Parma Favorites

Favorite thing: If you arrive by train, just outside the station you will find a large leafy square, with a pond and a monument in the middle.
The man celebrated by this monument is Vittorio Bottego, one of those explorers who in the XIX century wanted to eliminate all the blank areas from the maps of Africa and went exploring those regions that were still unknown to the white man.
There are two other human figures in this monument, representing two rivers Bottego explored: the Omo and the Juba.
Bottego was also a naturalist and there is a small museum in town where one can see things he brought back from his explorations.

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Favorite thing: It was my regular business trip to Italy but this time I travelled alone and had more times using it to spend entire day in Parma. Few times before I was in the vicinity but never visited the city because it is situated a bit off the road.
Parma isn't that huge like Milano or Rome are, and it makes it more comfortable for a living. It isn't small town either and yet having all what can catch our attention; nice historic centre, magnificent cathedral, lots of greenery and very interesting surroundings which I didn't visit this time but plan to do it in a near future.

Favorite thing: Since I’ve seen just one game in Parma it’s quite hard to find a really good moment. But the challenge in every new town I visit is to find the stadium. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s really hard. In Parma it was thankfully really easy, the bus from the station took me all the way to the stadium, and I had plenty of time to look around the area before the game.

Favorite thing: There are ticket-office outside the stadium where you can buy the tickets on matchdays. Tickets are also sold in advance via www.ticketone.it. Normally the games aren’t sold out.
For a neutral spectator the longside stands (tribuna centrale est/ovest/centrale) is the best seats, but also the most expensive. For cheaper tickets try to go to one of the curves, or “distinti laterali”, which is in between the curva and the longside stands.

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Go inside the Baptisery to see an impressive selection of 13th and 14th century frescos and paintings.

The inside of the Parma's Baptisery is divided into 16 sides rising into 16 niches with each fresco portraying a biblical scene and surrounded by sculptures representing the months, the seasons and the signs of zodiac.
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The Parma's Baptistery has three splayed portals: the north and west portals are by Antelami why his students probably finished the south portal., the least decorated of the three.

BTW what does it mean baptistery?
BAPTISTERY is the separate hall or chapel, connected with the early Christian Church, in which the catechumens were instructed and the sacrament of baptism administered.
The name baptistery is also given to a kind of chapel in a large church, which serves the same purpose.
The baptistery proper was commonly a circular building, although sometimes it had eight (like in Parma) and sometimes twelve sides, and consisted of an ante-room where the catechumens were instructed, and where before baptism they made their confession of faith, and an inner apartment where the sacrament was administered.
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The Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) is a historic center of Parma. There is Duomo facade, Baptiserium and impressive building and palaces (llok at the picture) here. Add not so many hehe tourists - it seems that Parma is not so touristy city.

The Piazza was selected for Parma's Duomo in mid-1000s as the city core was already full at that early date. The Duomo was almost 500 years old when Correggio redecorated the cupola. The Baptistery was commissioned in 1196 and overseen by Antelami until 1216, until construction was interrupted due to the lack of pink Veronese marble caused by fighting between Parma and Verona.
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Duomo (cathedral) is a must see in Parma. Its facade stands in Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square).
The duomo is one of the main example of 12th century romanesque architecture in northern italy. Its facade features three orders of loggias and is flanked by a tall gothic tower in brickwork built in 1294.
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Fondest memory: Duomo and baptisery.