PARMA

Situated between the Po River, the Tyrrenian Sea, Lombardy and the rest of the Emilia region in which it lies, the province of Parma boasts a rich heritage from its long history of cultural autonomy as a duchy. Its thriving economy is based on agriculture, industry, commerce, tourism, local spa towns, and one of the area’s most important and traditional industries is food: the province is one of the Europe’s leading food producing regions, and some of the local brand names are known throughout the world.
Although a relatively small provincial city, it has some truly monumental architecture, a rich artistic heritage and a range of important institutions.

Piazza del Duomo is a charming square whose medieval atmosphere remains intact to this days and it lies to the north of the original Roman settlement.
The cathedral is considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in the po valley: it was completed in the 12th century but the campanile was built in the following century and the side chapel added later on; the façade is made from blocks of sandstone and the main central door is preceded by a porch supported by lions.
The interior is in latin cross and frescoes in Po valley Mannerist style cover the ceiling and the walls.
In the middle of the presbytery , is the great void of the dome which Correggio frescoed between 1526 and 1530 with the assumption of the Virgin but inside there’s also one of the finest example of Romanesque sculpture by Benedetto Antelami which is the Deposition, one of his masterpiece.

Next to the Cathedral there’s a great octagonal building erected in Verona pink marble, the Baptistery.
Benedetto Antelami supervised its construction and executed nearly all the monuments decorative sculptures with their theological references and typical medieval iconography. The interior of this elegant polygon gives an immediate impression of space and height and in the center is the pool for baptism by immersion placed, set within an octagon.

Behind the cathedral you’ll find the ancient church of San Giovanni Evangelista founded in 10th century but rebuilt later on for the Benedictine order. In its inside the latin cross interior is noted for its cycle of frescos by Correggio - the same painter that frescoed the dome of the Cathedral – and in the west side of the Monastery there’s the historical Apothecary of San Giovanni that was founded and run by monks.
The shelves inside the apothecary display a large collection of apothecary vases and mortars for the preparations of remedies.
Even the frescoes by Correggio in Camera di San Paolo that was part of the abbess’ apartment in the Benedictine convent of San Paul, worth a visit because these are a true masterpiece of Italian Renaissance art .

You’ll find even the Parmigianino’s work in the in the fresco cycle ( wise and foolish vergin ) of the arch above the presbytery which the author painted in Madonna della Steccata Church.

Palazzo della Pilotta (1547-86) origins its name from pelota, a basque game similar to five that was played in one of the courtyards, built in the second half by of the 17th century at the order of Ranuccio I. Today the Palazzo della pilotta stands on the renewed Piazza della pace and guests: Biblioteca Palatina, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Museo Bodoniano and the Galleria Nazionale existed since 1752.
The Galleria Nazionale in particular is one of the most important and largest art galleries with works of some Europe’s finest artist such as Beato Angelico, Correggio, Parmigianino, Leonardo, Carracci, Van Dyck, Tintoretto, Canaletto, Tiepolo and many others. 
The entrance to the gallery passes through another masterpiece in Parma, the Teatro Farnese, a theatre entirely made of woods: it was completed in 1618 and rebuilt after the bombs that strucked the city in 1944 following the original project and drawings, it is still considered one of the most historical theatre in the world.

Not to far away from the Teatro Farnese there’s the Teatro Regio di Parma built in 1821-29 in neoclassical style to satisfy the willing of Maria Luigia and it became the suggestive setting for theatral activity of that time. The entrance hall leads to the ellipse-plan auditorium, while from the gallery and the four tiers of boxes one can have a better look onto both the ceiling and the curtain decorations.
The tradition of Parma is strictly connected with Opera and the theatre guests a rich season of festival, the most famous of them is The Festival Verdi, a musical kermesse entirely dedicated to the great Maestro.

Many famous architects enriches Parma with their work in the last decades. For example the l’Auditorium Niccolò Paganini by Renzo Piano has been built on a dismissed industrial area and it stands as a clear example of extraordinary design importance and of archaeological industry.
Renzo Piano transformed this sugar refinery into a magnificent “sound factory” with 780 seats, a foyer, dressing rooms, a café and a wardrobe.
The Parma city congress center Auditorium Paganini is a tangible example of how tradition and innovation could live together: this Auditorium guest congresses and many different events, besides the concert season of Teatro Regio di Parma.

We don’t have to forget neither the Palazzo Ducale, which is surrounded, the city hall and the Governor's Palace, that overlooks the central Piazza Garibaldi , The Museum Lombardi (with relics of Mary Louise and Napoleon), the Pinacoteca Stuard, the churches of St. Anthony, St. Sepulcher, dell'Annunciata and Santa Maria, the birthplace of Arturo Toscanini, the Casa della Musica The Puppet Castle (with its splendid collection of Ferrari), the Certosa di Paradigna (just outside town).