By KevinTheB
September 5 2002

Mid October in Parma. The cool breezes flowing down from the Dolomites and the Alps in the evenings gently wind-drying those porcine particulars: the delicate aromas of Emilian curds ripening into fully fledged cheeses: succulent grapes ripening in the autumnal rays. It would be a crime to travel that far and not see what the basis for the prosperity of Parma is founded upon.

Well, the Drunken Wasps are many things, but criminals we are not. As a consequence, we want to share with you our agenda for a Saturday sojourn.

A luxury coach will arrive at the Hotel Farnese International for an 1100hrs departure to the verdant hills of Langhirano. This gentle town lies in the shadow of the beautiful Castle of Torrechiara, 25 km to the south-west of Parma, a 30 minute ride away.

Our first port of call is the Azienda Agricola Lamoretti, the vinyards and wine cellars of the Lamoretti family, who have been producing wines here from 1930. We will view the vines while enjoying a tasting of the family’s produce. There will be 3 white wines: a Colli di Parma Malvasia (a naturally frizzante wine), a Colli di Parma Sauvignon (served cold as an aperitif), and a Colli di Parma Sauvignon fermo, helped along with cocktail snacks and potato crisps. Opportunities to purchase any of the sampled wines will, of course, be available.

From the cellars there is a short jaunt to the Hotel Ristorante Ai Tigli, where a rustic regional four course meal has been arranged.

The menu for our repast will be:

Regional delicatessen meats (Prosciutto di Parma, Salame di Felino, Coppa di Parma);

"Tortelli di erbetta" (the typical Parma pasta dish);

“Lomba” (Pork loin) with Porcini mushrooms and Castle potatoes;

House dessert from the trolley.

Coffee and a half-bottle of wine per person is also included. I'm sure they will make more fluids available, if required!

After taking on board this leisurely lunch, we reboard the coach around 1330hrs for the return trip to the Farnese, arriving back about 1400hrs, in time to find the rest of the Drunken Wasps and get into shape for the entertainment to come.

The members of the Official Drunken Wasps Tour (ODWT) party being who they are, it is likely that there will be some spaces on this trip – around 10 is the guesstimate. We are building an exclusive, first-come-first-served reserve list for any other DW who is in Parma that weekend and who would like to join us for the ride.

If you think you might be out of bed by 1030hrs on the Saturday, and fancy a bit of quality nosebag with the ODWTs, email KevinTheB at k.broadbent@btinternet.com for more details. Payment in full will be required before departure to Parma.

Buono appetito!

PLEASE ALSO NOTE:

We have some spare seats on the Drunken Gran Tourismo Coach from Bologna Forli airport to Parma on Friday night (for those on Ryan Air FR198) and also returning to Bologna Forli in good time for FR199 on the Sunday.

A modest fee of ONLY £25 will cover transport in both directions.

Spare seats are limited, and so if you are interested, email me on k.broadbent@btinternet.com to book your seat.

Another service from Drunken Wasps Travel Ltd.

LATEST NEWS!!

We now have a reserve list of 18 names, and thank you all for your remarkable responses. Who would have thought there were that many culturally diverse DWs out there! Please feel free to add your name to the list, but I fear that there might be disappointment in store for some parma Trippers.