The oldest wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano ever opened and still edible has reached almost 10,000 days of maturation. The record was celebrated in Villa Minozzo, in the Reggiano region of Italy, where cheesemaker Romano Camorani, a member of the National Parmigiano Reggiano Team, cut a wheel produced in February 1998 at the Santa Lucia Dairy in Poviglio. It was a real leap back in time: when that cheese was being made, Italy still had the lira, Pantani was triumphing at the Giro d'Italia and the President of the Republic was Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. After 27 years and 3 months of aging, the wheel was judged still perfectly edible and of the highest value. An estimated value? Over 20,000 euros. The event was attended by friends and family members of the cheesemaker, representatives of local institutions, and the President of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, Nicola Bertinelli, who called the moment "extraordinary" and stressed that this wheel represents "a true jewel of nature". Now the goal is even more ambitious: to break the world record for aging, now held by a 28-year-old American Cheddar. To this end, the National Parmesan Cheese Association has already set aside a wheel with 30 years of aging, kept in a secret place.