Parma (Pärma in Parmesan dialect) is an Italian town of 199 936
inhabitants, the capital of the province of the same name and the
second largest city in Emilia-Romagna by population after the
regional capital Bologna.
Ancient capital of the Duchy of
Parma and Piacenza (1545-1859), the city of Parma has been a
university seat since the 11th century. It is also the seat since
2002 of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); from 1956 of the
Magistrato per il Po, now the Interregional Agency for the Po River
(AIPO); since 1990 of the Po River District Basin Authority (AdbPo);
and since 1994 of a Scientific Investigations Department (RIS) of
the Carabinieri, with expertise in northern Italy. Crédit Agricole
Italia is also based there, resulting from the acquisition of Cassa
di Risparmio di Parma and Piacenza.
The Verdi Festival is
held every year in October. In December 2015 Parma received the
recognition of "UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy".
The
name of Parma is also linked to some cities in the United States of
America, among which the best known is the one located in the state
of Ohio, a short distance from Cleveland; originally called
Greenbrier, the town was renamed in 1826 on the proposal of the
doctor David Long, who during his visit to the Emilian dukedom was
"impressed by the size and beauty" of the Italian city.
The
city was nominated on February 16, 2018 the Italian capital of
culture for the year 2020; on 12 March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic
forced the organization to officially suspend the exhibition until a
later date and to cancel or postpone most of the scheduled events;
later, with the Relaunch decree approved by the Council of Ministers
on the following 13 May, the title was also conferred for 2021.
Neighborhoods
The district districts are: 1st Parma Centro; 2nd
Oltretorrente; 3rd Windlass; 4th Pablo; 5th Golese; 6th San Pancrazio;
7th San Leonardo; 8th San Martino Courtyard; 9^ Ljubljana; 10th San
Lazzaro; 11th Citadel; 12th Montanara; 13th Vigatto.
Regions
The municipal territory of the city includes numerous small inhabited
centres: Alberi, Baccanelli, Baganzola, Baganzolino, Beneceto,
Botteghino, Carignano, Carpaneto, Cartiera, Casagnola, Casalbaroncolo,
Casarola di Ravadese, Case Capelli, Case Cocconi, Case Crostolo, Case
Nuove, Case Rosse, Case Vecchie, Casino dalla Rosa, Castelletto,
Castelnovo, Ca' Terzi, Cervara, Chiozzola, Coloreto, Coltaro,
Corcagnano, Eia, Fognano, Fontana, Fontanini, Gaione, Ghiaiata Nuova, Il
Moro, La Catena, La Palazzina, Malandriano , Marano, Mariano, Marore,
Martorano, Molino di Malandriano, Osteria San Martino, Panocchia,
Paradigna, Pedrignano, Pilastrello, Pizzolese, Ponte, Porporano,
Pozzetto Piccolo, Quercioli, Ravadese, Ronco Pascolo, Rosa, San Donato,
San Pancrazio, San Prospero Parmense, San Ruffino, Scarzara, Ugozzolo,
Valera, Viarolo, Viazza, Vicofertile, Vicomero, Vicopò, Vigatto,
Vigheffio, Vigolante.
By plane
Giuseppe Verdi Airport (IATA: PMF), located about 3 km
north-west of the city center along state road 9 Via Emilia in the
Golese district, can be reached by urban line bus No. 6 (4 km .) from
6.30 to 20.00 and by car with the north ring road SS 9.
Other
stopovers:
Bologna Marconi Airport
Catullo Airport of Verona
Caravaggio Airport of Orio al Serio (BG)
Milan-Linate airport
Milan-Malpensa Airport
By car
Parma motorway exit, on the A1
A15 motorway Parma Ovest motorway exit on the Cisa Parma - La Spezia
motorway
On the train
Parma railway station, Piazza C.A. Dalla
Chiesa, 11. On the Milan-Bologna line.
By bus
Troiolo Bus,
Corso Garibaldi, 185 - Siderno, ☎ +39 0964 381325, fax: +39 0964 381325,
info@troiolobus.com. The company allows the direct connection of Parma
with Africo, Ardore, Badolato, Bianco, Bovalino, Brancaleone, Catanzaro,
Catanzaro Lido, Caulonia, Davoli, Guardavalle, Isca sull'Ionio, Lamezia
Terme, Locri, Marina di Gioiosa Ionica, Monasterace, Montepaone,
Polistena, Riace, Roccella Jonica, Rosarno, Sant'Andrea Apostolo dello
Jonio, Santa Caterina, Siderno, Soverato, Squillace, Taurianova and Vibo
Valentia; not all connections are daily.
By public transport
The urban bus lines are managed by TEP.
Urban transport services are well managed and sufficiently
widespread. The cost of the urban ticket is currently (2023) 1.60 Euros
if purchased at an authorized resale, if purchased in the car only by
credit card without a surcharge, tickets are valid for 80 minutes from
the moment of validation and must be validated at each bus change.
Those arriving by train and needing information on how to reach a
specific place by bus will find one of the various TEP information
points on the right when exiting the station.
Also on the TEP
website it is possible to find information on the "Pronto Bus" call
service, which operates in the evening and at night.
By taxi
The taxi service is efficient but, given the small size of the city, it
is not always convenient; the main places to find a taxi are the train
station, the city airport and piazza Garibaldi (the central square of
the city).
By car
Parma offers numerous paid parking lots,
mainly located in the areas surrounding the historic center and the
major hospital; these car parks have no time limits but have a rather
high cost. Those who want to leave their vehicle in the parking areas
come up against the relative scarcity of places and the presence of blue
lines, areas where parking is allowed but for a fee, with a cost ranging
from 0.90 Euros to 1 .50 Euros per hour; in these areas parking has a
limited duration, the closer you get to the centre, the shorter the
allowed parking is and varies from 30 minutes to 2 hours. When parking
in the areas of the historic centre, it is advisable to pay particular
attention to the parking areas marked with white and blue lines, they
indicate paid places during the day (generally from 8:00 to 20:00) and
for the exclusive use of residents with a permit overnight. Attention:
the White and Blue lines during the evening and night time slot are
reserved for residents.
In addition to the parking meters, you
can use the EasyPark and Tap&Park apps.
Exchange car parks
To
encourage the use of public transport, park-and-ride car parks have been
created on the four main access roads to the city (On via Emilia Est,
Via Emilia Ovest, Strada Asolana/Via Europa and Via Langhirano); by
parking in these spaces and paying 3.60 Euros (2023) per person, you
have the possibility of using public transport for the whole day without
additional costs, making sure, however, that you always have the ticket
issued at the car park with you.
