Parma

The revolutionary project, created by the city's teenagers, is a journey of 16 stages, corresponding to as many sculptures located throughout the territory, ready to communicate with you... via smartphone. You will receive a call by dialling the number you see on the number plate, framing the QR code or downloading the App. On the other side of the phone? Giuseppe Verdi himself and in good company. But let's see how Talking Teens - The Statues Speak! works in detail.

It is a true home of engines: 150 kilometres across Parma, Modena, Bologna and Rimini, 4 international circuits, 7 manufacturers, 11 luxury car museums, 19 collections. A dream location, where you can breathe in excellence and experience a rush of pure adrenalin. There are several ways to discover it in all its splendour; so let's take a look at them.

The eight Parma Food Museums were born to tell the story, traditions and tastes of the typical products of an authentic land and are proof that quality is a way of life. The beautiful province of Parma has four museums each dedicated to a product symbol not only of the made in Italy, but also of quality and authenticity: Parmigiano Reggiano, ham, tomato and Felino Salami.

One of the symbols of Made in Italy gastronomy, Parmigiano Reggiano is a cooked, hard parmesan cheese made from partially skimmed cow's milk (by natural separation) and is classified under the protected designation of origin (PDO) category. The area where this cheese is made includes the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua (up to the area to the right of the Po River) and Bologna (only to the left of the Reno River). About 3 million whole cheeses are produced every year. They are sold in Italy and exported to 48 countries around the world. They are made by several small creameries - at least 420 according to recent estimates by the Associated Consortium. Each creamery collects the milk from a few cowsheds and makes no more than 20 whole cheeses per day. This is the secret to quality parmigiano reggiano - quality that has remained the same for 8 centuries and involves making the cheese based on ancient methods and a tradition dating back to the 12th century.

Among the many gastronomic specialities of the land of Emilia, Prosciutto di Parma is, together with Parmesan cheese, undoubtedly the most representative. DOP since 1996, like all products that can boast Protected Designation of Origin status, it meets strict specifications, starting with the production area: it is produced only in the area of the Province of Parma between the Enza and Stirone rivers, five kilometres south of the Via Emilia. The bulk of production, however, is in Langhirano, a strategic hub for the entire regional economy.

Be they tortelli, anolini or cappelletti, ravioli are the triumph of Emilian tradition. The itinerary we suggest will let you discover three traditional recipes with an unmistakable flavour: three dishes rooted in ancient popular cuisine.

Historic theater of Parma Opera House Constructed at the request of Duchess Maria Luigia of Habsburg-Lorraine, wife of Napoleon, this theater was opened on May 16, 1829 with Zaira, an opera by Vincenzo Bellini. Considered a theater of excellence in the opera tradition, today, Teatro Regio di Parma is among the most important in Italy. From the Neoclassical façade to the elegance of its interiors adorned with gilded stucco, you arrive in the auditorium, the heart of the building, topped by the ceiling painted by Giovan Battista Borghesi where you’ll see the "astrolampo" hanging - a large gilded bronze chandelier forged by the Lacarrière workshops in Paris. The painted curtain is also by Borghesi and is one of the few examples that has survived. Above, a "light" clock, marking the time every five minutes, is placed in the center of the proscenium lintel. The acoustic chamber, painted by Giuseppe Carmignani, echoes the decorations of the boxes and consists of telescopically modular panels to support a wide variety of orchestral ensembles. In addition to the usual opera season, the ballet season with ParmaDanza and the concert season, the theater offers the Festival Verdi with a calendar full of events and performances dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi every year. There are many parallel activities, from the Regio Young, dedicated to schools and families, to the Alta Sartoria Training Course, to the Accademia Verdiana, dedicated to new opera talents. There are interesting guided tours to discover the history of the theater, its world and its initiatives.

The Museum in the Palazzo della Pilotta Inside the Palazzo della Pilotta, the National Gallery of Parma houses, among others, the works of Canaletto, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Parmigianino, Tintoretto and part of the collection of the Academy of Fine Arts. Its history began in the Renaissance with the Farnese family who started the Ducal Academy of Fine Arts in 1752. Its collections constitute the original nucleus of the current Gallery. After various acquisitions, gifts and transfers, an important collection of works began to form, in particular under the Duchess Maria Luigia. She was responsible for the birth of a real public museum with many noble collections purchased to avoid them being dispersed. In 1900, the collection was reorganized with works and paintings for schools by origin and by chronology. There are two exhibition routes, which start from the Farnese Theater, and branch off along corridors with spaces dedicated to sculptural works among which some pieces by Antelami and other sculptors of his time stand out. The route continues into the nineteenth-century halls with the collections of the Academy and portraits of the Bourbon era and Maria Luigia. Then in the halls of the ancient Rocchetta, you can admire the works of the School of Parma from the sixteenth century, in particular of Correggio and Parmigianino protagonists in the Parma of the Renaissance era.

