…it’s P-a-r-m-a!

P A R M A

Ciao tutti,

After Florence, the next viaggio on which I embarked was a day trip to Parma. Besides being beautiful and historical, this Emilia-Romagna town is known for two things: prosciutto and Parmesan (known in the region as Parmagiano-Reggiano). This cheese is unbelievably good, and there’s just nothing like it back home. Another fantastic cheese of the region is called Pecorino, and it is just as good as (if not better than) Parmagiano-Reggiano. I could go on and on about these amazing cheeses, but I’ll let you look for yourself:

Parmagiano-Reggiano

Certified Prosciutto di Parma!

Some prosciutto sandwiches

Okay, back to my actual trip to Parma. We took a train early afternoon from Bologna and arrived in Parma in about an hour. On our walk from the Parma station to the city center, we passed the Palazzo della Pilotta which sits on the Piazza della Pace (Plaza of Peace). This palace used to cover the entire piazza but much of it was destroyed by Allied bombings during WWII. Also situated in the piazza is a monument dedicated to famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, as well as a monument of the “Italian partisan” conquering fascism. It is an interesting Piazza, indeed, with apparently a lot of history behind it. If only I had more time to learn about it!

The monument of the Partisan, with the Palazzo della Pilotta behind it.
You can see where the palace was bombed.

The Verdi monument on the Piazza della Pace, with the palace behind it.

We didn’t stay long at the Piazza della Pace. We continued on towards the city center, eventually arriving at the main cathedral of the city. Although it isn’t much from the outside, the inside of the cathedral was spectacular.

The outside of the Parma Cathedral

Inside, the nave and decorative ceiling

Detail of the artwork along the nave ceiling

One of the side-chapels dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua

The Baptistry, just outside the Parma Cathedral

Walking through Parma, I couldn’t help but enjoy the charm and tranquility of the streets there:

As we moved through the peaceful and beautiful Parma streets, we passed multiple shops with great displays of meats and cheeses.  We found a great restaurant called Tiffany’s (I suggested we should go back there sometime for breakfast) to stop and have an early dinner, and I must admit it was one of the best meals I have had so far in Italy.

A little vino...

A little tortellini alla panna...

A meat and cheese plate with prosciutto, salame, Parmagiano-Reggiano, e Pecorino...

...the perfect meal!

After dinner, on our way back to the train station, we found a pasticciera with some delicious chocolates inside! It was the perfect ending to a great day. 

Loving my way through Italy, one city at a time.

Ciao for now,

Augusto