Our Blog - Tuscany 2024 Trip - Parma, Italy

Our last major "food" stop on our trip was to Parma, known for prosciutto ham (among other things). It is the 2nd most populous city in the region (after Bologna) with almost 200,000 people. It is home to the University of Parma, another one of the oldest universities in the world. It takes its name from the round shield used by Romans (a parma or parmula). It was originally founded by the Etruscans, and then it was a Roman colony starting in 183 BC. The city was destroyed in 43 BC and then rebuilt by Augustus. Attilla the Hun sacked the city in 452. During the Middle Ages, it was a part of the Holy Roman Empire created by Charlemagne, but locally ruled by its bishops.

The city had a medieval Jewish community. The Palatine Library houses the largest collection of Hebrew manuscripts in Italy, and the second-largest in the world after the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Unfortunately, some 21,000 volumes were lost during WWII due to Allied bombings.

We arrived and went almost straight to dinner. Since this is a city of ham, we decided to start with a meat-board, which included (left to right) Proscuitto (Parma ham), a Salami called "Felino", which is pork, alt and black pepper, garlic, and then flavored with a wine called Malvasia dei Colli di Parma, and Parma Coppa. We also ordered a basket of "torta fritta", literally "fried cake". We have had these before under the name "crescentina", and while they are pretty simple (flour, yeast, oil, salt), they are perfect to go along with the ham.

We wanted to continue with our plan of eating pasta at every dinner in Italy, and so we went with a tagliatelle and a pumpkin gnocchi.

The next morning, we headed out to see the sights. The Palazzo Ducale del Giardino was a destination for artists, curious people and collectors from all over Europe. It was the Royal Palace of Parma, with its Garden, its splendid fountain, located at the entrance, then its greenhouses and its orangeries. It was built in 1561 and renovated several times. It has been the headquarters of the Carabinieri (the Italian paramilitary police) so you can't really visit it.

We walked through the Ducal Park and then to the Trianon Fountain. Built between 1712 and 1719 for the garden of the Royal Palace of Colorno, it was designed to e a copy of the Great Trianon fountain in Versailles. In 1882, it was partially damaged by patients of a psychiatric hospital (no idea how psychiatric patients were able to damage this) and it was dismantled and put in storage. It was moved here in 1920 (less some statues that didn't make the trip) and placed on this little island in the center of the fishpond.

At the edge of the river is the Visconti Tower, a medieval tower from the 14th century that was built to fortify the end of an existing bridge.

Crossing over the Ponte Verdi, you arrive at the Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta, a huge 16th-century palace complex. It is currently home to the National Archaeological Museum, the National Gallery, the Farnese Theatre, the Palatine Library, and the Bodonian Museum. This is the library that I mentioned earlier, that is the 2nd largest library in the world. You go under a set of arches, where you can enter into the library and museums, and then out into a courtyard. I didn't do a good job of getting pictures to clearly show the complex (sorry). The last picture is my very bad attempt to show how the building is cut-off weirdly, due to the allied bombings destroying parts of the palace and they removed the damaged part, leaving this edge with a ragged edge.

This is just the most interesting sink I think I have ever seen! You push the button on the right and the water comes down from the pipe and into the suitcase.

This building complex, called the Palazzo di Riserva (Reserve Palace), originally consisted of various houses surrounding a parish church. The church was suppressed in 1643 and demolished to build the Ducal Theater (active from 1687 to 1829). The Post Office has been here since 1909, but the complex also contains the Parma Reading Society, the Glauco Lombardi Museum, and the Chair of History of Theater and Entertainment at the University of Parma.

Lucy was definitely NOT happy to have to pose in front of this giant tooth with a man on top. This is part of a group of monumental sculptures by Emanuele Giannelli. This one is entitled "Totem Tooth". I searched around for the meaning behind this, and what I found was that artwork is over 3 meters tall, with a huge molar with a small figure of a man on top, where the artist specifically reverses the dimensions. Man, domineering and predominant, has occupied too much space on planet earth and has arbitrarily and unilaterally made himself its absolute owner and legislator. An invitation to reflect on the real dimensions of what we are in the universe.

If you are thinking this is another bell tower ... you are partly correct. In fact, this is a War Memorial. It is the former tower of the Monastery of San Paolo that was transformed into a monument for those who have fallen in the various wars that was inaugurated in 1961.

The Piazza Duomo is surrounded by 3 important buildings, the first of which is the Bishop's Palace, dating back to the 11th century. The first part of the palace was built between 1045 and 1055 and then it was completed in the 12th century. The current Facade was built between 1232 and 1234.

