, booked and paid in advance. The Food Museums Card, €15, covers all nine museums in the Musei del Cibo network, including the Parma Ham Museum in Langhirano.

Getting There

By car from Parma, take the northern ring road west towards Piacenza and exit for Fontanellato and Fontevivo. By bus, the Parma to Fontanellato, Soragna and Busseto line runs through the area; check TEP timetables. Book visits and tastings on +39 0521 1627213 or [email protected].

Nearby

Caseificio Sociale Soragna, a working cooperative dairy, runs 45-minute tours for €18 a short drive north. For a morning watching cheese being made, see the dairy tours near Parma.

Cheeses to Taste Here