02 December 2025
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Like a time machine adorned with elegant palaces and evocative sculptures, Parma transports wanderers and travelers through the different historical eras that have shaped the layout, architecture and fine arts of this Emilian city, founded by the ancient Romans in 183 BCE.
Established as a colony of the Urbs along the Via Emilia, Parma soon became an important strategic crossroads whose square layout contained a theater, an amphitheater and a stone bridge over the river.
With the decline and subsequent fall of the Empire, the power vacuum was filled by Goths, Byzantines, Lombards and Franks, who brought with them few expressions of civilization and many feuds between the various families involved.
After the dark medieval centuries, the advent of the seignories and then the Renaissance flooded Parma with a new artistic light, while the subsequent era of the duchies (culminating in the periods of the Farnese and the Bourbon-Parma families) embellished the town with a mosaic of precious cultural legacies that can still be visited today.
A look at the history of Parma from the seignories to the agrarian strikes of the early 1900s
While Parma’s modern-day fame is often associated with its delicious culinary arts, the role of the nobility contributed both to the refinement of its gastronomy and to the city’s artistic development. The era of the seignories and duchies, which began in the 13th century, involved important families such as the Correggio, Este, Visconti, and Sforza.
In 1545, the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza became the domain of the Farnese, who, in roughly 200 years of rule, left their indelible mark by building the Pilotta complex. The duchy then passed to Don Carlos of Bourbon, while with the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy in 1860, Parma ceased to be a capital and the ducal territories were incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia. At the tumultuous start of the 20th century, Parma was the epicenter of significant events including the agrarian strikes of 1908 and the barricades of 1922.
Antelami’s Visionary Sculptures
Proceeding in chronological order, an exploration of Parma’s cultural heritage can begin in Piazza Duomo, home to the famous Baptistery of Parma. The fame of this 13th-century Romanesque structure is inseparable from the visionary sculptural decoration by Benedetto Antelami, which adorns the building from outside to inside.
The depictions range from a series of relief panels featuring imaginative allegorical animals to portals inlaid with biblical scenes such as the Adoration of the Magi. The inner lunettes show the Flight into Egypt and King David, while the famous Cycle of the Months in the loggia pays tribute to the crafts tied to the seasons. The zoophorus along the base – one of the most important sculptural cycles, with 75 panels and 4 virtues (Chastity, Charity, Faith and Hope) – deserves to be admired with particular attention.
Architecture and History of the Baptistery of Parma
Built starting in 1196 under Antelami’s careful supervision and with an innate aesthetic harmony, the Baptistery of Parma is a grand work whose construction was interrupted until 1249 because political hostilities prevented the arrival of Verona marble.
The building was completed and consecrated in 1270, marking the architectural transition from the Romanesque style to the Gothic. The octagonal shape of the baptistery – like that of the baptismal font inside – is a symbol of eternity (and rebirth), while the composition of the structure is conceived to resemble a “stone tapestry,” reflecting Antelami’s spiritual vision.
The Cathedral and Correggio’s Frescoes
Once you exit the Baptistery, the nearby Cathedral (or Duomo) of Parma continues the visual enchantment with the dome of the Assumption of the Virgin frescoed by Correggio. Painted between 1526 and 1530, the work is notable for its illusionistic perspective. In this respect, Correggio was a forerunner of perspective painting and, according to art historians, among the most significant details of the fresco are Mary’s garments, painted to emphasize a sense of movement.
Shifting your gaze to the pendentives of the dome, you find the patron saints of Parma, through whom the artist created a point of contact between the painted scene and the city’s religious history.
Teatro Regio: the power of opera and public debate
An integral part of local history is also the Teatro Regio. Beloved by conductor Arturo Toscanini and composer Giuseppe Verdi, this venue hosted the presentation of the MICHELIN Guide Italy 2026 on November 19.
Commissioned by Marie Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine (Napoleon’s wife) to elevate both her own status and the cultural offering of the Emilian town, the Teatro Regio has always had a strong identity tied to musical tradition, opera and popular debate. In the past, the audience would actively discuss the performances in the local dialect and, among the many curiosities surrounding the place’s history, there is Marie Louise’s secret passage. The reformist duchess had a hidden route – created to connect the Ducal Palace to the royal box – allowing her to avoid going out into the street and exposing herself to prying eyes.
