Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano can only be produced in one specific area of the world, located in Emilia-Romagna, specifically in the provinces of Parma, Reggio-Emilia, Modena, Bologna on the left side of the Reno river, and Mantova on the right side of the Po river. Only Parmigiano produced here can obtain the PDO certification (DOP in Italian, fire-branded on the wheel of the cheese), a guarantee of the quality of the product. 

The story of Parmigiano-Reggiano began in Emilia Romagna a long time ago, in the 12th century, when Benedictine monks needed to find a way to preserve large quantities of milk. They began to handcraft a large, hard cheese whose peculiarity was that, the more it aged, the more its organoleptic features improved. Nine centuries later, Parmigiano-Reggiano is still produced using the same techniques.