What to do in Parma, where to eat cheaply and in the center and what to see. Five tips for a weekend in Parma.
Parma is a city that reveals its most fascinating side in Spring, with long days culminating in skies of a thousand shades of pink and yellow and the sweet evening air that pushes people of all ages to spend their days outdoors. Young university students from all over Italy flocking to the many bars in the center and there is a wide choice of music events, exhibitions and shows organized "en plein air", perhaps among the hamlets of the historic center. Despite this, even a visit during the colder seasons can reveal pleasant surprises to the visitor.
This is my list of 5 things to do, to see (and to taste) during your Parmesan stay:
1 Brioche with Pagani cream
Starting the day with a sweet breakfast helps you get off to a good start. At theAncient Pagani pastry shop, in via XX Marzo, since 1859 the secrets of the delicious pastas have been handed down from generation to generation. The place is small, there are only three tables and the cozy atmosphere gives a pleasant feeling of home. Brioche with the best cream of Parma and coffee: then you are ready to discover the city.
2 Rent a bicycle to visit the city
As soon as you arrive in Parma you will realize that all but everyone and at any age, they ride bikes. The city has an effective system of cycle paths that make life easier for cyclists. At the disposal of the tourist there is the service of bike sharing, which allows you to rent a bicycle through a card and park it in the special stations located in various corners of the city, paying it for the time you use it. The center of Parma is quite small and closed to car traffic, so cycling is the wisest choice for visiting the city.
Rental at the point Infomobility, in Viale Mentana 29 A (price: 20 euros per card and annual registration + 80 cents per hour).
3 Typical dinner with cold cuts and fried cake - Trio of tortelli
Among the culinary specialties that make Parma famous overseas there are certainly his cold cuts, primarily Parma ham and culatello. Accompany them with the fried pie (a sort of square of bread fried in lard) is a really tasty choice (but unfortunately also high in calories). As a first course, the trio of tortelli (usually potatoes, ricotta and spinach and pumpkin) is not to be missed. The restaurants that offer this menu are the majority but among those I prefer there are, in the city center, la Court Trattoria (average price around 30 euros) and the Golden rooster (average price around 20 euros).
4 colored houses in Borgo della Salute
Walking through this small hamlet located in the area called Oltretorrente, one seems to have come across a fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen. A straight street characterized by an alternation of multicolored two-storey buildings, all in pastel colors; an unexpected surprise that one would not expect to find along the way. To try to understand the happy amazement.
5 Visit to the Ducal Park
One of the jewels of the city is definitely the Ducal Park, one of the largest and oldest green spaces, located right in the heart of it. This garden, commissioned in 1560 by the Duke of Parma and Piacenza Ottavio Farnese, boasts an enviable variety of plant species and a series of architectural wonders such as the "Trianon Fountain" and the "Tempietto di Arcadia". The famous RIS (Scientific Investigations Departments "of Parma also have their headquarters inside the park. The garden represents a magical setting for walking or cycling, thanks to the quiet it instills in the visitor and the solemnity handed down by its long history .