Bib Gourmands and Restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide
From the historic center to the surrounding countryside, the Parma area is a renowned temple of good food and, among the restaurants recommended by the MICHELIN Guide, Al Vedel is a must. Located in the hamlet of Vedole and specializing in the artisanal production of culatello (aged 16, 26 or 38 months), it offers dishes such as “gran bollito” (mixed boiled meats), delicious escargots bourguignonne and “tortél dóls” (sweet-and-sour stuffed pasta). Another stop the inspectors recommend is the Bib Gourmand Romani, located in a typical country farmhouse complete with a large garden and a shop selling food products. This traditionally styled establishment welcomes guests in rooms filled with memorabilia and decorations, while the regional cuisine “is not fond of reinterpretations or exotic flights of fancy,” instead focusing on classic local flavors. As the inspectors note, “the cured meats, fresh pastas, roasts and grilled meats thus become the true protagonists of the experience.”
The Secluded Charm of the Palatina Library
A visit to Parma’s cultural heritage would not be complete without dedicating a few hours to the Pilotta complex and thus to the Palatina Library, founded in 1761 by Philip of Bourbon. The library holds around 800,000 volumes and a large collection of manuscripts, documents and texts relating to local, Italian and European history and culture.
The Palatina occupies a wing of the monumental complex and, up until the 19th century, the library was the epicenter of the palace’s collecting and intellectual activities. Beyond offering an important archive for historical research, the value of the experience is heightened by the beauty and breadth of the Maria Luigia Hall, where, in addition to the Canova statue dedicated to her, visitors can admire the ceiling decorated by the painter Scaramuzza.
Teatro Farnese: Visiting a Baroque Jewel
On leaving the Palatina Library, it is time to discover the Teatro Farnese. Considered the jewel in the crown of the Pilotta Monumental Complex, the horseshoe-shaped auditorium designed by Gian Battista Aleotti for Ranuccio I Farnese was completed in 1628 just in time for the wedding of Odoardo Farnese and Margherita de’ Medici.
Built in the old armory and lit by large chandeliers and more than 2,400 light sources, the theater features stepped seating in wood, stucco and imitation marble. Partially inspired by Andrea Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, the space has hosted spectacular productions over the centuries, including the famous naumachia (naval battle) with the stalls flooded with water. Used on only a few occasions, the Teatro Farnese was damaged during the bombings of 1944 and, at the end of the Second World War, it was completely rebuilt.
The Masterpieces of the National Gallery
The final wonder within the Pilotta complex is the National Gallery. Among the museum’s main masterpieces stand out the “Head of a Woman” attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, various works by Guercino and Tintoretto, and the “Portrait of Pope Paul III Farnese” by Sebastiano del Piombo. To these are added paintings such as “The Healing of the Man Born Blind,” the “Portrait of Pope Paul III Farnese” by Sebastiano del Piombo, the “Creation of Eve,” “Adam and Eve After the Fall” by Jan Soens, and “The Dead Christ Supported by Three Angels, Saint Dominic and a Donor” painted by Domenico Tintoretto.
Ancient Flavors and Culinary Avant-Garde
Returning to culinary attractions, another unmissable stop near Parma is Trattoria Antichi Sapori in the hamlet of Gaione. Open since the post-war period, this establishment is today one of the most appreciated Bib Gourmands in the MICHELIN Guide, where warmth, a family atmosphere and “excellent dishes focused on local specialties” win over both gourmand travelers and the local clientele. Here the welcome offered by host Davide Censi is an added value and among the restaurant’s cult dishes are tortelli filled with chard or pumpkin, rice with onion and black pepper, roast veal flank and fricassée of roast guinea fowl. For those seeking a star-studded finale, the restaurant Inkiostro, led by chef Salvatore Morello from Catanzaro, instead offers eclectic creations in which authentic regional flavors are elegantly and skilfully combined with “sometimes exotic ingredients.”
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