The ancient Monastery with Dome by Correggio. Benedictine complex that includes the Church, Cloister and Library of San Giovanni. It was founded by Bishop Sigifredo in the eleventh century and is characterized by its Baroque façade that opens onto Piazzale San Giovanni. On the right side, the bell tower was added in 1613 which, with a height of 75 meters, is the tallest in Parma. The Church has a Romanesque structure with a Latin cross plan, three naves with cross vaults and side chapels. The interior is a triumph of frescoes. In the central nave stands the continuous frieze painted by Correggio who also made the lunette with St. John and the Eagle and the cycle of frescoes on the Dome. The vision of St. John the Evangelist is surprising as its perspective game is extraordinary. The left aisle is distinguished by interesting early works by Parmigianino. The frescoes of Sant'Agata and the executioner paired with that of Saints Lucia and Apollonia of the first chapel equally stand out. In the Monastery, the three cloisters are worth a visit. They are functional for the performance of the religious community’s processional rites, where you can breathe the Benedictine air, characterized by the"Ora et Labora" rule. The Monastery Library is also frescoed and houses about 20,000 volumes, including illuminated manuscripts from the 13th and 14 centuries demonstrating the monks’ copy work.

Place of art, history and worship in Piazza Duomo Parma's most important place of worship, it stands in Piazza Duomo and is part of an architectural complex that also includes the Baptistery and the Bishop's Palace. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1106, and what we see today is not the original construction, having experienced several fires and restorations over the centuries. A testimony of Romanesque art, it has a "gabled" facade, with the lower part smooth and undecorated, while the upper part becomes more elaborate, consisting of arches and columns forming several orders of loggias. To the right, the 63-meter-high bell tower stands tall, built to replace an older tower. The interior houses bas-reliefs by Benedetto Antelami and frescoes by Correggio particularly the marble Deposition made by the sculptor and the Assumption of the Virgin, a fresco that covers the entire inside of the dome, by the painter.

The Romanesque-Gothic monument designed by Antelami A place designated for the Catholic rite of baptism, its construction began in 1196. It was designed almost entirely by Benedetto Antelami. This information is recorded in an inscription on the architrave of the north entrance - it reads “Bis binis demptis de Mille Ducentis/incepit dictus opus hoc Benedictus,” “Four years before the year Twelve Hundred, this work was begun by (the man) called Benedictus.” Octagonal in shape, it develops vertically similar to a truncated tower, and is finished in pink marble. It is one of the most representative monuments of the transition from late Romanesque to early Gothic. This is also evident from Benedetto Antelami's sculptures in particular the zoophorus and the portals carved with representations reflecting salvation through baptism. The sculptures inside the building, known as the "Cycle of the Months," representing the months and seasons are also worth mentioning. Sixteen ribs duplicate the facades inside the structure, converging in the "umbrella"-shaped dome. At the center of the interior space there is the large baptismal font, also octagonal in shape, a symbol of Eternity.

Taste tradition at the Parma Ham Museum Welcome to Langhirano, the cured ham district: in fact, it’s not only home to the Parma Ham Museum, but also a festival dedicated to this delicacy produced between the Po River and the Apennines. The museum is located in the former Foro Boario and is well worth a visit, also to discover the other cured meats produced in the area, including culatello di Zibello and spalla di San Secondo. With tasting included, of course! The art of the “lardaroli” Cured meats have been made in Parma since the Middle Ages, when lardaroli, or lard-makers, began to specialise here, handing down a much older tradition from generation to generation: the Romans already produced exquisite salted hams in the 2nd century BC. That tradition, spoken of by Latin authors such as Horace and Plautus, was consolidated over time. Parma ham is already referred to in a cookbook from the 1300s. Then it is found in a 16th-century wedding menu, among Tassoni's poems and even among the dietary advice of a 16th-century Bolognese doctor. Today, the artisan processing has been complemented by more modern technologies that have improved hygienic conditions without affecting taste. Or tradition: salter maestros prepare the legs for curing, which lasts at least 12 months. At the end of which only the hams that pass strict controls are branded with the five-pointed ducal crown. Learning about ham at Foro Boario The museum is located between the historic centre of Langhirano and the Parma stream, on an area taken from the river in the early 1900s to protect the town from flooding. The Slaughterhouse and the Foro Boario, rural architecture originally intended for the sale of livestock, date back to that period. The itinerary includes eight stops, in as many sections in the museum. First learn about the territory and pig breeds, then salt, which is indispensable for preserving cured meats. Step by step, you’ll discover all the secrets of Parma ham, from its production to its use in the kitchen. Finish with the inevitable tasting in the museum's prosciutteria. In Langhirano and surroundings Langhirano is located on the green slopes of the Parma Apennines and the festival dedicated to Parma ham is held here the first two weekends of September. The historical salumifici were located along the stream to better utilise the area’s fresh air for curing hams. They are still here, although no longer in use. The Town Hall is also worth a visit, built in the 13th century and remodelled in the 1600s. A few kilometres from the village on the opposite bank of the stream, you’ll find the Badia Cavana founded on a hill in 1111, a very important abbey. Its jewel is the small Romanesque church dedicated to St Michael. A little further away you’ll come across the Torrechiara Castle, dating back to the 15th century. If you feel like taking a stroll, enjoy the Torrechiara Art Trail connecting the castle to Langhirano, running along the San Michele canal through woods, fields and vineyards of the ancient Torcularia, the medieval name for Torrechiara.