2 South-east car park, via
Traversetolo (exit 17 of the ring road). free. 00:00-24:00. It is served
by lines 8 and 11.
3 South parking, via Langhirano (near the
university campus roundabout, exit 15 of the ring road). free.
00:00-24:00. It is served by line 21 on weekdays and line 7 on public
holidays.
4 North car park (near the tollbooth of the A1 motorway,
exit 6 of the ring road). free. 00:00-24:00. It is served by lines 1 and
7
5 West car park (on via Emilia, near the intersection with the ring
road, exit 10). free. 00:00-24:00. It is served by line 23 on weekdays
and line 3 on public holidays
6 East parking (near the Ex-Salamini
district, exit 19 of the ring road). free. 00:00-24:00. It is served by
line 23 on weekdays and line 3 on public holidays
7 Villetta cemetery
parking (exit 13 of the ring road). With an automatic ticket machine in
viale Villetta/corner of via Stirone, it is connected to the city center
with line 1
8 Palasport car park, Largo Beccaria (exit 12 of the ring
road). It is served by line 5
9 Cavagnari parking (exit 12 of the
ring road). It is connected to the center with line 6
Covered
parking
10 DUS, Viale Mentana, 99/a (adjacent to the "Casa della
Salute" clinic, 10 minutes on foot from the train station, 10 minutes on
foot from Piazza Garibaldi.). 1 hour €1.20, all day €12.00 (April 2023).
Mon-Sun 00:00-24:00. 3-storey car park, one of which is open-air, with
video surveillance service. It is possible to use the Parma Bike Sharing
bicycles positioned at the exit of the car park.
11 Fleming, Via
Abbeveratoia, 63 (immediate vicinity of the Ospedale Maggiore, INAIL and
ASCOM). 1 hour €1.10, daily €11 (April 2023). Mon-Sun 6am-10pm. Parma
Bike Sharing station in via Abbeveratoia 4A, about 400 meters away from
the car park.
12 Abbeveratoia, Strada Abbeveratoia, 4/1 (in the
immediate vicinity of the Ospedale Maggiore), ☏ +39 0521 235953, +39
3466441926, pr.parmapark@apcoa.it. from €1.30 per hour to €8.00 per day.
Mon-Sun 00:00-24:00. Multi-storey car park, 10 spaces reserved for the
disabled, video surveillance service, parking payment with Telepass,
automatic pay station, cash and credit cards. A Parma Bike Sharing
station is available at number 4A
13 Central Parking Repubblica,
Largo Paul Harris (at the "La Galleria" shopping arcade, near Via
Repubblica), ☎ +39 0521235953, +39 3466741926, pr.parmapark@apcoa.it.
from €1.90 per hour to €10.00 per day (April 2023). Mon-Sun 00:00-24:00.
Spaces reserved for the disabled, parking payment with Telepass,
automatic tills, cash and credit cards, video surveillance service. It
is possible to use the Parma Bike Sharing bicycles located near the car
park. The historic center can be reached in a few minutes by bus or on
foot.
14 Goito, Via Goito, 1/a (located a few minutes walk from
Piazza Garibaldi, behind Teatro Due.), ☎ +39 0521235953, +39 3466741926,
pr.parmapark@apcoa.it. from €2.00 for the first hour to €14.00 per day
(April 2023). Mon-Sun 00:00-24:00. 2-storey car park, 8 spaces reserved
for the disabled, video surveillance service, parking payment with
Telepass, automatic pay station, cash and credit cards. It is possible
to use the Parma Bike Sharing bicycles positioned at the exit of the car
park.
15 Toschi, Viale Toschi Paolo, 2/g (located along the Parma
stream, about 5 minutes' walk from the train station and opposite
Palazzo della Pilotta.), ☎ +39 0521235953, +39 3466741926,
pr.parmapark@apcoa .it. from €2.00 for the first hour to €14.00 per day
(April 2023). Mon-Sun 00:00-24:00. 2-storey car park, 6/7 spaces
reserved for the disabled, video surveillance service, parking payment
with Telepass, automatic pay station, credit cards and cash. It is
possible to collect the Parma Bike Sharing bicycles positioned at the
car park exit.
16 Kennedy, Via J. F. Kennedy 4/A (10 minutes on foot
from Piazza Garibaldi), ☎ +39 0521235953. from €1.80 per hour to €11.00
per day (April 2023). Mon-Sun 00:00-24:00. Parking payment with
Telepass, automatic tills, cash and credit cards, video surveillance
service. It is possible to pick up the Parma Bike Sharing bicycles
positioned at the exit of the car park.
17 Station, Via Villa
Sant'Angelo - side Viale Europa (near the train station), ☎ +39 0382
469293, parma@lineservizi.it. 1 hour € 1.40, 24 hours € 10.00 (April
2023). Entry from 4:30 to 22:30, exit from 00 to 24. The car park is
equipped with an automatic system based on the recognition of the
vehicle's license plate, which does not require the use of tickets for
entry and exit. The payment of the toll must be made, before picking up
the car, at the automatic cash machines by typing in the number of the
license plate.
18 Fratti Duc, Largo Torello de Strada, 11 (in the
immediate vicinity of the DUC, 10 minutes on foot from Piazza
Garibaldi), ☏ +39 0521609309, claudio.sanzo@bonatti.it. 1 hour €2, day
€10 (April 2023). Entry from 5:30 to 23, exit from 00 to 24. Car park on
4 floors, the top of which is open-air, 8 spaces reserved for the
disabled, payment for stops with automatic pay station by cash, ATM and
credit cards, equipped with cameras closed circuit. It is possible to
use the Bike Sharing bicycles positioned at the exit of the car park.
19 Ghiaia, Via Pigorini (5 minutes on foot from Piazza Garibaldi), ☎ +39
0521609309, claudio.sanzo@bonatti.it. 1 hour €2, 24 hours €16 (April
2023). Entry from 6 to 24, exit from 00 to 24. The car park is located
within the ZTL. Thanks to the license plate detection system, cars not
authorized to transit in the center will be allowed to freely access the
car park. For those who do not already have a valid pass, entry into the
ZTL will be allowed only if the car park is actually used and only to
access the car park. Access to the car park will be regulated by a
special light signal positioned on the roundabout between the Verdi
bridge and the beginning of viale Mariotti, which will indicate whether
the car park is "free" or "occupied". In the vicinity of the signal,
cars will be able to proceed in the direction of the car park and access
it only in the event of a "free" light signal.
