Parma Things to Do

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“When I was young, I kissed my first woman and smoked my first cigarette on the same day. Believe me, never since have I wasted any more time on tobacco.”
— Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957), Parma’s native son

Many of the buildings, both public and private, throughout the city of Parma are painted yellow.

Although the shade of yellow varies from a pastel yellow to a deep egg yolk yellow, they are all called Parma Yellow!

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“God tells me how the music should sound, but you stand in the way.”
— Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957), Parma’s native son

DIVINE INSPIRATION We were the only visitors to the house where Toscanini was born and spent his childhood and youth; this intimate museum is stocked with fascinating mementos and a library containing all the recorded works conducted by Toscanini.

Throughout the museum, staffed by a young woman, who spoke some English, and an older man, who spoke no English, the Maestro’s music filled the air. One of the most interesting mementos was a caricature of Toscanini drawn by his friend Enrico Caruso.

Toscanini’s heirs donated the house to the city of Parma; it was transformed into a museum in 1967.

Opening hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 6pm; and Sunday 9am to 1pm.

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“A much higher reputation was gained by Francesco Mazzola (1503-1540), surnamed ‘II Parmigianino,’ son of Filippo Mazzuoli (already mentioned among the earlier masters as a clever painter of Parma); but his reputation dates from a period when the feeling for true artless beauty was nearly extinct.”
— from “Handbook of Painting: The Italian Schools” 1855

Meaning “the little one from Parma,” Parmigianino was a nickname for Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola; he was a student of Correggio.

A monument, a non-functioning fountain, pays tribute to Parmigianino in Piazza Santa Maria della Steccata. The painter contributed two altarpiece frescos, one of Saint Joseph, one of Saint John the Baptist, as well as Three Foolish Virgins in the nearby chiesa dei Santa Maria della Steccata.

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“Our mistake, you see, was to write interminable large operas, which had to fill an entire evening. And now along comes someone with a one or two-act opera without all that pompous nonsense — that was a happy reform.”
— Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

In 1999 and 2000, the original monument’s surviving bits were assembled in a new granite setting that dominates Piazzale della Pace. The Palermo sculptor Ettore Ximenes designed the bronze elements. The panels on the back side left and opposite top left recall episodes from the Maestro’s life. On the main façade, as two angels hold a wreath of honor, Verdi himself (see photo #1) leans out from the center of a line of fluid figures, which represent characters from his operas.

For additional photos and information, see von.otter’s Parma ‘Thing to Do Tip’, Parma’s Monument to Verdi, Part I.

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“I adore art...when I am alone with my notes, my heart pounds and the tears stream from my eyes, and my emotion and my joys are too much to bear.”
— Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

This monument, dedicated to Verdi, is but a fragment of the whole that once stood opposite Parma’s railway station. Designed by Lamberto Cusani, construction began in 1913; it was dedicated in February 1920. Allied bombing during the Second World War destroyed much of the work.

See Parma ‘Thing to do Tip’ Parma’s Monument to Verdi, Part II for additional photos and information about the memorial.

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“I was dying of hunger, and they told me that there was nothing to eat. I was convinced that this was not the case and, laughing in the innkeeper’s face, I ordered him to bring me butter, eggs, maccheroni, prosciutto and cheese from Parma because I know that these things can be found all over Italy.”
— from “Storia della mia vita” 1797 by Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) he writes of his experience at a modest inn on the outskirts of Parma

On a rear wall of Palazzo del Comune is a 19th century fountain designed by Paolo Toschi. It uses the powerful bronze sculpture, Ercole e Anteo, created by the Flemish sculptor Teodoro Vandersturck between 1684 and 1687.

Oh! the power of this work is impressive.

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At Parma, I tore my hair mentally at not being able to see the Correggios.”
— from “The Autobiography of Leigh Hunt” By Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)

Against one wall of Palazzo del Comune, Parma’s city hall, stands the 1870 sculpture of Antonio Allegri da Correggio, carved by Agostino Ferrarini (1828-1898), a native of Parma. Correggio is shown contemplating one of his works.

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“The sublime frescos of Correggio caused me to stop in Parma, otherwise a fairly flat town.”
— Stendhal, during his 1819 tour of Italy

The interior of il duomo di Parma is planned in a Latin cross pattern, consisting of a nave and two aisles divided by pilasters.

Although the structure is in the Lombard Romanesque style all the interior decoration is Renaissance in origin.

There are a number of side chapels (see photo #5), some decorated in their original 14th century style, others in Renaissance style.