Parma is a city that surprises at every turn. Famous for its artistic heritage, culinary tradition and magnificent monuments, it also reveals a more contemporary and creative side, waiting to be discovered. Strolling through the streets of the historic centre and its quieter districts, visitors will come across murals that tell stories, celebrate remarkable figures and breathe new life into often overlooked urban spaces.
In recent years, Parma has launched a number of urban regeneration projects involving young Italian and international artists, transforming walls, underpasses and building façades into open-air art galleries. As a result, Parma’s murals have become an integral part of the city’s landscape, offering visitors a new way to experience and explore the city.
In this article, we suggest an itinerary of just over 6 kilometres that will take you to some of the city’s most significant works of street art. This route offers a different perspective on Parma, away from the traditional tourist trails while perfectly complementing them. It is an ideal experience both for first-time visitors and for those wishing to rediscover the city from a fresh point of view, whether on foot or by bicycle.
The itinerary begins at Parma Railway Station, home to two remarkable murals. The first, located in the station underpass, was created in 2016 during the Street Art and Urban Art Festival by artists Nabla & Zibe as a tribute to the great composer Giuseppe Verdi. In the artists’ own words, the work portrays Verdi “in all his aspects, taking the viewer on a dreamlike journey that retraces the past while looking towards the future. Verdi’s hopeful gaze blends with his origins at Casa di Roncole, while the hard work of the countryside merges with his timeless and internationally renowned artistic legacy. These images are embraced together against the backdrop of Parma’s Teatro Regio.” The second mural, in Viale Borsellino, was painted in 2020 by Parma-born artist Alessandro Canu to commemorate the victims of the Bologna railway station bombing of 2 August 1980.
The next stop is the underpass connecting Via Reggio (Ponte Europa roundabout), Via Spinelli and Via Giulio Cesare, where visitors can admire the murals created during the international urban art festival Segni Urbani & Meeting of Styles, held in 2023. Here, 46 artists from around the world developed the theme “Va Pensiero…”, inspired by the famous chorus from Verdi’s Nabucco, encouraging reflection on peaceful coexistence among peoples.
The itinerary then continues to Viale Piacenza, at the corner with Via Marchesi, where the mural Natura rigogliosa (“Lush Nature”) by artist Andrea Tarli stands out on a building owned by Azienda Casa Emilia-Romagna. The work, dating back to 2019, was created after Tarli won the competition Sulla via per una casa più vivibile e visibile (“Towards a More Liveable and Visible Home”). It celebrates the relationship between people and nature, bringing a vibrant explosion of colour into the urban landscape while encouraging visitors to reflect on the importance of nature in city life.
Crossing the Parco Ducale and the Oltretorrente district, the route reaches Piazzale Rondani. Here, in 2014, during Parma Street View, around ten artists created a mural covering more than 250 square metres on the boundary wall of the Guglielmo Marconi Language High School. The artwork is dedicated to one of the most significant events in Parma’s history: the Barricades of Parma of 1922, organised to defend the Oltretorrente district. The project involved artists A. Canu, Chomp, Dildo Society, Grozni, Mha Corre tra gli Alberi, P-45 and PsikoPatik, with live painting and performances by Giovanni Cavalleri, Luogo Comune, Mr. Savethewall and Pool Hall McLuc Culture.
From Piazzale Rondani, the itinerary continues into the charming Borgo Serena, just a short walk from Piazza Duomo and Piazza Garibaldi. Here, the female protagonists of Verdi’s operas come to life, reinterpreted in 2020 by Parma artist Roberta Musi as part of the project Le donne di Verdi (“Verdi’s Women”), conceived by Artkademy.
Continuing through Piazzale della Pace and Piazza della Pilotta, visitors reach Viale Toschi, home to one of the best-known works by street artist PAO. The mural Terzo Paesaggio (“Third Landscape”), created in 2015 on the perimeter wall of the bus station and inspired by the theories of French landscape architect Gilles Clément, reflects on the ways in which the natural landscape can create a genuine ecosystem within the city, promoting the values of respect and coexistence.
The final stop leads to Via Trento, just behind the railway station, where the underpass features La città che respira (“The City That Breathes”), an environmentally themed mural created with special paints capable of reducing nitrogen oxide particles in the air, thus helping to reduce air pollution.
Photo © Parma Welcome
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