By bike
Parmesans love getting around by bicycle, for those who visit the city
and want to enjoy the numerous cycle paths and roads closed to traffic
on two wheels, there is a bicycle rental service: La Cicletteria, next
to the railway station (entrance from piazzale Dalla Chiesa ) allows the
rental of various types of bicycles starting from € 1.50 for 1h.
The main religious monuments for which the city is known are located
near Piazza Duomo: the Cathedral, consecrated in 1106, which, considered
among the greatest works of Romanesque architecture in Italy, preserves
the Deposition from the cross, a bas-relief from 1178 by Benedetto
Antelami, in addition to the important Renaissance frescoes of the dome,
by Correggio, and of the three naves; the Baptistery of Antelami,
consecrated in 1270, which, entirely covered in pink Verona marble, is
enriched by frescoes and sculptures dating back to the XIII and XIV
centuries; the Renaissance abbey of San Giovanni Evangelista, in whose
large complex you can admire the church with a late Mannerist marble
facade by Simone Moschino, internally rich in Renaissance frescoes,
including the famous dome painted by Correggio, the library with its
grotesque frescoes and the map of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza and
the ancient apothecary, consisting of four rooms still containing the
furnishings of the time.
Not far away are also the monastery of
San Paolo, whose Chamber of the Badessa has an umbrella vault entirely
frescoed by Correggio, and the basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata,
which, considered one of the most significant examples in Italy of
churches with a central plan from the first half of the 16th century, it
contains remarkable Renaissance frescoes, including the Three Wise
Virgins and Three Foolish Virgins, a masterpiece created by
Parmigianino.
Also a few steps from Piazza Duomo is the church of
San Francesco del Prato, the largest in the city, with the adjacent
small oratory of the Immacolata Concezione; dating back to the 13th
century and in pure Franciscan Gothic style, at the beginning of the
19th century it was deconsecrated and transformed into a men's prison,
but in 2021 it was renovated and reopened for worship.
Also
noteworthy are: the neoclassical church of San Pietro Apostolo, by
Petitot; the Baroque church of San Vitale, with the spectacular Beccaria
Monument; the baroque church of Sant'Antonio Abate designed by
Ferdinando Galli da Bibbiena; the ancient church of San Sepolcro; the
Gothic former church of Santa Maria del Carmine; the small church of
Santa Maria degli Angeli, rich in frescoes.
In the Oltretorrente
district stands the monumental church of Santissima Annunziata by Giovan
Battista Fornovo, considered one of the most significant monuments of
experimental Mannerism of the second half of the 16th century, with an
unusual elliptical plan with ten apses arranged in a radial pattern.
Not far away are also: the small baroque church of Santa Maria delle
Grazie, with frescoes by Sebastiano Galeotti; the oratory of Sant'Ilario
inside the Ospedale Vecchio, dedicated to the city's patron saint; the
former church of San Francesco di Paola, of which only the Baroque
façade is still preserved, surrounded by two towers called "dei
Paolotti"; the Romanesque church of Santa Croce; the Baroque church of
Santa Maria del Quartiere by Giovan Battista Aleotti, characterized by
the large dome with magnificent frescoes of Paradise by Pier Antonio
Bernabei.
Outside the urban area there are two notable monastic
complexes: the abbey of Valserena (also known as "Certosa di
Paradigna"), today the seat of the Study Center and Communication
Archive, whose imposing church preserves the Lombard Gothic-style
interior ; the Charterhouse of San Girolamo (also known as "Certosa di
Parma"), today the headquarters of the School of Training and Update of
the Penitentiary Police, which still preserves important works of art.
Finally, in the hamlets the following are worthy of note: the parish
church of San Pancrazio in San Pancrazio Parmense, which preserves
columns and capitals from the Roman and Romanesque periods; the
Romanesque parish church of San Geminiano in Vicofertile, which
maintains the original figured capitals dating back to the 12th-13th
century and a medieval baptismal font; the Romanesque parish church of
Santi Ippolito e Cassiano in Gaione, which contains important
archaeological finds.
The main military building preserved in the city is the Citadel, an
imposing pentagonal fortress today in the center of the district of the
same name; built at the end of the 16th century by Smeraldo Smeraldi at
the behest of Duke Alessandro Farnese, its main entrance is framed by a
monumental facade in Carrara marble designed in 1596 by Simone Moschino;
once the original defensive functions ceased, after the Second World War
it was transformed into a large public park, much frequented by the
citizens of Parma.
In the city there is also the small Torrione
Visconteo, located in front of the Palazzo della Pilotta on the opposite
side of the stream; it was built by Bernabò Visconti in the 14th
century.
As for the city walls, Parma was surrounded by walls for
millennia, modified and expanded over the centuries; however, in the
very first years of the 20th century it was decided to demolish the
entire wall, of which only a few partial traces and two of the five
Gates are preserved: the ancient Porta San Francesco at the end of
strada Nino Bixio, flanked since 1866 by the monumental Barriera Bixio;
the elegant Farnese building of the Renaissance Porta Santa Croce on the
side of the homonymous square. No traces of Porta San Barnaba at the
Garibaldi barrier remain, while the Farnese facade of Porta San Michele
at the Repubblica barrier and the Bourbon coat of arms that surmounted
the facade of Porta Nuova at the Farini barrier are preserved in the
Cortile della Rocchetta of the Palazzo della Pilotta.
In the
hamlets there are also some fortified architectures, testifying to the
numerous defensive structures that dotted the area in the Middle Ages;
among them there are the Baganzola tower, the Beneceto tower, the
Vicomero tower, the Alberi tower and the castle of Panocchia.
Palaces
The main city palaces were built in the centuries in which
Parma was the capital of the Duchy. Among them, the enormous monumental
complex of Palazzo della Pilotta stands out in terms of importance,
built for the Farnese dukes starting in 1580 as a container for all the
services of the Court and the State; it is accessed through an imposing
scissor staircase covered by a dome designed by Simone Moschino; today
it houses the National Gallery of Parma, the Farnese Theater, the
National Archaeological Museum of Parma, the Palatine Library, the
Bodoniano Museum and the Paolo Toschi Art Institute.
In the same
piazzale della Pace, in addition to the neoclassical Palazzo della
Provincia and Palazzo dei Ministries, there is also the Palazzo di
Riserva, built starting from 1673, which today presents itself with the
characteristic facades in the Louis XV style to the north and west, next
to the neoclassical wing designed by Petitot, now home to the Glauco
Lombardi museum; rib of the building is the Palazzo delle Poste, in pure
Art Nouveau style.
