Parma

Parma is a city in Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, positioned between the Apennine Mountains and the Po Valley, with the Parma River running through the historic center. Medieval buildings, churches, and palaces line the cobbled streets, and wide squares open up between narrow alleys, shaping the rhythm of the old town.

The city was founded as a Roman colony in 183 BC and grew into a major religious center during the Middle Ages. In 1545 it became the capital of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, ruled by the Farnese family and later passed to the Bourbons.

The city lives and breathes opera, with Giuseppe Verdi's birthplace just a few kilometers outside town, turning the region into a pilgrimage site for music lovers. Local markets and small shops sell Parma ham and cheese, and residents treat these products with a pride and care that go far beyond commerce.

The city center is easy to explore on foot, as most landmarks are within a compact area, and many streets are reserved for pedestrians. Visitors arriving by train can reach the center in about fifteen minutes on foot from the station.

The cathedral holds one of the most impressive dome frescoes of the Renaissance, painted by Correggio, opening the sky with a perspective that influenced many later artists. The wooden Teatro Farnese was built in 1618 and is considered one of the first permanent theaters of the modern age, though it was destroyed in World War II and later rebuilt.