With a last name like Bologna, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that I am one of many Italian Americans who love travelling to “Il Bel Paese”. Italy is by far my most-visited destination outside the United States, and I’ve been fortunate to spend time in eight of the country’s 20 regions.

Although delicious foods are available in abundance across Italy, I recently explored an area that should probably be high up on cheese lovers’ travel bucket lists: Parma.

As you might’ve deduced, Parma – along with its neighbour Reggio Emilia – is the namesake of the beloved hard cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano.

The so-called “king of cheeses” can, in fact, only be legally produced under that name in those two provinces, plus Modena, Mantova and Bologna.

The Parmigiano Reggiano moment

It’s no secret that Parmigiano Reggiano is having a moment, finding its way into headlines (and bellies) around the world. This past November, news broke that United Talent Agency had signed the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium to help place the cheese in movies and shows and raise awareness about these official products.

That came just two months after the governing body for the Italian cheese announced a strategic partnership with the New York Jets football team – an initiative that included stadium concession offerings, video segments and more.

Around the 2024 Paris Olympics, Parmigiano Reggiano also made waves as fans of Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa discovered her previous sponsorship deal with the consortium – completewithamazingphotos of the athlete posing with big wheels of cheese. (Whether we’ll be seeing more cheese-y sponsorships at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics remains to be seen, but given the host location and the consortium’s PR push, the synergy feels........

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