Beyond the Parma stream, inside the Ducal Park
is the Palazzo del Giardino, a court building built in 1561 to a design
by Vignola and still today rich in important seventeenth-century
frescoes and stuccos; in the same park there is also the Renaissance
Palazzetto Eucherio Sanvitale, which preserves inside fragments of a
fresco by Parmigianino. Not far away is the enormous monumental building
of the Ospedale Vecchio, a rare example of hospital architecture from
the Renaissance period.
In the central Piazza Garibaldi, the seat
of municipal power in medieval times, there are still today various
buildings that bear witness to this: the Renaissance Palazzo del Comune,
containing numerous valuable works and the current headquarters of the
city's municipal administration; the Palazzo del Podestà, an offshoot of
the previous one, characterized by elegant medieval three-mullioned
windows; the old Governor's palace, renovated in neoclassical style by
Petitot and today a permanent exhibition center for modern and
contemporary art. Next to the neoclassical church of San Pietro
Apostolo, there is also the neo-Renaissance building of the Cassa di
Risparmio with the annexed former building of the Chamber of Commerce,
with the valuable Art Nouveau and Deco rooms.
Moving to Piazza
Duomo, stands the Episcopal Palace, an ancient bishop's residence
characterized by thirteenth-century three-mullioned windows and
Renaissance loggias, still today the seat of the diocese of Parma and
the diocesan museum; nearby is also the major Seminary, which retains
the Renaissance structure of the portico with loggia above the facade,
closed in the 19th century.
Among the ancient public buildings of
the city, the following are also worthy of note: the University
building, an imposing 16th-century building, the current headquarters of
the University of Parma; the baroque Palazzo delle Orsuline; the Palace
of the Court; the neo-Renaissance Palazzo Ape Museum; the neoclassical
Palazzo Imperiale dell'Arena, a large building full of important
frescoes and seat of the Maria Luigia National Boarding School; the
eighteenth-century Palazzo delle Carrozze, seat of the language unit of
the University of Parma; the elegant Casinetto Petitot, one of the first
elegant Italian cafés built in the neoclassical era; the imposing
Palazzo Giordani, in Art Nouveau style, seat of the offices of the
Province of Parma; the neo-Gothic minor Seminary; the Mother House of
the Xaverian Missionaries, seat of the Museum of Chinese Art and
Ethnography.
Finally, in the city there are numerous prestigious
noble palaces: the eighteenth-century Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati; the
imposing Palazzo Sanvitale, now home to the Amedeo Bocchi museum; the
Renaissance Palazzo Cusani, current seat of the Casa della Musica;
Palazzo Tirelli, characterized by large Renaissance terracotta windows;
the neoclassical Palazzo Dazzi; the baroque Palazzo Rangoni Farnese,
with the imposing portal made up of two pseudo telamons that support the
balcony, today the seat of the Prefecture; the eighteenth-century
Palazzo Marchi, with a faux ashlar facade; Palazzo Bossi Bocchi, now
home to the Fondazione Cariparma museum; the neoclassical Palazzo
Soragna, current headquarters of the Parma Industrial Union; the
Renaissance Palazzo Tarasconi; the nineteenth-century Palazzo Carmi,
with its imposing neoclassical facade; the Baroque Palazzo Pallavicino,
containing valuable frescoes by Sebastiano Galeotti and the current seat
of the Regional Administrative Court; the fifteenth-century Palazzo
Boselli.
In the urban area there are numerous small villas and villas from the
Art Nouveau era, built in the early years of the twentieth century
especially in the areas to the south-east of the historic centre, around
Viale Campanini and the Citadel. Among them, the Villino Bonazzi is
noteworthy, built in 1911 by the architect Mario Stocchi Monti and
considered among the most typical of Italian liberty. In the southern
suburbs are the neoclassical Villa Picedi at the end of viale Rustici
and Villa Avogadro in strada Farnese, originally built in the open
countryside.
Moving outside the city, there are various
prestigious noble villas: at the western end of Parma, near San
Pancrazio Parmense, the neoclassical Villa Levi-Tedeschi, characterized
by an imposing pronaos and a high turret; in Gaione the neoclassical
Villa Paganini, surrounded by a large park, which belonged to the
violinist Niccolò Paganini; in Carignano the sixteenth-century Villa
Malenchini in the center of a romantic park of 15 hectares,
characterized by the Rococo structure of the entrance portal and by the
important Renaissance frescoes by Cesare Baglioni in the internal rooms;
in Vigatto the neo-Baroque Villa Meli Lupi with the adjoining neo-Gothic
Villa Magawly-Cerati and the large English park; in Marore the
neoclassical Villa Petitot by the architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot,
which still houses a small theater of the period entirely frescoed; in
Porporano the neoclassical Villa Simonetta, characterized by two high
gabled facades equal and opposite each other; in San Prospero Parmense
the neoclassical Villa Mattei, perhaps restructured by Petitot.
The city of Parma is universally known for its opera music. The most
representative building in this sense is the neoclassical Teatro Regio,
the city's opera house, considered one of the most important traditional
theaters in Italy; it was built from 1821 by the architect Nicola
Bettoli at the behest of the Duchess Maria Luigia; the interior is
spread over four tiers of boxes and gallery, decorated by Girolamo
Magnani, and preserves the ancient curtain painted by Giovan Battista
Borghesi.
The other historic theater for which the city is known
is the wooden Teatro Farnese, located inside the Palazzo della Pilotta;
considered one of the first theaters to be equipped with a permanent
proscenium arch, it was the first European theater with a mobile stage;
it was built from 1617 by Giovan Battista Aleotti as a court theater for
the Farnese dukes; destroyed by an air raid in May 1944, it was rebuilt
after World War II according to the original designs.
A small
nineteenth-century theatre, designed by the architect Nicola Bettoli at
the behest of the Duchess Maria Luigia, is located inside the Maria
Luigia National Boarding School.
At the gates of the historic
centre, inside the Eridania Park, stands the Niccolò Paganini
Auditorium, designed by the architect Renzo Piano and inaugurated in
2001 by recovering the previous industrial structures of the Eridania
sugar factory.
There are also other noteworthy theaters in the
city: Teatro Due, dominated by a recent 780-seat open-air amphitheater,
considered a point of reference in the national and international
theater scene; the Teatro al Parco, inside the buildings built between
1939 and 1941 to host exhibitions in the Ducal Park, for years the
headquarters of the "Compagnia delle Briciole"; the huge Palaverdi,
initially known as Palacassa, an auditorium inside the fairgrounds; the
Giovannino Guareschi Theater under construction, intended to offer
seasons of Parmesan popular theater entirely in the dialectal language.
