If reincarnation ever becomes an option, pray you come back as a Parmesan. Where else do you get to cycle to work through streets virtually devoid of cars, lunch on fresh-from-the-attic prosciutto and aged parmigiano reggiano, quaff crisp, refreshing Lambrusco wine in regal art-nouveau cafes, and spend sultry summer evenings listening to classical music in architecturally dramatic opera houses?
Starting from its position as one of Italy's most prosperous cities, Parma has every right to feel smug. More metropolitan than Modena, yet less clamorous than Bologna, this is the city that gave the world a composer called Verdi and enough ham and cheese to start a deli chain. Stopping here isn't an option, it's a duty.
Geography is destiny. Parma lies in northwest Emilia-Romagna. The region spans nearly the entire breadth of Italy, sharing borders with Tuscany and Liguria to the south and Lombardy and the Veneto to the north. A huge s
wath of the Po River plain, the biggest and richest tract of farmland in the country, falls inside Emilia-Romagna’s boundaries. The three great foods associated with Parma—Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, and handmade pastas (especially little ones you fill, such as tortellini, cappelletti, and anolini)—owe their first debt to this
extraordinarily fertile land. Wheels of Parmesan are branded with the year and month they were produced, so you know exactly what you’re getting. Aged for 18 months to three years, the cheese is generally at its most expressive at about two years.
1. Visit Galleria Nazionale
The National Gallery of Parma focuses on artwork from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries: you will find some works by Da Vinci, Barbieri, Allegri, van Dyck, and many others. This place was once the Academy of Fine Arts. The paintings and sculptures we see today have been accumulated throughout the centuries by various collectors.
2. Take a food and wine tour of Parma
Everyone knows that Italy is the queen of food and wine. If you want to explore the country’s culinary tradition, it is worth taking one of the many food and wine tours. The best ingredients of the Italian cuisine come from Parma. They can show you in detail how to make parmesan cheese or parma ham. Other tours focus on wine production or the process involved in aceto balsamico.
3. Visit Museo Glauco Lombardi
This thematic museum used to be the home of the Empress Marie-Louise and tells the story of Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Marie-Louise of Hamburg, through pictures, documents, and letters. The museum has developed in the first half of the 20th century, accumulating various objects related to Napoleon. Zooming in a very particular element of the private history of a public person, it shows us the life of th
e Emperor very differently to what we can find in textbooks, rendering European history more accessible.
4. Cattedrale di Parma
The Romanesque Cathedral of Parma was decorated by prominent fresco painter Antonio da Correggio. It was built throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. The dome presents Correggio’s ‘Assumption of the Virgin’; it is also worth taking a look at the capitals which present various war and nature scenes from the Bible. Together with the Baptistery of Parma, the Cathedral often hosts artistic exhibitions and educational workshops.
5. Battistero di Parma
Built between late 12th century and 14th century, Parma’s octagonal Baptistery is one of the finest medieval buildings in the whole of Italy. It is located just next to the Cathedral, on Piazza del Duomo. Its architectural style is both Romaneqsue and Gothic, and it is covered in pink marble from Verona. Its eclectic look can be explained by the long building period, which resulted from the dispute between the authorities of Verona and Parma, as a result of which Verona would not send their marble needed for the construction. Inside the Baptistery you can see 16 arches, all covered with amazing frescoes and paintings, as well as the beautiful dome ceiling.
6. Teatro Regio.
One of the most renowned and high-quality opera houses in Italy, the home of opera. It has been associated with many great composers, such as Giuseppe Verdi and Gioachino Rossini. This venue continues to serve the great Italian musical tradition, staging four operas every season and hosting a yearly Verdi Festival in October.
7. Parco Ducale
If you enjoy nature and want to take a break from cheese-tasting and sightseeing, go and relax at the park and garden of Palazzo Ducale. This park dates back to the 16th century and stretches along the west bank of the Parma River.
8. Visit Casa del Suono
This unique place was once a church (Chiesa di Santa Elisabetta), but nowadays is funky modern museum, Casa del Suono. It focuses on technology and music history and is full of old tape recorders, gramophones, and other valuable items related to the 20th-century music scene.
9. Teatro Farnese
Located within the Palazzo della Pilotta complex, the Teatro Farnese is one of the most renowned example of a wooden theatre that stands today.
Created in the 1600’s, at the time it was also the largest theatre in the world and could hold a crowd of 4,500 people.
Although hugely damaged during WWII, the theatre has since been restored and today you can admire the amazing detail of the wooden seating and walls.
Surrounding the semi-circular seats are a series of ornate wooden arches that would have served as boxes for the wealthy elite of Parma.
10. Torrechiara
If you are looking for a day trip from Parma, the quite country village of Torrechiara offers a different experience.
This charming village can be reached via car in approximately 35 minutes and is located to the south of Parma – during the journey you will travel through the beautiful Italian countryside.
The main attraction of this village is the amazing Castello di Torrechiara that was constructed in the 1400’s.
This immense structure dwarfs the village and stands proudly on a small hill providing it with panoramic views of the surrounding region.
Whilst the architecture of the castle remains in a brilliant condition, the interior is well preserved too and features several finely decorated rooms including the famous Camera d’Oro (Golden Chamber).
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