September 2015

Visit to Acetaia Pedroni Balsamic Vinegar Farm, Modena, Italy

We discovered Modena as it was one of Antony Bourdain’s shows featuring Emilia Romanga. One of the places they explored was Acetaia Pedroni and their balsamic vinegar farm with a meal that looked irresistible.

Luckily, Modena is well connected by train so this makes for a great stop, day trip or even overnight.

We when arrived in Modena by train we had a few hours before our reservations so we headed to the town center of Modena. We wandered around with our backpacks and found the Piazza Grande and the Duomo, which had a unique beauty to it and seemed to be very preserved from its original roots. Having read that the Pedroni house did not entertain late guests, we were mindful of our time. With only a few minutes left to comfortably enjoy the area, we found a cab to drive us to the country side, and I mean the real country side, of Modena. Surrounded by small houses engulfed by crops and grape vines- it was gorgeous!

Finally, we arrived at a gate and told this was our final destination. Skeptical, we asked the driver to wait until we knew for sure this was where we meant to go. As we got out of the cab, we heard a hearty “HELLO!” and a women pop out from the gate- Fabrizia, who I had been corresponding with through email, was ready for our arrival. Waving by to our cab, we prepared ourselves for the adventure ahead!

Fabrizia took us around on a tour of the property and showed us the balsamic making process as well as the batteries they have that make the balsamic vinegar. The smell when you walk into the room is incredible- it is almost difficult to breathe because the balsamic is that potent and the air is thick of it. I did not know much of the information she shared and how much goes into making “traditional” balsamic vinegar. Everyone else at the property was very busy since it was harvest season, though we briefly got introduced to Guiseppe, who now runs the business. Then we got the chance to taste all the different balsamic vinegar products- a jam, a non-traditional balsamic, and then three traditional balsamic vinegars. The three traditional balsamic vinegars included Italo’s battery, a battery with Jupiter wood, and Giuseppe’s 25 year old extra vecchio, which was amazing- it was like pouring maple syrup consistency but even thicker with the most intense balsamic flavor. Each son gets a new battery formed that will be theirs when they are married. While we could not bring anything liquid back due to our carry on packing strategy, we did buy a jam infused with the balsamic vinegar and also bought the Giuseppe’s 25 year old extra vecchio when we got back online.

After the tour, we had a table set up at Osteria di Rubbiara downstairs where Bourdain dined in the episode. We had to pinch ourselves we could not believe this was real!

I think one of our unexpected highlights was interacting with the man that started this entire operation- Italo- old grumpy gramps that underneath has a huge heart! There was no English out of him so it was a struggle with our poor Italian and his poor English. He has strict rules for lunch- no cell phones, period- there are lockers in the entrance that are for your cell phones as they do not belong at a table, and do not show up without reservations. Several of his friends showed up for lunch and he begrudgingly allowed them in for lunch since they did not call ahead. The menu was 35 euro for all food and drinks that were all homemade with accents of balsamic vinegar in each dish – the best deal in all of Italy.

Vino- Pedroni Lambrusco di Modena
First- Tortelini with ricotta and Italo balsamic vinegar
Second- Bowtie pasta with pork and beef ragu
Third- Balsamic glazed chicken, pork ribs, and an omelette with onion and drizzled Italo balsamic vinegar
Fourth- Vanilla ice cream with Guiseppe III balsamic vinegar
Two Pedroni grappa options- traditional and award wining walnut

I have no pictures of the food because we could not have our phones out! I wish I snagged a few more photos because the meal was simply epic. Just watch the Bourdain episode – it was just like that and as delicious as he describes.

Sitting out on the terrace courtyard with this amazing food surrounded with all Italy has to offer- it was unreal. We savored every minute here trying to absorb every moment to imprint as memory, to close our eyes years from now and be able to see, taste, and smell everything about this magical day trip. At the conclusion of our three hour stay here, we grabbed our backpacks and waited at the gate with Italo, as he watched over us until the cab picked us up- a true Italian grandpa! I wish more than anything we took a picture with him. As we drove away, we realized how amazing of an experience this meal was and were looking forward to our next destination- Florence.

If you are heading to Modena and want to experience this meal at Osteria di Rubbiara, you can make reservations here.