Parma
Entertainment

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That's entertainment!! (in Parma)

Parma is a small provincial city but there is plenty to do and to see. There are museums, historical attractions, various cinemas, concerts and nightspots to keep everyone happy, (for those who like to paint the town red as well as those who prefer culture to pure fun). Let’s start with the museums. Firstly, we have the Galleria Nazionale. The museum is located inside the Palazzo della Pilotta, a former Farnesian fortress only partly preserved, overlooking the Piazzale della Pace, in the heart of the centre, not far from the Teatro Regio and Piazza Garibaldi. You will encounter canvases from the 13th to the 19th century, with an important 16th century sculpture collection from Parma, there are major works by Correggio and Parmigianino. The sculptures are mostly relics from the city’s two symbolic monuments: the cathedral and the Battistero.
Still within the Pilotta, the Museo Archeologico and the Museo Bodiniano, should not be missed, nor should the Teatro Farnese, testimony to art at the time of the Farnese, a unique example of a wooden theatre which has remained intact, at least in the main structure, which has captured the hearts of tourists form all over the world. Right in front of the Pilotta is the Museo Glauco Lombardi, at no.15 Via Garibaldi. A visit to this recently renovated treasure chest is a step back in time (3 centuries ago, to be precise), to the time of the Parma dukedom – 1748-1859 – and of Maria Luigia, a sovereign who has left an indelible imprint on Parma which the locals still like to boast about. Also on display are relics, cards, décor, clothes and other items belonging to ducal families and residences. At the Pinacoteca Stuard, on Via Cavestro 4, behind Via Mazzini, the most important collection consists of a group of canvases of the Tuscan school from the 14th and 15th centuries. Among the more renowned artists on display are Bernardo Daddi, Bicci di Lorenzo, Nicolò di Tommaso as well as Giovanni Brueghel, il Guercino, Jacopo Palma the younger, il Guercino and Bartolomeo Schedoni.

Lovers of science and nature should not miss the University of Parma’s Natural History Museum in the street of the same name and the Orto Botanico, at no.70, Via Farini. The city's cathedral or Duomo is situated in the centre is an example of Romanesque architecture and is well worth a look. Benedetto Antelami’s Battistero, the Vescovado, the church of San Giovanni, or the chamber of San Paolo, frescoed by Correggio, are also worth seeing.
The Csac, the centre of archive studies of communication should definitely not be missed, an appendice to the History of Art Institute, part of the Faculty of Arts, which is a great museum of contemporary art which contains thousands of works including canvases, photos, sketches by top fashion designers etc. The museum cannot always be visited however, so 'phone beforehand. The building is in the station area, (at no.6 Via Palermo on a recently redeveloped, old industrial estate) not right in the centre but easily reached by bus. You can even walk there. Certosa di Paradigna is also a short walk away and is an old Cistercian/Benedictine monastery, currently being rebuilt, which is only a few kilometers from the city.

Cinema
Almost all of the cinemas are located in the centre within a hundred meters or so of Piazza Garibaldi and its surrounding area (such as cinema Roma in Viale Fratti), or in the station area, eg. Trento cinema on the road of the same name.

The Capitol multi-screen cinema, the city’s biggest cinema in San Pancrazio, on the western periphery of Parma on Via Emilia. Among the three independent cinemas, the Astra, just outside the centre is the largest. It features art house films as well as a range of selected first screenings and in summer, in the summer arena, there are some interesting second showings and other unedited, ‘surprise’ showings. In addition, at the D’Azeglio cinema, on the Oltretorrente road of the same name, there are displays, a cineforum and films in their original language. Il Cinghio, in the area of the same name on the city’s southern periphery, there are some top quality exhibitions and really good old as well as more recent films. In this cinema, which also serves as a theatre, there are often classical and modern concerts, especially in winter. Still at the Cinghio, you will often come across photographic exhibitions in the room next to the cinema.

Theatres

Firstly, there is the Teatro Regio, in Via Garibaldi, which is a temple to opera. Every year a winter season is organized and tickets sell like hot cakes. Parma locals, are music experts and fans of Giuseppe Verdi, and therefore keen on opera. The billboard also lists symphonic and chamber music concerts with the world’s best orchestras. In summer, the biggest and most imposing shows move to the Piazzale della Pilotta, which turns into an arena.

At Teatro Due you can see plays as well as musicals and more avant-garde shows. There are classical music concerts too at the Galleria nazionale (in winter) and at the Fondazione Magnani (in summer), in Mamiano, a small settlement 15 minutes by car from Parma, towards the hills of Traversetolo.