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Stemma di Parma

Emilia-Romagna · Parma

Parma

A 57-meter Po-plain capital on the Via Emilia, where Correggio painted the Duomo dome and Parmigiano ages in vaults across the province.

Best time
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Airport
In the comune (PMF)
By car
1 h 12 min from Bologna
By train
Station in the comune
Population
196,764

Known for

  • PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

    DOP cheese aged across the surrounding province in vaults that hold wheels twelve to thirty-six months before sale.

  • PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA

    Salt-cured ham produced on the Apennine hills around Langhirano, holding DOP status and protected by a consortium of about 140 producers.

  • TEATRO REGIO

    Opera house of 1829, home of Festival Verdi every October; Toscanini, born in Parma in 1867, kept his recordings as the house standard.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

  • J7°
  • F12°
  • M15°
  • A18°
  • M23°
  • J29°
  • J32°
  • A32°
  • S26°
  • O20°
  • N13°
  • D8°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Ilario di Poitiers, 13 January

Why come

Parma sits on the Via Emilia, halfway between Bologna and Piacenza, the Po Valley reaching north and the Apennine foothills closing in fifteen kilometers south. Under the Farnese in the sixteenth century and Marie Louise of Habsburg in the nineteenth, the city ran its own duchy and built the institutions that still define it: the Palazzo della Pilotta, the Teatro Farnese, the Teatro Regio of 1829. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, consecrated in 1106, holds Correggio's Assumption fresco in the dome, painted between 1526 and 1530 with a vortex of figures that read as a single rotating body.

The Battistero, octagonal in pink Veronese marble, was designed and carved by Benedetto Antelami from 1196. Arturo Toscanini was born here in 1867; the Teatro Regio still treats his recordings as house standard. The city's two food appellations, Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, carry European protected status; UNESCO named the city a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015. The population is 196,764.

The Sunday letter

Parma is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Parma comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Parma in our articles

How to get there

Parma has its own airport (PMF).

From Bologna (BLQ), about 1 hour by car.

Verona (VRN) is about 1h 47m away.

By car from the centre of Brescia 1h 24m.

Driving in is restricted: 4 limited traffic zones are mapped here (ZTL Zona 2, ZTL Stazione, ZTL Zona 3). Check the signs and the times before you drive into the centre.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Bologna, Milan or Verona?

Coming by train into Parma? Parma is about 5 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Bologna airport.

Parma, photo 1
Parma, photo 2

What to see

  • Duomo di Parma

    Cathedral consecrated 1106, holding Correggio's Assumption fresco in the dome, painted 1526 to 1530 as a single rotating vortex of figures.

  • Battistero

    Octagonal baptistery in pink Veronese marble, 35 meters tall, designed and sculpted by Benedetto Antelami from 1196, completed in 1270.

  • Palazzo della Pilotta

    Sixteenth-century Farnese palace housing the National Gallery, the Archaeological Museum and the wooden Teatro Farnese of 1618.

  • Teatro Regio

    Fourteen-hundred-seat opera house inaugurated 16 May 1829, home of the annual Festival Verdi every October.

  • Piazza Duomo

    Medieval square with the Romanesque Cathedral, the Battistero of Antelami and the Palazzo Vescovile, kept as a single ensemble since the twelfth century.

  • Camera di San Paolo

    Private chamber of the abbess of San Paolo, frescoed by Correggio in 1518 with a vault of putti and mythological scenes.

  • Galleria Nazionale

    National gallery inside the Pilotta with works by Correggio, Parmigianino, Leonardo's Testa di Fanciulla and a major Farnese collection.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Parma fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • Ai Due PlataniTrattoria

    Ai Due Platani carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand, three Gambero Rosso prawns, plus a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.

  • InkiostroRistorante

    Inkiostro has one Michelin star, two Gambero Rosso forks (85/100) and a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.

  • Brisla TrattoriaTrattoria

    Brisla Trattoria holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and two Gambero Rosso prawns.

  • CocchiRistorante

    Cocchi holds one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • Borgo 20Bistrot

    Borgo 20 holds two Gambero Rosso tables.

  • Cortex BistrotBistrot

    Cortex Bistrot carries two Gambero Rosso tables.

  • I Tri SiochèttRistorante

    A Michelin Bib Gourmand, at I Tri Siochètt.

  • La Maison du GourmetRistorante

    La Maison du Gourmet carries two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100).

  • MeltemiRistorante

    Meltemi holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • Officina Alimentare DedicataBistrot

    Officina Alimentare Dedicata carries two Gambero Rosso tables.

  • Osteria del 36Ristorante

    Osteria del 36 has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.

  • Osteria VirgilioTrattoria

    Osteria Virgilio carries two Gambero Rosso prawns.

  • ParizziRistorante

    Parizzi holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • Parma RottaRistorante

    Parma Rotta holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • Soj - Vino e CucinaBistrot

    Soj - Vino e Cucina holds two Gambero Rosso tables.

  • Trattoria Antichi SaporiRistorante

    Trattoria Antichi Sapori carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

  • Trattoria CorrieriTrattoria

    Trattoria Corrieri holds one Gambero Rosso prawn.

  • Trattoria Le VioleRistorante

    Trattoria Le Viole carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • NH ParmaHotel

    NH Parma has a place in the Michelin hotel guide to its name.

Signature product

Parmigiano-Reggiano DOPDOP

The cheese aged 24 months minimum, made from raw milk on the plain south of the Po. Production is restricted to five provinces; Parma is the namesake.

See the towns we cover in the zone of Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP.

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

  • Palio di Parmahistorical re-enactment

    usually held in September. TrovaSagre

Living here

  • Population 196,764
  • A local hubi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Bologna, 1 h 7 min drive
  • Regional capital Bologna, 1 h 12 min drive

Common questions

What is Parma known for?
Parma is a 57-meter Po-plain capital on the Via Emilia, where Correggio painted the Duomo dome and Parmigiano ages in vaults across the province.
Where is Parma?
Parma is a comune in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna, at 57 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Parma?
There is an airport in the comune (PMF).
Can you get to Parma without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Brescia to Parma?
About 1h 24m by car.
When is the best time to visit Parma?
Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Parma?
Yes. Palio di Parma. September is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Parma?
Ferrara, Imola and Faenza.
How many people live in Parma?
196,764 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 57 m
  • Population: 196,764
  • Surface area: 260.6 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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