48 hours in Parma

Guide to the sights of the ducal city

Romantic heart and true soul, greens and culatello: for all, the petite capital.
Visiting it is a pleasure for curious spirits.

DAY 1

9 a.m. – Bar Cocconi
An old-fashioned place with a wooden interior and marble tables for a classic breakfast: coffee from the arabica and robusta blend of the local Ramenzoni roastery, chocolate cream puffs and cream cannoncini.
Those who like savory, order a fresh croissant with prosciutto and tonnata sauce.

10 a.m. – Piazza Duomo
This is the city’s medieval square, with the Cathedral and Baptistery, and this is where the first steps of a city exploration begin.
Romanesque art in purity, the Cathedral holds masterpieces, from Antelami’s bas-reliefs to the vault of the dome frescoed by Correggio, precision of chiaroscuro and perspective.
On the way out, the pink Verona marble Baptistery carved by Antelami in the early 13th century is another icon.
Legend has it that the devil, jealous of its beauty, kicked it to knock it down, leaving an imprint on the facade (look for it on the southeast side, it really looks like his).

11 a.m. – San Giovanni Evangelista
Immediately behind the Duomo, the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, a Benedictine monastic complex with a Baroque facade, is another postcard of the city.
It has a Latin cross plan with three naves over which chapels open and still a dome frescoed by Correggio.
Visiting the cloisters and the ancient library of illuminated manuscripts feels like entering a scene from “The Name of the Rose.”
The apothecary shop that prepared healing concoctions is still there, with flasks, stills and mortars.

12 noon – Parma Color violet
It is in this small store crammed with small bottles that you can buy the mauve-colored flower perfume that has become a legend.
The first bottles of Parma Violet, produced through the alchemical skill of friars, were created for Duchess Maria Luigia until Ludovico Borsari was able to obtain the formula in 1800 and recreate the perfume.

1 p.m. – Don Antonio
Arriving fresh from the sea of Sicily is the fish that Antonio Gianquinto cooks at his restaurant in the heart of Oltretorrente, following traditional recipes recovered even from the island’s historical archives.
Menus are seasonal(ristorantedonantonio.it)

3 p.m. – Ducal Park
A short walk from the restaurant, Ducal Park still retains the formal features of the 18th-century garden.
Centuries-old trees create an elaborate green architecture around the Boudard sculptural groups, and at the end of the avenues, a lake houses the Trianon Fountain, while hidden by the woods remain the remains of the 1769 Arcadia temple.
In front of the Ducal Palace, a long building, which Ottavio Farnese had built in the 16th century, is a large circular clearing known as l’étoile, from which tree-lined avenues radiate out.
Some stroll, some read on a bench or dance capoeira on the lawn.
The little ones run with the cricket, that elongated, colorful tricycle that has been in childhood memories since the 1950s.
One exits the gate onto the Verdi Bridge to look out onto the Lungoparma, an overture to the water with colorful houses with tall windows and narrow balconies.

4 p.m. – Teatro Regio
Red velvets and gilded friezes in a neoclassical structure commissioned by Maria Luigia of Austria, the Regio is one of the most important opera houses in Italy, with one thousand two hundred seats and more than seventy thousand tickets sold annually. It is home to a discerning audience of melomaniacs.(teatroregioparma.it)

5 p.m. – Shopping Tour
Products from farmers and growers who are guardians of biodiversity can be found at the Rural Market in Borgo Giacomo Tommasini(rural.it).
A little further on, at number 12, is 333 a research store that has brought Nordic-style clothing and furnishings to the city, such as Fern Living items made in Copenhagen or Bellrose garments from Belgium(store333.it).
At Sadoo on Strada Repubblica, meanwhile, Cesare Muratori brings together a sophisticated selection of ethnic and designer jewelry, bags and pashminas(sadoo.it).

