A stroll through art and flavors in Parma

Parma is one of those cities that wins you over quietly. Simply walking through its elegant streets, crossing the squares of the historic center, and letting yourself be guided by the aromas coming from shops and taverns is enough to immediately feel part of its atmosphere. Here, art and cuisine meet naturally: the monuments tell centuries of history, while the gastronomic excellences speak of traditions proudly preserved. Parma, the beating heart of the Food Valley, is a perfect destination for those who enjoy discovering places slowly, taking the time to observe, taste, and experience every moment calmly.

If you love itineraries that combine culture and good food, this route is exactly for you.

The starting point is the central Piazza Garibaldi, famous for its outdoor cafés and elegant shops. Here, on the ground floor of the Town Hall, you will find the Portici del Grano (Grain Arcades), which until the 19th century hosted the city markets. Grain, flour, vegetables, fish, meat, salt, and wood filled this space, once the economic heart of Parma, while livestock and bulk food markets extended toward the Palazzo della Pilotta. A walk under these arcades still feels like stepping into living history.

From Piazza Garibaldi, you continue along Via Cavour, once called Via nuova dei Beccaj, as until the 14th century it hosted numerous butcher workshops and the city slaughterhouse. The walk leads to Piazza Duomo, the religious heart of the city, where several traces of gastronomic culture are carved into marble and stone. The cathedral’s façade, dating back to the 12th century, features a calendar depicting agricultural life and seasonal work. Inside the Baptistery, a 12th-century relief shows the drying of salami and sausages in a medieval kitchen.

The next stop is the Glauco Lombardi Museum, housed in the elegant Palazzo di Riserva along Strada Garibaldi. Born from the passion of the collector Glauco Lombardi, it preserves historical and artistic evidence of Parma’s ducal period in the 18th and 19th centuries, with a focus on Marie Louise of Austria. Among its sections, one is entirely dedicated to the ducal table: original services, crystalware, and porcelain used by the court, along with objects and settings that evoke aristocratic dining rituals in the 19th century. A refined glimpse of an era when dining was both a social act and a moment of great prestige.

After visiting the Lombardi Museum, a stop in one of the city center pastry shops is a must for a slice of Torta Duchessa, Parma’s traditional dessert. It is said to have been named after a court pastry chef created it in honor of Duchess Marie Louise. It is made of three layers of hazelnut shortcrust pastry filled with zabaglione cream and butter-and-chocolate cream, and finally decorated with crushed hazelnuts.

The itinerary continues to the Monumental Complex of the Pilotta, a majestic symbol of the Farnese ducal power, which houses the Palatine Library, the Archaeological Museum, the Bodoni Museum, the Farnese Theatre, and the National Gallery. In the latter, you can admire the lavish “table centerpiece” created in the early 19th century by Catalan sculptor Damià Campeny for the Spanish Embassy in Rome, composed of over one hundred pieces in marble, bronze, and alabaster. The Palatine Library also preserves the original designs for a series of tableware created in 1639 for Odoardo Farnese for a banquet with the Barberini Cardinals in Rome.

From Borgo delle Cucine, a short walk leads to Piazza Ghiaia, one of the most historic and significant places in Parma’s center. Used as a market area since 1232, it became the city’s commercial hub in the 19th century, absorbing markets previously held in Piazza Garibaldi and surrounding streets. Between 1836 and 1838, the so-called “Beccherie” were built to gather local butcher shops, and after their demolition, a covered market was built in 1928, later equipped with stalls for street vendors and recently replaced with a modern glass roof. The square remains faithful to its commercial vocation and still hosts markets today.

At this point, it is time to enjoy some local specialties in one of the many restaurants in the center. Dishes to try include: anolini in broth, a type of egg pasta filled with Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and beef sauce; tortelli alle erbette, filled with chard, ricotta, Parmesan, and nutmeg, usually served with butter and sage or sauce; and Rosa di Parma, a meat dish combining Parma ham, Parmesan cheese, Lambrusco wine, butter, and rosemary.

Returning toward Piazza Garibaldi via Via Mazzini, you take Via Farini, once known as Strada dei Genovesi due to the presence of Genoese merchants who transported Parma cheeses and cured meats to the Ligurian port. Near this street, where a large bookstore now stands, once was the Oratory of the Five Wounds—a nearby alley still preserves its name—home of the Parma Lardaroli Confraternity, active in trading a wide range of food products: cheeses, cured meats, oil, salted fish, eels, sausages, and butter.

Finally, the last stop of the itinerary is Palazzo Bossi Bocchi, a neoclassical and Liberty-style building located along Strada Ponte Caprazucca. Likely built in the 16th century, it hosts the Art Collections of the Cariparma Foundation. Among the most fascinating sections is the display dedicated to historic Padana dining culture and a remarkable collection of fine ceramics, kitchen vessels, and tableware dating back to the 15th century.

To end the day beautifully, there is nothing better than an aperitif with a rich platter of Parma cured meats, some flakes of Parmigiano Reggiano, and a glass of Lambrusco.

Photo gallery (1) © Museo del Salame Felino | (2) © Parma Welcome | (3) © Monumental Complex of the Pilotta