Parma

Parma is a city in the province of Parma, part of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

By plane


The other close airport is in Bologna. There is a shuttle service from the Bologna airport to the Bologna Centrale train station.

By train
From the train station it is an easy walk into the historic city center.



By bus
The bus station is next to the railway station.

By car
Milan is less than two hours north of Parma along the A1 autostrada.

Get around
Walk. Virtually everything in the historic city center is within easy and leisurely walking distance. Sites across the river require a little more walking but still not too much. The terrain is flat and biking is very popular among the locals.

Taxis wait at the train station and across the street from the Governor's Palace (Palazzo del Governatore) in the centre of town.

Mi Muovo is an integrated public transport pass for the region. Short-stay visitors might use "Mi Muovo Multibus", a 12-trip bus ticket, see Emilia Romagna.

There are rental cars at the small airport just outside town. Parking can be a challenge downtown. However there are several parking garages outside the city center, the largest of which is behind Teatro Due. The city has an access control system which limits entrance to the city center to local tagged vehicles only. This system is generally switched off after midnight.

Parma Vecchia
A historical centre of the city.



Oltretorrente
Oltretorrente is historical district at the western side of the Parma stream.



Do

 * Opera is staged at the gorgeous Teatro Regio, known for its passionate and critical local opera aficionados. Buy tickets early as the opera will sell out. Festival Verdi celebrates Parma resident Giuseppe Verdi during October.
 * Football: Parma Calcio 1913 were promoted in 2024 so they now play soccer in Serie A, the top tier. Their home ground Stadio Ennio Tardini (capacity 21,473 for all-seater events) is on the inner ring road 500 m southeast of city centre.
 * Rugby Union: Zebre - the Zebras - play in the United Rugby Championship (formerly Pro14), the predominantly Celtic professional league. Their home ground is Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi (capacity 5000) which also hosts Crociati Parma Rugby FC and Gran Parma Rugby teams.

Eat
If you are in Parma, your trip is not complete until you try a hunk of its eponymous cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Known the world over, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese owes its quality to its source. The cows that produce the milk graze only on grass and hay in fields around the city. The cheese is made and aged from 18 months to over 30.

Another food you must try in Parma is the local cured ham, Prosciutto di Parma. Parma's Prosciutto is the gold standard for salumi. The hams are cured and aged in temperature and humidity controlled rooms for at least 10 months. The result is a salty, sweet, piece of meat that is sliced razor thin and can be eaten all by its self, or as a part of many regional dishes. It is delicious served simply over a plate of summer melon. As far as salumi goes though, Culatello is king. Unfortunately government regulation on the production of Culatello has driven it nearly to extinction, but there are still rogue producers who cure the meat in cellars. Culatello differs from Prosciutto in that it is made from the fillet cut of the ham as opposed to the whole ham. If you can get your hands on some genuine Culatello, do it, because it is next to impossible to find in the U.S. and can go for around US$60 a pound.

Parma is also known for its delicate stuffed pastas and outdoor markets. Be sure to take advantage of the fresh seasonal vegetables that Parma has to offer.

Budget
All these are in the city centre:



Drink
An aperitivo in Via Farini is something you should not miss. There are several bars in that little street where you will find a lot of people standing outside with a Martini or a Sprizz con Aperol at around 18:00, enjoying the free buffet that is offered when you buy a drink.

Try a bottle of the local sparkling red wine called Lambrusco, great on its own and perfect with much of the local cuisine. It can be purchased in virtually any bar or corner shop and is very inexpensive.

Connect
Parma has 5G from all Italian carriers.

Go next

 * Sabbioneta — a Renaissance ideal town. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site on par with Mantua.
 * Brescello 21 km northeast was the location for the films of the Don Camillo novels by Giovannino Guareschi.
 * Reggio Emilia
 * Modena
 * Bologna
 * Brescia
 * Milan