Food and cycling are two of my favourite things, and spending one day along the Food Valley Bike cycleway is the perfect way to combine them!
A few years ago I made an experiment. I asked my friends where in Italy they thought the best food came from, and one region was frequently mentioned – Emilia-Romagna, specifically the city of Parma.
Now, Parma’s gastronomic tradition needs no introduction, even outside of Italy. Since 2015, the city has been inscribed to the UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy list, one of only two destinations in Italy (the other one is Alba, just in case you were curious).
Delicacies like prosciutto crudo, culatello and – naturally – Parmigiano Reggiano are reason enough to visit Parma, and visiting the city you’ll definitely taste some amazing food… but to learn where these products come from, you’ll have to leave the historic center. And the best way to do that is by bike.
What is the Food Valley Bike?
That’s where the Food Valley Bike comes in, an 80 km cycleway connecting Parma to some of the best-known gastronomic hotspots around the city.
The Food Valley Bike roughly follows the itinerary of the Po River, crossing the area known as Bassa, the section of Po Valley between the city and the river. The itinerary follows a combination of dedicated cycle paths, secondary roads, and some really scenic towpaths along the Po and smaller canals. It’s mostly paved, with some short dirt or gravel sections.
The route starts in Parma and ends in Busseto, the city of famous composer Giuseppe Verdi, about 80 km away. Strong cyclists can ride it all in one day, and then make their way back to Parma by train, or you can break it up into 30/40 km sections – making the Food Valley Bike the perfect day trip from Parma!
We got the chance to ride along the Food Valley Bike with a group of journalists and content creators during the 2025 edition of EMCC, a cycling media event now at its fourth edition. Here’s a chronicle of what we saw and experienced during our day exploring the Food Valley, followed by some tips on how you can do the same!
What to See Along the Food Valley Bike
Leaving Parma
We started our ride from the city center, with a quick stop in Piazza del Duomo, to admire the Romanesque Cathedral and Baptistry sitting side by side in the sunny square. From there, a quick spin through the city took us to a cycle path heading north, out of the city and into the heart of the Food Valley.
The various sections of the Food Valley Bike are dedicated to different kinds of food – the first is the Pasta section, leading past the super-famous Barilla pasta factory. After that there’s the Pomodoro section, where you’ll be surrounded by tomato fields, and the Parmigiano one, probably the most famous food export from this region.
There are plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano factories you can visit around Parma. We stopped at Caseificio Bassa Parmense, where we were taken on a quick tour through the facility to see Parmigiano wheels at different stages of production – and naturally, we got to taste some really good cheese.
If you are planning to ride the Food Valley Bike independently, you’ll have to arrange a tour ahead of time – contact the Caseificio for more info. Otherwise, you can just stop at the spaccio (shop) adjacent to the factory and try some cheese there!
Sorbolo-Mezzani
The Food Valley Bike is a joint effort, planned and managed by several small towns in Parma’s Po Valley. After riding along a scenic towpath, we reached the twin towns of Sorbolo-Mezzani, one of the municipalities behind the project, home to two really interesting sights.
The first one was the Museo delle Contadinerie, a small museum in a country house dedicated to farming life and tools from the past. The owner is a former professional cyclist, so naturally you’ll also get to see some old bicycles.
A few km down the road we stopped at the Acquario Biosfera di Parma, an aquarium where tanks don’t display individual species but rather aim to recreate different ecosystems from the region, from mountain streams to the wetlands near the Po River.
If you’re riding leisurely, Sorbolo-Mezzani is ideal for a lunch stop. We chose the Trattoria La Ca d’la Gringola, where we had lunch in the inner garden.
All meals in and around Parma start with torta fritta, fried pastry served with prosciutto, coppa and other traditional cured meats, as well as giardiniera (mixed pickled vegetables). You can also try Sorbolo’s very own anolini, small pasta filled with cheese and sausage and served with broth.
Brescello
If you’re a cinema lover, once you hit the Po River you also get the chance to ride a further 10 km to Brescello, filming location of the popular Italian movie Don Camillo.
There are various signposted locations around the village, and if it’s open, you can also head to Corte San Giorgio, a farm once part of a Benedictine monastery where you can see a chapel dating back to the 12th century.
Like all towns in the Food Valley, Brescello also has its very own product – in this case, the prugna zucchella, a local plum variety which is used to make sweets and a really good jam.
