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Oh Parma, the glorious city of ham – famous the world over for its succulent prosciutto, architecture, shopping and surrounding countryside. What an amazing place. Here you can tour significant architectural marvels like the Palazzo della Pilotta, the Parma Cathedral, the unique Baptistery, the Santa Croce and the beautiful Teatro Farnese. But, don’t get too wrapped-up with history, there’s so much more to discover.
Parma is a known shopping destination with fantastic streets and small boulevards lined with local Italian designers, specialty boutiques and markets selling regional food items and wine. You can easily spend a week wandering through these shops, never boring of their offerings. Many local markets source family cured ham, pancetta and prosciutto which are purchased directly from people who have been curing meats for over one hundred years.
Parma is not a place to run around from site to site, this can be done in a matter of a day. But, what Parma offers visitors is more a feeling that is felt by simply sitting and observing the way of life. Bike riders rolling through the streets, Italian grandmas carrying their market finds home for dinner – it’s all very slow and romantic. Located only an hour from Bologna, Parma is worth a day or two of your time to experience an authentic corner of Emilia-Romagna.
