Parma has been around since Pre-Etruscan times, and was already an established area in the Bronze Age. The Roman colony was founded in 183BC, together with Modena. It has had a turbulent history, being occupied and destroyed many times before the latest damage the city suffered during the German occupation from 1943 to 1945, when several monuments were damaged by the Allied bombardment. However, Parma was relatively lucky to escape without widespread devastation and there are still a great number of monuments to be seen today. The city is also home to the oldest university in the world!

Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy by spaceodissey

Parma and Architecture.

If you are fond of Art, Architecture and Culture, this is the city for you, and you will need at least 2-3 days to see all there is to admire, and also visit the world-famous opera house, the Teatro Regio. This is the home of Verdi and Toscanini, and opera lovers flock here to hear their favourites; the Opera season runs from about April to December, with a festival in October.

There is a lot of Art to be seen, if you keep reading this article you will find out all the Parma tourist attractions! The best place to start would probably be the Pilotta Palace in the historical centre of the town. This Palace now houses some of the most important collections in the city, including the National Gallery where you can see artwork by Correggio, Parmigianino, Leonardo, Tintoretto, van Dyck and many others. While you are there also visit the Bodoni Museum, home to everything to do with Printing and then move on to the Palatine Library to see amazing collections of old books. The Pilotta Palace also houses the Archaeological Museum, worth a visit if you are interested in old artifacts.

Pilotta Palace, Parma, Italy by Herbert Ortner

Next on your list should be the Piazza Duomo, where you can visit the 12th century Romanesque Cathedral, filled with renaissance art. Entrance is free and you can visit from 9 – 12.30 and 3 – 7 pm. Be sure to see the Assumption by Correggio in the central cupola.

After viewing the Duomo, walk to the close-by Baptistery, a combination of Romanesque and Gothic styles, and home to several frescoes dating from the 13th and 14th centuries.

There is another great art collection to be seen at the Court Villa of Mamiano where works by Rubens, Tizano, Goya, Monet, etc can be viewed.

Enough about the culture…I am sure you get the picture! Parma also offers great shopping! If you like antiques, head for the Borgo Nazario Sauro, a small winding road near the centre, where you can explore one antique dealer after the next. This is a great place to find something special to take home.

Duomo, Parma, Italy by Tommaso Meli

Parma and gourmet food.

Parma is known all over the world for its most famous exports, namely Prosciutto di Parma (Parma Ham) and Parmigiano Reggiano (Real Parmesan Cheese), and you really must try both of these and even take some home, but Parma also has several other gastronomic specialities that you should try, so look out for some of the following on restaurant menus: Anolini in Brodo – this is a dish of little pasta parcels filled with beef, Parmesan, poached in a delicious broth; it is a speciality of the town! Also try Tortelli di Erbetta, pasta filled with ricotta, Parmesan and spinach – quite delicious and good for vegetarians.

If you want to try your hand at some Parmesan cookery when you go home try and find the book: “Parma – A Capital of Italian Gastronomy” by Guilano Bugliali – it is fully of wonderful local recipes.

It is possible to go on a tour to see how Parma Ham and Parmesan are made, and you should not miss this experience to round off your visit to the city.

Emilia Delizia is a dedicated writer about food tourism in Italy.

Parmiggiano Reggiano by Kelly Hau

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Berliner Dom Museum Island, Berlin, Germany / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Beny Shlevich

We can never get away from the fact that Berlin is in central Europe, therefore you are not going to be tanning it up on any beaches (even though it is landlocked, it does have a man-made beach!) or sipping cocktails in the sun all of the time, so it’s worthwhile noting the numerous excellent museums that the city has to offer. There is something for everyone, be it art, architecture, music or the history of the city itself.

There aren’t many cities in the world that can boast a place called Museum Island, but Berlin certainly can and it houses five of them. Situated in the middle of the Spree River, the island is home to the Altes and Neues (Old and New) museums, a national gallery and the Bode museum, which displays an excellent sculpture collection amongst other fine art. The jewel in the crown however, is the Pergamon Museum which shows off huge reconstructions – some life size – of different architecture of the last 3,000 years. It is truly a sight to behold.

Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by dalbera

If you like your art more pop than classical, then a good place to visit is the Hamburger Bahnhof. Set in a disused railway station, this huge space is home to works of some of the greatest contemporary artists including Warhol, Lichtenstein amongst many others. Fans of Joseph Beuys will be especially happy, as an entire wing of the gallery is taken up with some of his rarer works.

If the moving image is more your thing, then the Kinemathek museum – just off the Potsdamer Platz – should be your first stop. Everything from scripts to props is available to see, from the beginnings of German cinema, through the Weimar era and the war propaganda up to the present day.

Even if you’re not a fan of the New York punk legends The Ramones, you will be amazed at the expanse of the collection on show at this museum dedicated to Joey, Dee Dee and the boys. Crudely basing the museum frontage on the famous CBGB’s club in New York, owner-curator Flo Hayler started his collection with a couple of pin badges and a ticket stub after seeing the band live in the city a generation ago, and now the museum is filled with all things Ramone.

Ben Gallivan is a well-travelled Welshman with an appreciation for the finer things in life, including museums, music, and currywurst. He writes for One80 Hostel in central Berlin.

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