Acetaia Giusti - Since 1605 — Attraction in Modena

Great balsamic vinegar tour! The history of this particular Acetaia is super interesting. The Staff speak excellent English and explain the history and process of vinegar making very well. You get to see the old process of making vinegar. They still use the same wooden caskets to age the vinegar in. They let you taste quite a few different types of vinegar.

We wanted to see the process - main reason for going - but second reason was our daughter is getting married and the theme is “black and white” so I was trying to be creative with the gift - and thought “balsamic is black” so went originally intending to buy big bottles to repackage into small bottles. But when we got to the store we discovered they had small bottles - we got the 2 gold medal rated one - came in a white box - so there was my black and white gift. Also, during the tour they said in the old days the family would start a casket of vinegar for the daughter that they would age and then be given as part of her dowry when she married. It was also customary to give small bottles of vinegar to the wedding guests as well. I had no idea - so now we get to let some of our Italian heritage shine through for our daughter’s wedding. So double bonus. They offered to ship - but we had room in our luggage - so just took the vinegar with us. It was well packaged and made it home on the plane just fine!

I would very highly...

Our tour guide Giulia was AWESOME. Visiting Acetaia Giusti far exceeded my expectations for a free tour and balsamic shop experience. The museum is interesting in and of itself and the story of the family and production methods of balsamic would have been enough of a draw for many to this location. But, the inclusion of a tasting and a better understanding of the various grades of balsamic really put this over the top.

The tour was very much worth it, as you get quite a bit more insight from the host about the process and importance of this particular manufacturer of balsamic. What's really fantastic is the melding of the history and the current product at the end, where you take what you've learned and experience the product on the pallette. If you have any time in Bologna or Modena, this is 100% worth doing. We were able to make reservations at any of their tasting rooms (Bologna centro or Modena), but you can...

Incredible experience! We toured Italy for eight days and this was one of the best memories of the trip. The team did a great job starting with being on time, allowing us to be up close and personal with the family’s livelihood to include the heritage room and storage barrels, and finally, the tasting. The tasting was plentiful and gracious!

The grounds were well kept, the facilities were gorgeous and the family did a great job making us feel welcomed. They even capitalized on the small details - fresh flowers throughout the estate!

Lastly, all of this was done free of charge. It speaks volumes to the family’s love for what they do and their willingness to share it with the world. Nothing about this experience was commercialized. It was wholesome and well-thought out.

Thank you, thank you, for such a wonderful,...