Finally, in the hamlet of Marore, Villa Petitot preserves a rare
example of a still intact eighteenth-century private theater, designed
by the architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot in neoclassical style.
The city still retains some traces of its ancient Roman origins;
among these, under the current Mazzini road, the remains of the Pons
Lapidis (also known as the "Roman Bridge") are visible, initially built
in masonry in the Augustan age but rebuilt in stone by Theodoric in 493.
The city center also hosts a series of monuments of considerable
value: in piazzale Dalla Chiesa, opposite the railway station, the
bronze monument to Vittorio Bottego, created in 1907 by the sculptor
Ettore Ximenes; in viale Toschi, behind the Palazzo della Pilotta, the
tall obelisk of the Victory monument, built in 1917 by Ximenes based on
a project by the architect Lamberto Cusani; in piazzale della Pace the
central altar of the disappeared monument to Giuseppe Verdi, executed in
1913 entirely in granite and bronze by Ximenes, also based on a project
by Lamberto Cusani; in the same square the monument to the Partisan,
created in 1954 by the sculptor Marino Mazzacurati on a project by the
architect Guglielmo Lusignoli; on the ancient tower of San Paolo in
strada Melloni the monument to the Fallen of all wars, executed in 1961
by various sculptors on a project by the architect Mario Monguidi; in
the center of piazza della Steccata, the monument to Parmigianino,
created in 1879 by the sculptor Giovanni Chierici; in the central Piazza
Garibaldi, in front of the Governor's palace, the monument to Giuseppe
Garibaldi, created in 1893 by the sculptor Davide Calandra; in the same
square, in a niche of the Palazzo del Comune, the monument to Correggio,
created in 1870 by the sculptor Agostino Ferrarini; close to the same
building, towards the church of San Vitale, the copy of the ancient
monument to Hercules and Anteo (also known in Parma as I du brasè),
created by the Flemish artist Teodoro Vandersturck between 1684 and 1687
and kept in the original in the center of the courtyard of Palazzo
Cusani.
Moving to the Oltretorrente district, the Ducal Park
houses, in addition to numerous neoclassical vases and statues by the
sculptor Jean-Baptiste Boudard, two significant monuments: the large
Trianon Fountain, built between 1712 and 1719 by the architect and
sculptor Giuliano Mozzani for the garden of the Reggia di Colorno and
positioned on the islet in the center of the fishpond of the Parco
Ducale in 1920; the Tempietto d'Arcadia, built in the form of a ruin in
1769 on a project by the architect Petitot.
Also in the same
district, just beyond the Ponte di Mezzo, stands the tall monument to
Filippo Corridoni in the center of a small square, built in Deco style
between 1925 and 1927 by the sculptor Alessandro Marzaroli, based on a
project by the architect Mario Monguidi.
Outside the historic
centre, along via Emilia Est, stands an important building, the Arch of
San Lazzaro, a triumphal arch with three arches built in 1628 according
to the Baroque taste but rearranged several times, up to giving it its
current neoclassical look.
Lastly, the neoclassical monumental
cemetery of the Villetta is worthy of note, built on an octagonal plan
in 1817 at the behest of the Duchess Maria Luigia; it houses numerous
monumental tombs dedicated to famous people, including Niccolò Paganini,
Ildebrando Pizzetti, Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, Giuseppe Cenni, Father
Lino Maupas, Giancarlo Rastelli and Pietro Barilla.
Like many other realities, Parma too has irretrievably lost numerous monuments over the centuries for various reasons. The most significant are: in Piazza Garibaldi the Civic Tower of 1287, probably the tallest tower in Italy with its estimated height of 130 m, collapsed suddenly in 1606 also destroying the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo of 1281; in piazzale della Pace the neoclassical Palazzo Ducale by the architect Nicola Bettoli and the Reinach Theater of 1871, damaged by the Anglo-American air raids of 1944 and later demolished; in piazzale Dalla Chiesa the majestic monument to Giuseppe Verdi from 1913, damaged by bombing during the Second World War and later demolished, retaining only the central altar which was later moved to piazzale della Pace; in piazza Ghiaia the neoclassical Beccherie of 1838, demolished in 1928 by the mayor Giovanni Mariotti for the creation of Lungoparma; the walls that encircled the entire city and three of the five gates, razed to the ground by Mayor Mariotti himself at the beginning of the 1900s to allow the city to expand more easily.
Parks and green areas
In the municipal area there are numerous
parks, gardens and green areas, some of considerable historical and
architectural value. Among them, the following stand out in terms of
importance: the ancient Parco Ducale, restructured in its current form
in the 18th century; the Citadel, an imposing 16th-century pentagonal
fortress transformed after World War II into a large public park; the
Gardens of San Paolo, created in the 19th century inside the monastery
of San Paolo; the seventeenth-century botanical garden, with the
eighteenth-century Italian garden and the neoclassical greenhouses of
Petitot.
An important ecological artery for the city is also
represented by the beds of the two streams that cross it: the Parma
stream, which divides it into two parts from south to north; the Baganza
torrent, which flows into the other immediately south of the historical
centre.
The percentage of urban green on the municipal area in
2007 was equal to 1.8% (ie about 4.68 km²), while the urban green
amounted to 26.6 m² for each inhabitant. According to the 2014 Urban
Ecosystem report, in 2013 the usable green areas per capita in the urban
area amounted to 30.8 m² per inhabitant, while the percentage of the
surface of the different green areas out of the total municipal area
amounted to 3.9%. In 2014, the "green heritage" of the city consisted of
3,200,000 m² of green areas that could be used by citizens and 40,000
were the trees present, with different characteristics in relation to
the species and also to the age, with a percentage of damaged trees
compared to the total amount of trees owned by the Municipality is very
small and in particular much less than 1%. The equipped green areas in
2014 amounted to a total of 146, divided unevenly among the various
neighbourhoods. In Parma in 2014 there were a total of 34 areas for dogs
inserted in neighborhood parks or near play areas for children, compared
to 16,000 animals registered in the appropriate registry.
As
regards the management of public green areas, the Municipality and Iren
have jointly launched the "Kyoto Forest" project in recent years, which
simultaneously deals with conserving the existing tree heritage and
increasing it significantly; consequently, planting and felling of
plants that have finished their life cycle are envisaged, at the same
time as the replacement of each felled plant.
