Historic Centre of Parma

Although I get the feeling that even Italy is reaching the limits of its WH potential, its Tentative List still holds 39 prospects. Among them are numerous examples of the typical medieval-Renaissance cityscape, such as Lucca, Pavia, and Bergamo. And Parma: a city with Etruscan origins, and self-rule as a Free Commune and Duchy for a long time afterward. Especially the rulers of the latter two periods have left their imprint on how the city still looks now.

I visited Parma on a day trip from Bologna. Frequent trains take just under an hour. My first impression was that of a pleasant, liveable city. Certainly compared to Bologna and its porticoes that block the daylight, Parma feels more spacious and inviting with green areas and many benches to sit on.

I started my explorations by crossing a bridge to Oltretorrente, the quarter at the “other” side of the river. Here is where the Garden Palace of the Dukes of Parma was built. It lies in a large French garden, with a lot of chestnut trees already turning to their autumn color.

Back in the town center, I made my way to the Piazza Duomo – the square with the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and other important buildings. It has superficial similarities with the WH designated square in Modena. The cities are only 60km apart, so it is not strange that they both used pink Verona marble to construct their most important buildings. Both cathedrals are …

Prior to my visit to Parma, I heart already about the ensemble of Tower, Baptistery and Duomo with Romanesque façade and Baroque decoration of the dome by Corregio, and, of course, about prosciutto crudo and parmiggiano reggiano… So, I was very curious. Eventualy, I was slightly disappointed by what I have seen in Parma (but definitely not by what I ate there…)

It is true that the highlight of Parma is the ensemble of Duomo with Bell Tower and Baptistery (PHOTO). The latter is really masterpiece - especially interior. The cathedral has the west façade comparable to churches in Pavia or Arezzo. Its shape is quite special: it has three apses, which are not parallel to each other but perpendicular - as seen also in Pisa. The bell tower reminds me S Zeno in Verona. Almost every inch of interior is covered by Baroque frescoes (go also to nearby S Giovanni Evangelista to see something comparable!) with the focus point in the dome with famous Assumption of the Virgin (I must frankly say that I expected that it would be more spectacular…)

But the rest of town lacks something that would make the historical center really exceptional. The frame of streets is compact and quite big, but besides few other large churches and Galleria Nazionale there is nothing that would compete with the ensemble seen in Piazza del Duomo. There are better examples of historical towns in Emilia such as (already WHS) Ferrara or even Bologna. The Duomo …

Parma is a gem of a city. Culture, history, gastronomy. Bliss! However, you have to draw a line somewhere. Italy's WHS make up almost 5% of the total list! The Baptistry and the Duomo's steeple are my personal highlights (apart from the several trattorie serving local cheeses and cold cuts).