The second of these is the Baptistry, started in 1196 in pink Verona marble. Like most Baptistry's, it is octagonal in shape, with the 8 sides of the octagon representing the 8th day, which in Christian theology is the day in which new life begins. Above the ground floor with the vaulted entries, there are 4 floors with open loggias and then a tier with closed loggias before being crowned by 8 turrets (one of which seems to be getting cleaned). The "Portal of the Virgin" overlooks the Piazza del Duomo and is named after the figure of the Virgin and Child in the lunette above it, with the Adoration of the Magi (on the left) and an angel instructing Joseph to flee to Egypt (on the right). On the sides of the door are carvings that show the Tree of Jacob and the Tree of Jesse. The 2nd doorway lunette shows Christ in the middle.

Lastly, the Cattedrale di Parma, or the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. A basilica existed here since the 6th century and this one dates from the 12th century. The façade, made from blocks of sandstone, was completed in 1178. It has 3 floors of open loggia at the top and 3 doorways, whose doors were sculpted in 1494. The Gothic belfry on the right side, topped by a gilt copper angel, was added in 1284-1294. You can see on the left side that there was the start of another tower but it really was never built and now it is a small welcome area. You can also see from the side view that there is a dome at the back. The two great marble lions supporting the archivolt columns of the central doorway were carved in 1281.

The interior is heavily frescoed (and I do mean HEAVILY frescoed!). I won't attempt to explain what the various frescoes actually are, as I don't remember where exactly each picture was taken :-) But along the nave are stories from the Old Testament and events of the Passion. But as you can see ... almost every inch is frescoed with the exception of the columns. The main feature of the interior is the fresco of Assumption of the Virgin decorating the dome, executed by Correggio in 1526–1530.[5]

Between the 3rd and 4th bays in the central nave is the richly carved wooden pulpit, the work of Paolo Froni from 1613.

Along the side aisles, you have decorations in all of the vaulted ceilings, and sometimes even in the arches and columns.

Municipality Chapel showing the Madonna and Child with Saints Sebastiano, Rocco, Ilario, and Biagio on the altarpiece, dating from around 1528. The wall frescoes show the legends of Saints Sebastiano and Fabiano, done in the early 15th century.

A few examples of the side chapels, with frescoed walls, frescoed domes, and frescoed ceilings.

A 16th-century red Verona marble staircase leads up to the transepts and apse. Here are various pictures to show the detail of the baroque altarpiece made of carved and gilded wood, designed in 1766, and the fresco depicting the Last Judgement, created between 1538 and 1544, in the vault over it.

You saw the dome at the back of the church from the outside, and here is the interior in the dome, showing the Assumption of the Virgin by Antonio Allegri (known as Correggio) between 1524 and 1534.

In the right transept is the Deposition, a bas-relief by Benedetto Antelami from 1178. Joseph of Arimathea holds the body of Christ, his arms embracing him at the waist. One arm has already been freed from the cross, which is supposed by the Archangel Gabriel, while Nicodemus is on a ladder to free the other hand.

Here is my attempt to give you a video going around the whole nave of the Cathedral ... hopefully it gives you somewhat of a view of everything together instead of just individual pictures.

And this is the fresco over the entry doorway and the stained glass window.

Literally behind the Cathedral is another church, the Abbey of San Giovanni Evangelista. Originally built in 980 by Bishop Sigefredo II. In 1477 the entire complex was damaged by fire and the basilica was rebuilt starting from around 1490, finishing around 1519. The marble facade of the church was designed in late mannerist style in 1604 and completed in 1607. The bell tower was added in 1613 and at a height of 75 meters, it is the tallest in Parma.

The interior is in the shape of a Latin cross and has three naves covered by cross vaults with a dome at the intersection of the transept: the same type of design as the Cathedral next door. Looking down the nave, you can see the sides above the arches are grey with frescoed friezes at the tops of the columns.

One of the chapels, here you can see the plain grey walls contrasted with the highly colored altar and vault.

Up at the presbytery, you can see the two organs on either side, then the apse with the main altar and frescoes on the walls, ceilings, and vaults. The older organ, on the right-hand side (and I have a close-up of) was built between 1517 and 1521. The other one is more recent, dating from the 18th century.

Our last stop is Piazza Garibaldi, which has several important buildings as well as the Tourist Office. This first building is the Palace of the Governor, and was originally built in 1283 with 2 wings and an alleyway. In 1606, the central bell tower collapsed and was replaced in 1673 as part of the reconstruction. The current Neoclassical façade was part of a late 18th-century update. They were setting up for some event so there was quite a bit of scaffolding going up, so some of the pictures are less than ideal. The 2nd is the building that contains the Office of Tourism and the building next to it... which I just thought were very interesting, with the windows and battlements along the top. I was unable to find any information on it, unfortunately.

Well ... they said you had to order at the bar :-)