Palazzo del Giardino, Baroque palace in Parco Ducale, Parma, Italy.
Palazzo del Giardino is a palace with baroque and neoclassical style in Parma's park, Italy. The building features multiple rooms with ornate frescoes and detailed stucco decorations visible on its ceilings and walls.
Duke Ottavio Farnese commissioned the palace in 1561 to give the court of Parma and Piacenza a permanent seat, on a plot beside an existing Sforza turret; Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola designed it and Giovanni Francesco Testa directed the works. Simone Moschino and then Girolamo Rainaldi added courtyards and side wings in the early 17th century. The French architect Ennemond Petitot renovated the building in the 18th century and had Boscoli's fountain demolished.
The first-floor Salone takes its name Sala degli Uccelli from Benigno Bossi's stucco and fresco ceiling showing 224 bird species. Off it, the Sala di Alcina, the palace's oldest room, has 1568 frescoes by Girolamo Mirola and Jacopo Zanguidi illustrating book VI of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. The Sala dell'Aetas Felicior, frescoed by Zanguidi in 1570–1573 with Venus and Cupid, is also called Sala del Bacio for the kiss glimpsed among crystal columns.
The palace is located in a park area and may not always be fully accessible to visitors since it serves as an office building. It is best to check ahead about any visiting hours or access restrictions before planning a trip.
The first-floor Sala degli Uccelli takes its name from Benigno Bossi's stucco and fresco ceiling, which depicts 224 bird species. A monumental 18th-century staircase leads up to this hall, from which the Farnese-era frescoed rooms open off.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,653 contributors worldwide.