Air quality is not always good: fine particles (PM10), although they have decreased slightly in recent years, often exceed the permitted values; moreover, 2014 saw the city still excelling in the Region with 70 exceedances of PM10 levels, double the allowed. On the contrary, separate waste collection, which currently takes place through the disputed door-to-door evening system, reaches values of excellent quality, having exceeded 70% at the end of 2014. In Parma, where the percentage of bicycle trips is high, the network cycle path has considerably expanded in recent years, reaching values of 46.93 km per 100 km² of municipal area in 2012, with an increase of 40.3% compared to 2008; at the same time, the city holds the record in the Region for the extension of pedestrian areas, which in 2012 had reached values of 81.84 m² per 100 inhabitants, with an increase of 23.8% compared to 2008. In particular, at the end as of 2014, the extension of the cycle path network was 123 km, while pedestrian areas occupied 8% of the historical center and restricted traffic areas constituted 39%, with the forecast of their further extension in the short term; at the same time, the 30 zones were equal to 20% of the entire municipal area. The 2013 "Ranking of Italian cities by environmental quality", prepared following a survey by Ambiente Italia (research institute), Il Sole 24 Ore and Legambiente considering 125 indicators, places Parma in third place among medium-sized cities size, anticipated only by Trento and Bolzano.
"As a capital it had a river, in Parma, but
since it is a small capital, it had a torrent, often dry."
(Attilio Bertolucci)
Located in Northern Italy, in the
western part of Emilia, between the Apennines and the Po Valley, the
city is divided in two by the Parma stream, a tributary of the Po
which, just before entering the heart of the historic center,
receives the waters of the affluent Baganza. Parma is a torrent,
therefore a watercourse with a changing regime, which alternates the
tumultuous floods of the winter season, when it takes the name of
Parma voladora, with the desolate summer shoals.
At the
beginning of the nineteenth century the same bed of the stream was
narrowed within high walls, the "lungoparma" in fact, which give the
city a continuous profile.
To secure the Parma
area from the hydrogeological risks of a flood in the Parma stream,
in 2005 an expansion tank was created, a few kilometers south of the
urban center, in the locality of Marano. The reservoir can contain
twelve million cubic meters of water: it is the largest basin in the
region, effectively becoming the third largest lake during flood
events. It consists of a barrier over 260 meters long and 24 high.
The municipal territory is entirely flat and two waterways delimit
part of the boundaries, to the west the Taro river and to the east
the Enza stream, which also marks the separation from the nearby
province of Reggio Emilia. The first offshoots of the Parma
Apennines are located about 15 kilometers southwards, outside the
municipal area, in the neighboring municipalities of Traversetolo,
Lesignano de 'Bagni, Langhirano, Felino, Sala Baganza and
Collecchio.
Seismic classification: seismic zone 3 (low
seismicity), PCM Ordinance n. 3274 of 20/03/2003
The climate of Parma is typically continental: summers are hot and
muggy with daytime temperatures of around 30 ° C (on 6 August 2003
the new record was established since 1878 as the hottest day ever;
the maximum temperature was 39, 3 ° C), punctuated by even severe
thunderstorms on the lower plain. Winters are harsh with minimum
temperatures often below freezing (the record was reached on January
10, 1985 when the temperature dropped to -25 ° C in the city center
and in the surrounding countryside it was -33 ° C), while in the
winter of 2011 it was -24 ° C. Snowfalls are very frequent on the
Apennines, while in the city and on the flat area, an average of 35
- 40 cm of snow falls every winter. In autumn the phenomenon of fog
is frequent, especially north of the Via Emilia and towards the Po
river. The wettest month is October with an average of 91 mm, the
driest month is July with an average of 36 mm (average monthly
referring to the period 1961-1990).
Based on the thirty-year
average 1961-1990, the average temperature of the coldest month,
January, is +1.3 ° C; that of the hottest month, July, is around
+24.4 ° C. Average annual rainfall is 777 mm, with relative minimums
in summer and winter, maximum peak in autumn and secondary maximum
in spring. The annual average absolute heliophany records the
average figure of 6.4 hours per day, with a maximum of 10.2 average
hours per day in July and a minimum of 2.6 average hours per day in
December.
The oldest traces of man's presence in the Parma area date back to
the ancient Neolithic period, roughly between 5600 and 5000 BC, but at
the time the area was scarcely inhabited; the situation changed after
5000 BC, when various settlements referring to the culture of
square-mouthed vessels developed.
During the Early Bronze Age,
between the 18th and 17th centuries BC, some villages attributable to
the Polada culture were founded, but it was with the onset of the Middle
Bronze Age, starting from the 16th century BC, that they spread in the
territory numerous terramaricolo settlements.
Although there are
no testimonial traces, for some historians and according to a mention by
Tito Livio, Parma was founded by the Etruscans, who settled in western
Emilia between the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Subsequently, towards the
4th century BC, the region was occupied by the Celts Boi.
With
the progressive conquest of Northern Italy by the Romans, in 183 B.C.
Parma became a Roman colony and each of the 2,000 families settled there
was entrusted with lots of land near the Via Emilia, from which, to the
east of the city, a cardo of the centuriation started and wound along
the valley of the Parma torrent, giving rise to the road of hundred
miles, which connected Parma to Luni through the Lagastrello pass. Over
the years, the loyalty shown towards the Empire earned the city the
title of Augusta Parmensis.
In later times, the crisis of the
Roman Empire also caused Parma to lose a certain stability and economic
prosperity until the peak of a demographic decline, which in 377 forced
the emperor Gratian to establish a tribe of barbarians, the Taifals, in
the area. . Periods of alternation between prosperity and decline
followed: the looting of Attila in 452 was countered, after 502, by the
rebirth by Theodoric; to the subsequent dramatic consequences caused by
the Gothic wars there was again a revival during the brief Byzantine
period (539-568), which earned Parma the nickname of "Crisopoli" (City
of Gold).
It was later, with the arrival of the Lombards in 593,
that Parma became for the first time a military and administrative
center, the capital of a duchy where one of the daughters of King
Agilulfo resided. The Franks succeeded the Lombard dukes and in 879
Carloman granted bishop Guibodo temporal power over the city. The
looting caused in the 9th century by the invasions of the Magyars was
followed by a period of peace and population growth. In this phase,
Parma continued to be governed by a long series of counts-bishops until
the 12th century, when the city became a free commune, administered by a
podestà and a captain of the people. In 1160 Federico Barbarossa subdued
the citizens of Parma forcing them to declare loyalty to the Empire, but
the imperial authority was defeated in the battle of Legnano in 1176 by
the cities united in the Lombard League (including Parma). In 1183 the
Peace of Constance re-established the city's autonomy.
