Parma

Parma

Parma is a delightful small city: home to excellent food (including Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano), lovely buildings covering nearly 2000 years of history, and flat, walkable streets. It’s very compact and is a nice getaway with very little planning required. We took the <1 hr train down from Milan for two nights and 1 full day, which was plenty to thoroughly explore the main sites.

Leave some time for shopping – there are a lot of lovely shops. We particularly liked Soffio Parma and Rooms Parma.

Sites

**Chiesa Di Santa Croce is a Romanesque-style church outside of the city center, first consecrated in 1222. It’s had extensive renovations, but you can still see some of the original elements, worth a quick stop if you’re in the area.
The enormous **Cattedrale di Parma is lovely, with a sculpted Romanesque facade and guardian lions at the door. Inside, it’s incredibly decorated – every surface. Stunning.
***Battistero di San Giovanni Battista is the crown jewel of Parma – an octagonal masterpiece of pink Verona marble and intricately sculpted portals. The interior is a surprise, very worth a visit to see the interior. It’s considered the junction point between Romanesque architecture and Gothic architecture. Decoration of the baptistry began in 1196, and ultimately concluded in 1270. (To visit, you also get access to the small museum about the history, which is very minor and quick.)
**Monastero di San Giovanni Evangelista, in another location, would be a standout. It’s unfortunately in the shadow of far more important buildings, and pales a bit in comparison. Stop in though. Built in 980, the church was damaged by a fire in 1477 and rebuilt from around 1490 – 1519.
*Fondazione Museo Glauco Lombardi is a small, offbeat museum dedicated to Maria Luigia of Habsburg, both in her role as wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and empress of the French, and, subsequently, as Duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla. We liked her dresses, otherwise it’s a minor stop.
The 16th century **Palazzo della Pilotta is a sprawling former palace that now holds four of Parma’s most important museums and cultural institutions. Teatro Farnese was hands-down our favorite part: a remarkable baroque theater completed in 1618 for royal ceremonies and lavish court performances. It’s crafted almost entirely from wood and – in 2026 – under renovation, so you can see the massive beams, the roof, etc. There’s also an important Library, quite a lot of art, and the archaeology museum. We made it through the whole complex in under 90 minutes.

Hotels

We stayed at **Bellacorte guesthouse, which was beautifully designed. A historic property, renovated with great taste, around a central courtyard. Rooms were biggish and comfortable, and the location is extremely convenient. Nice, fairly elaborate breakfast.

Another option that looked appealing is B&B Al Battistero d’Oro.

Dining

*Brisla Trattoria: this was a hard rating (debatably a two), but we had a bumpy experience here. Setting is fine, servers were lovely, service itself was extremely slow. After not having nearly everything we ordered (drinks, food), we eventually didn’t quite get what we ordered. Galen liked his dishes, mine were so-so.
**Cortex Bistrot was wonderful. It’s not an overly formal setting, on a side street. The food (and the service) are exceptional – everything we had was a standout. Very good wine selection (including natural wines).
**daMAT Bistrot is cute, on a centrally-located side street. Food was tasty, very affordable, good wine selection. Emphasis on local/traditional.
*Trattoria Del Tribunale was a dud – we reserved and then waited for a table, were poorly treated by the staff, and walked away without ordering. Skip.
**Vineria Giramondo is a lovely little wine bar, with a great selection of natural wines of the region. Friendly owner, nice spot for people watching.