8 p.m. – Cocchi
We leave the historic center to reach Cocchi, a shrine to tradition since 1925: on the menu, in addition to a selection of cured meats, there is never a shortage of cappelletti in broth, boiled meats and stuffed baked tip served on carefully set tables.
The wine list is extensive and well-structured.
It is worth making a reservation and sitting down to savor the delicacies on the menu.
ristorantecocchi.it

DAY 2

9 a.m. – Antica Pasticceria Pagani
For five generations, quality has been the focus at this pastry shop in Borgo XX Marzo.
Starting with the famous zabaglione cannoncini with marsala and rum, just as Guareschi and Bertolucci ordered them.
Also a must is the Hungarian cake created by Icilio Pagani on December 4, 1914.
To make it he was inspired by Jozsef Dobos’ Magyar version: five thin layers of daisy cake, a filling of Hungarian cream and a dusting of cocoa.
Borgo XX Marzo, 4

10 a.m. – The Pilotta Complex
Unfinished fortress with an inner courtyard where Spanish soldiers played pelota.
It contains three museums (which are also centers for research and cultural exchange), the Palatina Library and the Farnese Theater, a two-story spruce shell of loggias.
In 1628 it housed four thousand spectators who on the notes of “Mercury-Mars” (Monteverdi’s opera-tournament) saw the cavea fill with water, with sea monsters and ships: an apotheosis of hydraulics, epic and pageantry.
The National Gallery is accessed from the theater.
Worth the ticket is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Head of a Maiden” (“La Scapigliata”), a young girl with sweet features and a cascade of disheveled curls.
Leaving, one crosses the gardens of Piazzale della Pace, designed in the late 20th century by Mario Botta.
Here among concrete frames and pools of water you lie on the grass to read a book or listen to music under the monument to Giuseppe Verdi.

1 p.m. – Tra l’uss e l’asa
There you go for memory sandwiches that bring together tradition and fantasy.
Plus, year-round cotechino, boiled or tongue with red and green sauce, pork cheek braised in lambrusco, and the old one: horse mince seasoned with potatoes and peppers(tralusselasa.it)

3 p.m. – Bodonian Museum
The New Bodonian Museum is the oldest printing museum in Italy, opened in 1963 to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Giambattista Bodoni, the Piedmontese printer who made Parma the printing capital of the world starting in the second half of the 1700s. The new container is inside the former periodicals warehouse of the Palatina Library. It has a dual soul: the story of Bodoni’s forge on the one hand and, on the other, that of Parma’s culture in its golden age.
Not to be missed is the section illustrating Bodoni’s working stages, starting with the type foundry with its working tools: punches, matrices, casting forms.
Pilotta Square 3

4 p.m. – The Abbess’ Room
A secret (or almost secret) address that, wrongly, does not always end up on the visitor’s to do list. It is the convent of San Paolo that in the 16th century housed a cultured and rebellious abbess, Giovanna Piacenza. She loved to surround herself with intellectuals and artists such as Correggio to whom she had her room frescoed. On the fireplace he wanted Diana, goddess of the hunt, painted and engraved a phrase: per ignum glaudio ne fodias, do not disturb the fire with your sword. The painter created an innovative illusionistic decoration, with a pergola from which putti look out, between niches simulating monochrome bas-reliefs.
3 Macedonio Melloni Street

6 p.m. – Alternative Zone
Culture in Parma also means avant-garde. BDC(bonannidelriocatalog.com) is a former deconsecrated church near the cathedral and baptistery at 28 Borgo delle Colonne, one of the city’s most beautiful arcaded streets. Private space opens to the public for concerts, DJ sets, exhibitions, parties and literary meetings with a bar corner and garden for aperitifs and the last drink. A little further on, also under the arcades, Canaglie del Naviglio (Borgo delle Colonne, 40B) is a retro-flavored venue where you can drink good wine and listen to music.

9 p.m. – At the two plane trees
Just outside the city, where the countryside begins, the restaurant is next to the church in Coloreto. Cozy and reserved it tells the story of the Parma tradition: informality of the setting, good service and a cuisine interpreted by Gianpietro Stancari that leaves nothing to chance. One dish among all: tortelli with herb or pumpkin filling. Even Gualtiero Marchesi ordered them, who appreciated this address for its ability to prepare classy Emilian cuisine. Pasta is prepared fresh every morning, rolled out to order. Then, duck breast with sherry sauce, caramelized shallots and potatoes, and, to finish, cream ice cream whipped right at the table. ( aidueplatani.com)

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