In the
long dispute between Guelphs and Ghibellines, which dominated Italian
political life from the 12th to the 14th century, Parma first sided with
the Ghibellines, in favor of the Emperor, and later with the Guelphs,
after the battle of Borghetto del Taro (near the current Castelguelfo).
A period of foreign domination followed: Parma was subjected to the
Milanese dominion of the Visconti from 1346 to 1447, except for a brief
interlude, between 1404 and 1409, in which power passed into the hands
of Ottobuono de' Terzi. The Viscontis will be succeeded by the Sforzas
but also by the French dominations.
In 1521 the papal and Spanish
armies, after a three-day siege, defeated the French and the city was
conquered. In 1545 Pope Paul III (born Alessandro Farnese), created the
Duchy of Parma entrusting it to his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese
and the Farnese family maintained the ducal government until 1731,
making Parma a small Italian capital, rich in the works of great artists
such as Correggio and Parmigianino.
The Bourbons succeeded the
Farnese with the Infante of Spain Charles I, son of Elisabetta Farnese
and Philip V of Spain. In 1734, following the outbreak of the War of the
Polish Succession and the Bourbon conquest of the Two Sicilies, Charles
I was recognized as King of Naples, but was forced to cede the duchy of
Parma to Emperor Charles VI of Habsburg in 1735, without first
forgetting to strip Parma of all the family collections kept in the
palaces and take them with him to Naples. In 1748 the duchy of Parma and
Piacenza, with the addition of Guastalla, returned to the Bourbons with
the stipulation of the Treaty of Aachen, which put an end to the war of
the Austrian succession; Philip founded the Bourbon-Parma dynasty, which
helped make Parma a cultural beacon in Europe. In 1802 Napoleon
Bonaparte annexed the duchy to France, transforming it into a simple
department (department of Taro). During the French occupation, several
works of art made their way to France due to Napoleonic looting. Parma
was together with Florence the most looted. According to the catalog
published in the Bulletin de la Société de l'art français of 1936, of
the 47 works of art sent to France and catalogued, only 28 returned to
Parma, most of those that remained in France were exhibited in the
Louvre and in French provincial museums.
Only with Napoleon's
abdication in 1814 and the subsequent Congress of Vienna was the Duchy
of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla re-established, temporarily entrusted
to the Habsburgs. Maria Luigia of Austria, wife of Napoleon and daughter
of Emperor Francis I, thus became the new duchess of the city and,
despite the revolutionary episodes of 1831, retained power until her
death in 1847, however without the power to pass on the throne to heirs.
In the same year the Bourbon-Parmas returned to govern the duchy, first
with Charles II (1847-1849), who was succeeded by his son, Charles III
(1849-1854), stabbed to death in the street on 26 March 1854 by a
unknown, and finally with Robert I who, being too young to govern, had
the regency ensured by his mother Louise Marie of Bourbon-France.
Roberto I was deposed in 1859, at the age of eleven, when, at the
outbreak of the second war of independence, his mother preferred to flee
to the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, awaiting the outcome of the war.
With the Armistice of Villafranca, the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed the
Duchy after a plebiscite celebrated in 1860. The Bourbon-Parma branch
still thrives and, since 1964, Roberto's grandchildren are Grand Dukes
of Luxembourg.
In 1922 the city of Parma distinguished itself for
having fought the fascist militias commanded by Italo Balbo by erecting
barricades in numerous districts of the city. On 23 April 1945 the
retreat of the Nazi-fascist troops from Parma began and on 24 April a
group of citizens temporarily took over the local newspaper La Gazzetta
di Parma, with the aim of handing it over to the National Liberation
Committee; finally, on April 26, partisans and allied troops entered the
city. For the sacrifices of its populations and for its activity in the
partisan struggle during the Second World War, Parma is among the cities
decorated for military valor for the War of Liberation and awarded the
Gold Medal for Military Valor. During the Constituent Assembly there was
an attempt by sen. Giuseppe Micheli and some politicians, to create the
Emilia Lunense region, with Parma as its capital: the proposal was
initially approved, but was later suspended with the article Mortati.
Parma is third in Italy (Censis 2010 analysis) for the increase in
the resident population, thanks to the stable birth rate, the decrease
in the mortality rate and the increase in the migration rate, with a
rejuvenation of the average age and a high percentage of foreign
residents. Based on the DMA (Dynamic Metropolitan Areas) procedure,
which consists of starting from centers with over 50,000 inhabitants and
aggregating contiguous municipalities that have at least a 15% rate of
commuting to them for work or study, the metropolitan area of Parma is
considered level B DMAs with a total population of 444,395 inhabitants
(data Dec. 2008, the data on commuter flows is taken from the 2001 Istat
Census).
Evolution to the 21st century
From the first 2,000
families of the Roman colony of 183 BC, the strategic territorial value
of the city allowed it even after 774 to be chosen as a settlement area
by many immigrants following Charlemagne. In 1400 there were about
12,000 citizens and in 1545 Parma was considered a medium-sized city
with 19,592 registered inhabitants. A severe famine that occurred in
1551 reduced its number to 17,000, but a little more than twenty years
later, in 1573, thanks to the established role of capital of a duchy,
the number of inhabitants reached 26,000 and in 1630, thanks the "major
construction works" that attracted labourers, reached 46,000, to then
drop to 30,000 after the terrible plague epidemic of the same year.
During the government of Maria Luigia (which lasted from 1814 to 1847),
the number of inhabitants increased to 45,000, and in 1861, the year of
the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, 47,428 inhabitants lived in
Parma, making up 18.5% of the citizens of the province, which ranked the
city 20th in the country.
Ten years later the capital lost almost
2,000 inhabitants reaching 45,511, an involution in contrast with the
other Italian cities. The demographic decline also continued in the
following years, establishing the population in 1881 at 45,217
inhabitants and positioning the city as the twenty-sixth Italian
capital. The demographic decline was the effect of the closure of the
state and the ducal court, which caused the loss of many economic
activities causing a consequent social and economic decay.
