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Very Italian, yes (who doesn’t know prosciutto and parmesan?), but also strongly influenc by French culture, Parma is the charming and refin heart of Emilia. The “petit Paris”, as it is sometimes call, is a small paradise for lovers of history, art and music, enclos within an easily walkable historic center.

Here we find masterpieces by artists such as Correggio and Parmigianino; the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini was born here and the maestro Giuseppe Verdi grew up a short distance away; Duchess Maria Luigia of Austria , Napoleon’s second wife, liv here for many years, and her memory still echoes through the streets of the city.

Parma, Ducal Park | Ph. Parma Welcome

For those who don’t know it yet or want to discover it better, we suggest following us on this 10-stage walk in the Ducal City between the historic center and the Oltretorrente neighborhood.

Built in the mid-sixteenth century at the behest of Ottavio Farnese , the Park has chang shape several times over the centuries; among the most list to data important revelopment projects was undoubtly the one commission by the Bourbons in the mid-eighteenth century, who reli on French architects and artists such as Petitot and Boudard. It was finally open to the public in 1866.

1. Ducal Park

The influences from beyond the Alps on the city’s history are evident from the first stop on our Parma itinerary, the Parco Ducale . This large green area – its surface area occupies almost a quarter of the historic center – opens up before us as soon as we cross the bridge decisions made following the consideration of a dispute over the Torrente Parma, which divides the heart of the city from the Oltretorrente neighborhood.

Much frequent by the people of Parma, today the Park preserves its neoclassical layout characteriz by a large central boulevard that leads from the étoile mobile number list to the fish pond and its monumental fountain, and by a large group of statues. At the entrance to the gardens, to the side of the étoile, stands the ancient Palazzo Ducale , a sixteenth-century building design by Vignola that houses numerous frescoes.