Situated in northern Italy, Parma is a refined city, studded with stylish cafes, luxury shops and superb restaurants, famous especially for delicious food, including Parma ham and parmesan, which are gastronomic labels known all over the world. Old buildings, quiet streets, luxury shops, a challenging gourmet tour, a temptation for opera lovers –these are just a few landmarks that may interest a potential visitor. If you are a football fan and long for a live football match, there’s no problem - go and watch AC Parma matches...

Tips

The best time to visit Parma is from April to June. In addition to cultural and architectural monuments, Parma is a destination for shopping - Fidenza Village Outlet is located 20 kilometres away from the town. There you will find mostly clothing and footwear items of famous brands at good prices.

Did you know?

Parma is a real open-air museum, the pride of the town being the buildings around Piazza del Duomo.

The Cathedral is famous for the frescoes „Assumption” (XVI century) in the main dome and the bas-relief „Deposition from the Cross” by sculptor Antelami.

Palazzo della Pilotta was built for the Farnese family, who ruled the town between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Now, the National Archaeological Museum, Teatro Farnese and National Picture Gallery are housed by the palace.

Teatro Farnese, one of the oldest covered theatres in Europe, dating from 1618, stands out for its special wooden stage, and also for the hall similar to the one of the Theatre Olimpico in Vicenza.

The National Gallery contains thousands of works by such fine artists as Correggio and Parmigianino, Leonardo da Vinci, Fra Angelico, Van Dyck, Canaletto and Giulio Romano.

Battistero, the emblematic building of the town, with an octagonal shape, was built from pink marble of Verona. Inside, statues representing the months and seasons of the year are exhibited.

Duomo is one of the main attractions of the town, its dome being painted by Correggio. Going up the steps to the altar, on the right, we find a bas-relief by Benedetto Antelami, representing Jesus’s Descent from the Cross.

Parco Ducale. It is the green heart of the town. Built in 1561, it houses the Ducal Palace. Designed as an Italian-style garden, with a main alley and other secondary ones, it is dotted with numerous statues. Inside the park, Fontana del Trianon, from Ducal Palace Gardens, was placed in the middle of a lake.

Teatro Regio – the opera theatre built at the desire of Duchess Maria Luigia of Austria, the last wife of Napoleon, is one of the most popular in Italy, and every autumn the Festival „Verdi” is held here.

Reggia di Colorno, also named „The Versailles of the Dukes of Parma”, is only 12 kilometres away from Parma and has an impressive architecture. In one of the wings of the palace, the International School of Italian cuisine (ALMA) is; here top chefs from all over the world learn the craft.

The Glauco Lombardi Museum, located in the Pilotta, exhibits personal belongings of Duchess Maria Luigia of Austria and of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Entertainment

In the evening, the historic centre turns into movida places, and hundreds of young people come out for an aperitivo, and then continue having fun, until at about 11:00 pm in the clubs from the area. The most popular are Dadaumpa, situated just outside the town, and Fuori orario, set in a railway station building – the seats at the tables are compartments of train, and in every carriage, a different kind of music is listened.

Where and what do we eat?

No other kind of cheese in Italy, at least, is as famous as Parmesan, which has its origins in Parma. Also, you cannot leave Parma without tasting a Torta frittata di Parma with Prosciutto di stracchino (creamy fresh cheese), and a glass of red wine Lambrusco, or without enjoying an excellent ice cream; and if you’re still in Italy, it would be unwise and illogical not to eat a pizza. Moreover, if you want to try cuisine parmigiana, you must definitely go into a trattoria.

Parma is the town which is also called the Food Valley, so you cannot leave this place unless you load up in a food store typical of the area. There you get the traditional Prosciutto di Parma, Coppa di Parma, Salame di Felino, Parmigiano Reggiano, Culatello di Zibello and more.

Accommodation

In Parma, there are possibilities for accommodation to suit all budgets. The options vary ranging from cottages to modern and luxurious hotels. The modern hotels, equipped with amenities and private parking, can be found in the Old Town. The most optimal and convenient price for money-saving customers can be found in a Ostello della Gioventà. Those who come to Parma on business are recommended strategically positioned hotels situated within the area of the railway station: Astoria and Century or Stendhal Hotel, each room of which has its own personality. Those who want to feel like kings, even for one night, Dalla Rosa Prati residence or Castello di Felino are recommended, why not?

How do we travel around?

Here we will refer to means of transport and sophisticated card systems because Parma is a small town - it is easy to travel across as a pedestrian on foot, especially since the historic centre is compact and full of historical monuments and is closed to traffic. You can be helped in this by a bicycle - the fastest, cheapest and most convenient solution to travel around. On the other hand, it can be rented at an affordable price.