According to the analyzes of the municipal statistics office, at the
end of 2015 there were 30,687 legal foreigners residing in the city (of
which 14,348 males and 16,339 females), returning to growth after the
decline suffered during 2013. The weight on the total The population
stood at 15.9% at the municipal level, distributed in various ways in
the various neighbourhoods, which at the end of 2013 respectively
recorded values of 24.4% (Oltretorrente), 22.2% (Pablo), 20.1% ( Parma
Centro), 19.3% (San Leonardo), 13.9% (Molinetto, San Pancrazio and
Montanara), 13.5% (San Lazzaro), 11.7% (Cortile San Martino), 11.6% (
Ljubljana), 11.3% (Cittadella), 10.9% (Golese) and 9.0% (Vigatto). As
regards age, at the end of 2014 the ranges between 25 and 39 years of
age were the largest, followed immediately by the 0-4 year-old class,
which stood out compared to the immediately following classes,
testifying to the increase in births which occurred in the last few
years. As regards the family composition, 42.2% of foreign families were
made up of one person, 18.4% of two, 16.1% of three, 13.5% of four, 6.1%
from five and the remaining 3.8% from six or more.
As of 31
December 2020, the foreign population residing in the municipality
amounted to 33,894 inhabitants.
The most represented
nationalities were:
Romania 4 598
Moldova 4 056
Albania 2 835
Philippines 2 621
Nigeria 2 078
Tunisia 1 740
Morocco 1 323
Ghana 1 249
Ukraine 1 246
Ivory Coast 995
There are numerous religious families born in Parma and still
flourishing: the Ursuline Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, founded in 1575 and reformed by Maria Lucrezia Zileri dal Verme
in the 19th century; the Maestre Luigine, founded around 1755 by Rosa
Orzi and united with the Dominican Sisters of the Blessed Imelda; the
Handmaids of the Immaculate Conception, founded by Anna Maria Adorni to
assist wayward women and girls in danger; the Little Daughters of the
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, founded in 1865 by Agostino Chieppi;
the Pious Society of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions, founded in
1895 by Guido Maria Conforti, of which there is the female branch of the
nuns of the Missionary Society of Mary, founded by Celestina Bottego and
Giacomo Spagnolo.
The Benedictine monks of the abbey of San
Giovanni have been present in the city since 983 and their monastery was
reformed in 1852 by the people of Subiaco. In Parma there are also the
cloistered monasteries of the Discalced Carmelites (at Santa Maria
Bianca), founded in 1635 at the request of Margherita Aldobrandini with
nuns from Cremona, and of the Capuchin Poor Clares (at Santa Maria degli
Angeli), founded in 1682 at the behest of Ranuccio II Farnese with some
nuns from Guastalla.
The Friars Minor were introduced to Parma in
1220 by St. Francis of Assisi and later divided into the branches of the
observants, at the church of the Santissima Annunziata, and the
conventuals, at San Francesco del Prato (later reduced to the oratory of
the Immacolata conception).
The Discalced Carmelites, already
present since 1623, returned definitively to Parma in 1881 and officiate
in the church of Santa Teresa del Bambin Gesù; the Salesians arrived at
the church of San Benedetto in 1889 and founded a boys' college there,
to which was later added the girls' college of the Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians; the Brothers of the Christian Schools opened their
first headquarters in Parma in 1836; the Stigmatines arrived in the city
in 1876 and since 1969 have taken care of the parish of the Sacred
Stigmata; the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Betharram look
after the parish of Sant'Andrea, founded in 1977.
Also present in
Parma are: the Daughters of the Cross, Sisters of Sant'Andrea,
introduced in 1851 by Luisa Maria of Bourbon-France; the Handmaid
Sisters of the Sanctuary, born in Piacenza and active at the "Città di
Parma" nursing home; the Sisters of Divine Providence for Abandoned
Childhood, from Piacenza, who arrived in 1924 to work in the hospice of
San Giuseppe; the Ursuline Sisters Daughters of Mary Immaculate,
dedicated to hospital assistance.
Over the years, numerous research and control bodies have established
themselves in Parma, in particular related to the agro-food and
scientific sector. Formerly the seat of the Interregional Agency for the
Po River (AIPO) (formerly the Magistrate for the Po) and of the Po River
Basin District Authority, in December 2003 Parma became the seat of the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) , one of the most important
control agencies in the European Union.
The geographical position
and the presence of a prestigious university have also allowed the
development of other important public structures, points of reference
for geographical areas that go beyond the provincial borders, such as
the Ospedale Maggiore of Parma, which over the years has become one of
the main hospitals in the Emilia-Romagna region, the Italian Consortium
for food safety and research, the Interuniversity Consortium of
Innovative Pharmaceutical Technologies (TEFARCO), the Experimental
Station for the Food Preserving Industry (SSICA) or the research,
innovation and consultancy related to the SIQUAL and TECAL food
industry. Thanks to the economic spin-off due to the close collaboration
between these organizations and the local industry, an important sector
linked to congresses and business tourism is developing in parallel with
consequent repercussions on the local economy, on the standard of living
represented by the presence in the city of numerous scientists and
officials and on the development of some infrastructures such as the
airport, the road network, the hotel industry.
The aristocratic traditions and a certain sophistication of social
life characterize the city soul which is evident in particular with the
passion of the Parmesan towards music and the Opera, for centuries much
followed and appreciated by various strata of the population.
The
first literate native of Parma of which we know was Gaius Cassius
Parmense (1st century BC), belonging to one of the Roman families who
founded the city and author of tragedies and elegies, but the history of
Parma has over time been enriched by the intellectual contribution of
numerous artists, poets and painters who have determined the intense
fervor towards multiform cultural interests, confirmed by the presence
in the city of numerous theatres, museums, international events and
exhibitions in the field of art and commercial exchanges. Benedetto
Antelami, Parmigianino, Correggio, Ireneo Affò, Giovanni Battista Bodoni
with the Amoretti Brothers, Ferdinando Paër, Macedonio Melloni, Giuseppe
Verdi, Arturo Toscanini, Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, Étienne Bonnot de
Condillac and Attilio Bertolucci are just some of the personalities
linked to Parma which have left an important imprint on the city's
artistic and cultural traditions.
Parma was magnified by Stendhal
(born Henri Beyle), who visited it for the first time in 1814 and
dreamed of it in the pages of his Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse
of Parma); later it was desired by Marcel Proust in his Du côté de chez
Swann (Swann's road).
In the eighteenth century the development
of art and of the city's institutions helped to define Parma as the
"Athens of Italy", while today, thanks to the new role attributed to it
within the European Union with the assignment of an important community
agency , the city is trying to reassert the ancient tradition of a small
capital.
On 16 February 2018 it was proclaimed the Italian
capital of culture for the year 2020.