An itinerary in the unmissable locations of Parma, the Italian Capital of Culture 2020
and its surrounding territory, with art, gastronomy and events
Parma has just kicked off its year as Italian Capital of Culture 2020. It provides an unmissable opportunity to immerse yourself in works of art and events to be experienced in the refined atmosphere and imposing history of the city of Verdi, looking to the present and the future with social, environmental and cultural regeneration.
Here is an itinerary to discover the must-see places of Parma 2020 and its territory in 48 hours.
Start from the historic Old Town centre, a triumph of elegance, ancient buildings, churches and museums. A stop at the Teatro Regio and in Piazza del Duomo with the Cathedral and the Baptistry is de rigueur. From there, it is well worth entering the halls of Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati, which from 31 January to 26 April 2020 will be adorned with works of Van Gogh, for the Vincent Van Gogh Multimedia & Friends exhibition.
It is like touching the famous paintings of the celebrated Dutch painter up close, reproduced on striking multimedia supports of the highest quality, and then immersing yourself in the masterpieces of artists such as Monet, Degas and Renoir, which have been lent from prestigious private collections. The charming exhibition produced by Navigare s.r.l. is open from 9.30 am to 8.00 pm Monday to Friday, and until 9.00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. (www.vangoghmultimediaexperience.it).
An immersive experience, unique among its kind, is Florilegium, the first Italian solo exhibition by Rebecca Louise Law – curated by OTTN Projects and supported by Davines, Chiesi Farmaceutici and Cosmoproject under the aegis of the Pharmacopea project – created for the space of the Church of San Tiburzio, a stroll from Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati.
Scheduled to run from 29 February to 19 December, it is one of the initiatives of the Pharmacopea project, which creates new tourist itineraries in the city, bringing together symbolic places of its historic and cosmetic-pharmaceutical identity.
The heart of the exhibition will be a large evolving installation in the Church of San Tiburzio, then there will be presentations of various sculptural arrangements set up in the Ancient Pharmacy of San Filippo Neri and in Palazzo Ducale, while the greenhouse of the Botanical Garden of Parma will be the backdrop for a documentary work on the practice of the British artist known for his larger-than-life floral installations and site-specific sculptures. (www.pharmacopeaparma.it).
The walk continues on to the Church of San Francesco del Prato, a place that is fast becoming a symbol of Parma 2020 for its history of rebirth, thanks to collective fundraising: the bars that were added to transform it into a prison have now been eliminated and the original architecture of this Gothic jewel has been revealed. In spring it will be possible to take advantage of guided tours up in the air between the rose window and an extraordinary view from above of the city and its Cathedral (www.sanfrancescodelprato.it).
If Parma is also a UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy (www.parmacityofgastronomy.it), it is due to the culinary delights that make it famous all over the world, such as Parma ham, Culatello di Zibello DOP (salted pork loin) and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. To taste a multi-award-winning Parmigiano Reggiano, you should try to get to Fidenza, where Parma2064 of the Agrinascente Cooperative of Fidenza (PR) is based.
The best thing to do is book a guided tour of the dairy, so you can discover the processing phases of the king of cheeses and sample Parmesan that has been matured to different ages. All of the Parmigiano Reggiano Parma2064 cheese comes from milk produced within 10 km of its dairies (www.2064.it).
For culatello, make your way to the cellars (the oldest on the planet) of the Antica Corte Pallavicina in Polesine Parmense, a fourteenth-century castle on the river Po, just outside the city. You can sample it among the dishes of the “gourmet river cuisine” of Chef Massimo Spigaroli’s Michelin-starred restaurant (www.anticacortepallavicinarelais.it) or at the Hosteria del Maiale, taking a journey through the flavours of the tradition of the Lower Parma area and the history of the Great River.
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