A real food valley, the hill and piedmont area close to Parma offers some of the more representative products of the Emilian cuisine such as Parma ham, Parmigiano Reggiano and the Colli di Parma wines, together with a rich basket of excellent products amongst which the Felino salami and Fragno black truffle stand out. This vast deposit of typical products is contained in an enchanting scenario dotted with castles, charming hill villages and Romanesque parish churches stretched along the antique Franchigena road, the route of pilgrims heading for the capitals of Christianity. The road of prosciutto di Parma and the Colli di Parma wines follows part of the antique course of the Franchigena road and winds through the Val d’Enza, Val Parma, Val Baganza and Val Taro, inviting the tourist both to make naturalistic excursions as well as to visit small settlements that still today conserve their medieval charm intact.

The trip can start at Collecchio, which, a few kilometres south of Parma, is immersed in the Taro alluvial plain, one of the most pleasing naturalistic oases on the itinerary together with the Carrega Parco dei Boschi. Collecchio still conserves memoirs of the antique pilgrimages in the Romanesque church of San Prospero and the convent complex of San Nicomede. Heading south, one arrives at Sala Baganza to admire the fourteenth century fortress that, in the years of their dukedom, the Farnese family frescoed and transformed into a magnificent country residence. Worth a visit too are the small church of Talignano, located on a branch of the Francigena road, and the village of San Vitale Baganza closed around the vestiges of the Rossi castle. Leaving Sala, after a few kilometres one reaches the built-up area of Felino, dominated by an austere square-shaped manor protected by a thirteenth century fortification. The renown of the locality, is linked to the production of the salami of the same name, a delicious product of the traditional local cold meat and salami production. From Felino, the road leads to Calestano, another small town with a characteristic medieval village. A visit of the surroundings offers various sites of interest: from the Ravarano castle to the spectacular naturalistic view offered from the rock pinnacles – the so-called devil’s jump (salti del Diavolo) – to the famous black truffle, which can be gathered in particular in abundance in the area of the charming village of Fragno. From here, having surpassed the ridge, one goes down into Val Parma and, again to the north, Langhirano, one reaches a very famous ageing centre of prosciutto di Parma, which hosts amongst the gentle hills covered with vineyards one of the most beautiful and well preserved castles in Italy: the Torrechiara castle. The road then runs to the north towards Lesignano de' Bagni, an antique thermal resort to then strictly deviate east towards Traversatolo, another processing centre of pork, and point south through the Val Termina. In this area the municipality of Neviano degli Arduini, full of medieval testimonies, amongst which the antique Romanesque parish church of the village of Sasso and the villages of Nigressano and Scurano should be pointed out. The last stops on the road are Montechiarugolo, on the banks of the Enza, Basilicagoiano, with interesting XVI-XVIIth century villas and Monticelli Terme, a famous thermal resort where the tourist can concede himself his well deserved relax.