We met the Backroads leaders (Stefani and Licia), van support people (Rachel and John) and participants (from all across the USA) at the Mestre train station, across the street from our hotel for the night. All of us boarded a big comfortable bus and set out for a three hour ride to just outside of Parma. The bus ride through the Italian countryside was beautiful. We saw grain fields, corn fields, vineyards, peach, apricot and other fruit orchards and most of the houses had terra cotta tile roofs. 
We arrived at a public park (Corte do Giarola) on the Taro River in Parma which most recently had been an agricultural center and prior to that a nunnery and even further back in time, a medieval fort. Licia prepared a picnic lunch for us which was excellent and fueled us for our ride. The rain began to fall as we ate and before lunch was over, it was hailing!! We stretched lunch until there were only puddles remaining and set out…
The bike ride through Emilia-Romagna province was as beautiful from the vantage point of the bike as it was from the bus. It is an agricultural area and the one of the few provinces that is home to the true Parmesiano-Regiano cheese. One of the biking benefits is using all of the senses to explore. We could smell the Holstein cattle long before we saw them and more pleasantly the confederate jasmine, Acacia, and Linden trees and other flowers. We learned to recognize spelt (in the photo, with much extraneous foliage) from wheat (simply the wheat). There were fields of vegetables, like these tomatoes, and alfalfa hay.
Our first glimpse of Tabiano Castle was just a speck on top of a high hill, but we had better views as we biked up…We thoroughly enjoyed the 33 km ride, arriving at Tabiano Castle around 4ish.
After showering and resting a bit, we stormed the castle…actually, we toured the castle. It was built between the 10th and 11th century to guard via Emilia (an ancient Roman road) and the salt mines. It changed hands many times over the centuries but was bought in 1892 by the Corazzo family who renovated the castle, using the best Italian artisans to decorate the beautiful rooms. It is used now for weddings and other events and as a tourist destination. We saw the huge wine cellar, the stables, the hall of mirrors (a ballroom with lovely carvings on the wall and ceiling), the dining room with a (walk-in) fireplace. Part of the castle is in use today as a residence.
Dinner this evening was in the old cheese house, il caseficio and we were treated to a show by the local resident, Luigi.
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