Parma Things to Do

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The main altar (see photo #1), adorned with 18th century sculptures, displays the fresco of the ‘Madonna Suckling the Child.’ This is the painting that was taken from the original oratory; it was painted by an anonymous late-14th century artist. Work on the high altar continued from 1758 to 1765 by Domenico and Andrea della Meschina.

The decoration of the domes of some side chapels is quite pretty (see photos #2 & #5).

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Located in central Parma, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata is very much of the Renaissance era.

Established in 1521, this outstanding Renaissance church, one of the most splendid in Parma, was begun that same year with the purpose to a painting of the Madonna, said to be miraculous. It originally hung in a small oratory called "dello steccato" or wooden shield.

Consecrated in 1539, the church is built in an elegant, Greek-cross style. It has semicircular apses and square corner chapels. Pilasters, windows and mullions are topped by a marble dome with loggia and lantern, almost certainly built with the help of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, who had come to Parma in 1526, sent by Pope Clement VII to re-enforce the city’s defenses.

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“Founding a monastery is a continuous process of sawing to build your design and trying to dispose of the sawdust, while you're always being forced to reconstruct. You have to give it your all and it's never done.”
— Saint Benedict (AD 480-AD 547)

To the left of the church entrance is the Benedictine monastery, a vast complex comprised of a chapter house, a refectory and elegant Renaissance cloisters: St. John Cloister (1537), the Chapter Cloister (1500) with a marble portal and the large St. Benedict Cloister.

These secluded areas are beautiful in their peacefulness. There is an admission charge to the cloisters. It is well worth the fee to be allowed to walk, rest and meditate in these lovely spaces.

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“It is time now for us to rise from sleep”
— Saint Benedict (AD 480-AD 547)

To the left of the church entrance is the Benedictine monastery, a vast complex comprised of a chapter house, a refectory and elegant Renaissance cloisters: St. John Cloister (1537), the Chapter Cloister (1500) with a marble portal and the large St. Benedict Cloister.

These secluded areas are beautiful in their peacefulness. There is an admission charge to the cloisters. It is well worth the fee to be allowed to walk, rest and meditate in these lovely spaces.

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“Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.”
— Saint Benedict (AD 480–AD 547)

To the left of the church entrance is the Benedictine monastery, a vast complex comprised of a chapter house, a refectory and elegant Renaissance cloisters: St. John Cloister (1537), the Chapter Cloister (1500) with a marble portal and the large St. Benedict Cloister.

These secluded areas are beautiful in their peacefulness. There is an admission charge to the cloisters. It is well worth the fee to be allowed to walk, rest and meditate in these lovely spaces.

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The church of San Giovanni Evangelista is laid out in a Latin cross footprint.

Two of Parma’s most famous artist sons, Correggio and Parmigianino, contributed to the interior decoration.

I especially liked the Station of Cross (see photo #4) with its cobb webs; a better housekeeper is needed!

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The monastic complex of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista consists of a church, a monastery, and the historic San Giovanni pharmacy.

Between 1498 and 1510 the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista was rebuilt for the Benedictine monks, whose 10th century church had been destroyed by fire.

The intricate white marble Baroque facade contrasts with the Renaissance style of the Benedictine cloisters and convent nearby. This facade is in the Mannerist style of the Baroque period; it and the 1613 bell tower (see photo #2) were designed by Simone Moschino.

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“I have devised up to the present 140 Roman characters, each with italics and capitals, and seventeen scripts of which thirteen have their respective finanziere and seven English comprising two round characters, and further several Russian, Greek, German, Hebrew, and other exotics; also a quantity of capitals for titles in Latin, Greek, and Russian. All of these I have had cast in matrices struck from punches entirely perfected with great love by my own hand.”
— from “Manuale Tipografico” by Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813)

Parma’s adopted son Giambattista Bodoni, who designed the typeface called Bodoni, uses the word finanziere, meaning a more elaborate and florid form of a letter. His treatis, Manuale Tipografico was issued posthumously in 1818 at Parma.

The colorful fabric tree, representing different cultures and countries, is near Pizaza del Duomo. Created for the 2010 edition of Minimondi, Parma’s annual showcase for illustrators of children’s books, it is the handiwork of local schoolchildren.