What to do and see in Parma in one day. Practical information on how to get there and how to get around, but also on where to eat for a tasty and low cost break. Many tips for a fun holiday in Parma.
Small and pretty, the petit Paris is known as one of the most elegant and refined Emilian towns, thanks to its atmosphere cured by a small town in northern Europe, to the hundreds of bicycles that whiz at full speed on the bridges in the center, to the ancient palaces and to the elegant ladies, in heels and dress that parade as if on a catwalk in the cobbled streets of the historic center. It may or may not be loved, like its inhabitants, but Parma is certainly a city with a strong character, proud of its history and its beauties.
Get to Parma it's easy, it's located halfway between Milan and Bologna, just an hour from both cities. The railway station recently reopened after years of renovation is located a few steps from the historic center, connected by Via Garibaldi where it is already possible to meet the first shops of typical products and some of the oldest clothing shops in the city. For those arriving by car, unfortunately i parking spaces available they are few and all for a fee, the most comfortable are certainly the Goito, the Toschi and the Central Parking Repubblica.
The first stop is certainly Piazza Garibaldi, a meeting point for all the people of Parma from which the main streets of the center start. Here it is also found Governor's Palace, an important location for exhibitions and temporary events. Walking along Via Cavour, the hub of the city's shopping, you can easily reach the wonderful square, where the Duomo, Baptistery and Palazzo Vescovile dominate, the image of the oldest Parma. Another stop not to be missed is the Pilotta complex, with the jewels that it keeps inside: National Gallery, Farnese Theater (still all in wood), Palatine library, archaeological museum and Bodonian museum.
Not far away there are also the Room of San Paolo, frescoed by Correggio and the beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata. Meals are a highlight in the small Emilian capital, in the historic center there are two places to recommend: restaurant Golden Rooster (Borgo della Salina) for more refined palates, but with very low prices, or the Oste Magno (Borgo Angelo Mazza), for those who want to experience the true atmosphere of the village's tavern.
Another area not to be missed is the Oltretorrente, reachable by following the bank of the Parma stream and crossing the Ponte di Mezzo. This is one of the oldest and most lived-in areas of the city, the scene of the anti-fascist resistance. Via D'Azeglio is the meeting point for university students, full of bars and pubs where they can meet at aperitif hours. Then, there is via Bixio, an increasingly multi-cultural center, to get to Portovenere d'Emilia: via della Salute, with its characteristic rows of colorful houses.
In spring and summer, when the afternoon hours start to heat up the streets of the center, a solution to get some fresh air and enjoy the splendid Parma hilly panorama is definitely Torrechiara, located just 30 minutes from the center of Parma (it is recommended to reach it by car, but it is also served by the extra-urban Tep Parma - Langhirano lines). Torrechiara is known above all for the splendid castle, one of the symbols of Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. Admission costs 3 euros and is free every first Sunday of the month. A tour through the rooms of the ancient residence commissioned by the noble Pier Maria Rossi, through some rooms still frescoed, catapult into a medieval Parma with all its charm and its legends: it is said, in fact, that inside Torrechiara there are still two ghosts.
Among the hills covered with vineyards, the day ends with a tasting of wines at the Lamoretti cellars, located in an excellent location that allows you to enjoy an almost unprecedented view of the castle. The Lamoretti cellars offer various activities, including buffet or table tastings, snacks in the vineyard, but above all a jazz music festival in the vineyards.
