Parma Town

The city

Known as the little Paris of Italy and home to one of the oldest universities in the world, Parma is extremely rich in culture, art and gastronomic excellences unique in the world which deserve attention and study: in the historic center they are of great interest the square with the masterpieces of Benedetto Antelami including the splendid Deposition of 1178 and the grandiose dome by Antonio Allegri known as Correggio, the works of Parmigianino in the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista behind the cathedral, the Renaissance Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata , seat of the Constantinian Order of Saint George, with a Greek cross plan and frescoes by Parmigianino. Continuing towards the monumental complex of the Palazzo della Pilotta, the famous museums of the National Gallery are unmissable, including the Bodoni Museum, the oldest printing museum in Italy, the prestigious Palatine Library and the spectacular wooden environment of the Farnese Theatre. A few steps from the Theater Royal known for the famous opera season and the Verdi Festival and the adjacent Glauco Lombardi Museum, which houses the relics of Maria Luigia of Habsburg and Napoleon Bonaparte, testifying to the important ducal and culturally enlightened past of the city. Finally, not to forget the enchanting Camera di San Paolo (or Camera della Abbess), a precious example of Correggio's work, and the important Stuard Art Gallery in the nearby former Benedictine Monastery of San Paolo. A view of the historic Botanical Garden of the University with its over two thousand species of plants, its precious collections of ancient herbariums and the collection of Parma violets, will give a pleasant touch to your stay

Also noteworthy is the multi-ethnic and student neighborhood of Oltretorrente, beyond the Ponte di Mezzo, with its original markets, where you can admire the Church and the Franciscan Convent of the SS. Annunziata, the Birthplace Museum of Arturo Toscanini, the famous orchestra conductor, adjacent to the historic and extensive Parco Ducale, with the building of the same name which today houses the representative headquarters of the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority).

Peripheral but worthy of mention is the Monumental Tomb of Niccolò Paganini, considered the greatest violinist of the nineteenth century, in the Villetta Cemetery.