Colorno
After riding for16 km from Brescello through the flatlands of the Po Valley, we reached Colorno, home to the tortel dols, a unique sort of tortelli (stuffed pasta) with a sweet filling, made with mostarda (mustard-candied fruit), grape must and breadcrumbs.
Colorno is also famous for its Reggia, a palace built in the 18th century by Duke Francesco Farnese, ruler of this area. You can walk through the Italian-style garden and, if it’s open, peek into the Palace, with monumental staircases and rooms decorated in Rococo style.
Another location worth checking out is the Antica Grancia Benedettina, a former grancia (farmhouse) now restored into a luxurious wedding venue with open courtyards and a restaurant, where you can try tortelli and many other local specialties (if you fancy second lunch!)
Roccabianca
Parma’s Po Valley is not just a food and bike destination – there’s also a lot to see for history lovers. After the Reggia di Colorno, another worthwhile stop is Roccabianca, where we visited the 14th-century castle that a local lord built in honour of his beloved.
We only had a short time to walk through its courtyards, past ivy-covered towers and porticoes decorated with frescos. The cellars of the castle were used for a long time to store balsamic vinegar and liqueurs made in a nearby distillery – nowadays, it’s possible to visit a small distillery museum, where you can still see some oak barrels and taste some liqueurs.
Also, don’t leave Roccabianca without trying ciccioli, a regional delicacy made with pressed and dried pieces of pork, leftovers from the production of more “noble” products like culatello and prosciutto. Trust me, they’re delicious!
Polesine Zibello
We only had one day to cycle the Food Valley Bike, so unfortunately we had to cut out some stops like Sissa Trecasali, the only town where you can taste a cured pork product known as spalla cruda.
Our journey along the cycleway ended in Polesine Zibello, and we HIGHLY recommend everyone to Antica Corte Pallavicina, a relais and Michelin-starred restaurant where you can visit the Culatello Museum and taste this wonderful product.
In case you are not familiar with it, culatello is a pork product made with the best cuts from the thigh. The meat is tied together in a pear shape, and aged for a year in a humid environment, foggy in winter and hot in summer – the Po flatlands have exactly the right climate for that.
The result is really, really delicious, with an earthier, complex and layered flavour compared to prosciutto. Culatello is much more expensive than prosciutto – if you visit the Culatello Museum you’ll also get the chance to walk through the cellars, and you’ll see lots of culatelli labelled with the names of important clients and famous restaurants.
Busseto
After tasting culatello at Antica Corte Pallavicina, we sailed back to Parma down the Po River.
However, the Food Valley Bike still includes one stop – Busseto, Giuseppe Verdi’s hometown. Not only is Busseto one of the prettiest towns in Emilia Romagna, it’s worth visiting to see the beautiful Teatro Verdi, and to try culatello and other local products in a salsamenteria, traditional restaurants specializing in cured meats.
You can read more about Busseto in our 12 things to do in and around Fidenza article.
The Ingorda Cycling Event
Food and cycling lovers visiting Parma in late May should consider joining Ingorda, a cycling event covering the whole of the Food Valley Bike, with a number of gourmet stops where you’ll get to try local delicacies.
Ingorda translates into Italian as ravenous, greedy with food, and trust me, there’s plenty of food to be had. This is not your usual bike race – there are no winners, you just ride the whole day at your own pace stopping for food and wine and enjoying the scenery.
There are two distances available: INGORDA, 80 km from Parma to Busseto with 10 gourmet stops, and MEZZA INGORDA, 40 km from Parma to Colorno with 6 stops. From Busseto, you can then return to Parma by bus or boat along the Po, just like we did.
Head to the Ingorda website for more info – the 2025 edition is taking place on May 31st.
Food Valley Bike – Practical Tips
As mentioned above, it’s possible to ride the Food Valley Bike independently. If you are a strong cyclist, you can definitely make it from Parma to Busseto in one day, but consider there’s no train station in Busseto – you’ll have to ride a further 15 km to Fidenza, making the trip about 100 km total.
Unfortunately, the boat on the Po River doesn’t operate regularly, but only in case of events like Ingorda. The boat can be chartered, but you’ll have to be a large group to make it worthwhile.
Alternatively, the Food Valley Bike route can be split between two different days, with an overnight stop in Colorno.
The Food Valley Bike can be done with all sorts of bicycles – some sections are unpaved, so if you’re on a road bike it’s recommended to be cautious or edit the route to include only paved sections.
This article was written following our participation in EMCC 2025, the European Media Cycling Championship in Parma. Thanks everyone 🙂