Parma Things to Do

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“There are very few specimens in Italy of circular or polygonal buildings of any class belonging to the Gothic age. As churches none are to be expected. Baptisteries had passed out of fashion. One such building, at Parma, commenced in 1196, deserves to be quoted, not certainly for its beauty, but as illustrating those false principles of design shown in every part of every building of this age in Italy.”
— from A History of Architecture in All Countries” 1867 by James Fergusson

The outside walls of the Romanesque octagonal baptistery are covered in pink Verona marble and the inside walls are covered with 13th and 14th century paintings. The City Council of Parma commissioned the Baptistry in 1196; it was completed in 1260. Between 1196 and 1214, Benedetto Antelami carved the scenes for the lunettes above the three doors. Christ Sitting in Judgment (see photo #5) looks down on three teenage boys; the Adoration of the Magi (see photo #2) is pictured on the admission ticket. The third lunette (see photo #4) shows an allegory of life.

Do not be taken aback that an entry tariff is charged; the upkeep of these precious buildings, with their many visitors making demands on them, is great.

I'll tell you a bit about the National Gallery of Art, but it comes with this caveat: I didn't visit. I was there on a Monday, and as my "local customs" tip points out, Mondays are generally very bad days for museum-goers in Italy. I'm including it here only because my little guidebook, purchased at the Duomo, insists that it is something you have to see. And reading about all the stuff I missed, I must sadly agree. Just one more reason why I'll need to get back to Parma. On a Tuesday, and when the weather isn't quite so oppressive!!

So the story, according to my guide, is that Don Carlos de Bourbon, who became King of the Two Sicilies in 1734, more or less swiped everything from the various Ducal palaces and had it all transportedhis new court in Naples. The new Duke of Parma, Don Philip de Bourbon, then established the Academy of Fine Arts (located in the Palazzo della Pilotta), and went on a buying spree to replenish the art collections. He entrusted much of the swag, including a stunning Correggio of the Madonna with St. Jerome from a local Parma church, to the Academy, which continued as custodian until 1882. The collection became the National Gallery in 1945. It has basically two sections, one on Parmesan painting (think Correggio and Parmigianino), and the other handling the rest of the non-Parma art world.

National Gallery admission 6€

Rannuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma, was responsible for this massive pile, intending to incorporate barracks, stables, the armory, warehouses, the Mint, archives, and so forth. When he died in 1622, his public works project was abandoned, still uncompleted. Presently, the building houses the National Gallery, the Bodoni Museum, the Farnese Theater, and a museum of archeology as well as a library.

I learned from reading Manara's excellent Parma pages that the Allies bombed the building during World War II -- apparently aiming for the train station but missing, and causing a good deal of damage to the Palazzo.

There is a lot to look at when you visit this abbey church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist around the tenth century before it was destroyed by fire; the version you'll see was constructed between 1490 and 1519. In the central nave, the arches and cross-vaults feature frescoes by Michelangelo Anselmi. Corregio has not only handled the 1520 masterpiece of the dome, but also a number of other frescoes in the church; unfortunately, his fresco showing the Coronation of the Virgin with St. John the Evangelist, St. Benedict, and St. John the Baptist was destroyed when the apse was extended towards the end of the sixteenth century. (Talk about a bad remodeling job!)

The dome absolutely fascinated me. Guidebooks claim that Corregio's dome at the Cathedral, which he began about six years later, is better; certainly it has more characters. But to my untrained eye, this "Transit of St. John" is more interesting. There is Christ, descending with outstretched hand -- a bit like God at the Sistine Chapel -- to bring his worthy disciple into Heaven. The technique of ascending movement, so called, is riveting.

While you're there, don't forget to see the little library of illuminated manuscripts from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. See how large some of the print is -- it had to be, so that many could read the words in the dim candle-light.

If you're planning to visit the lovely Benedictine abbey which honors St. John the Evangelist (a particular pet of mine since I sometimes make retreats with the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge), you might want to duck into the three-room pharmacy, where you can view and purchase honey, herbal collections, skin lotions and other cosmetic items. These are fairly expensive as casual souvenirs go, but looking at them is absolutely free and it is quite interesting to imagine the monks brewing up the various potions for supplicants. This piece of the Monastery was constructed around 1500, although there was a pharmacy on this site dating to1201. The Hall of Mortars is especially intriguing if you like old ceramics.

Although not uninterested in the pharmacopeia, I was really pleased to ramble into the cloisters which lie through the pharmacy rooms, and which had much in common with SSJE's. Three great courts remain, all constructed between 1500 and 1538, and although we saw nary a sign of life (other than the custodial monk), we were told that there are still brothers in residence in the upper galleries. A number of intriguing prospects had to be abandoned when the doors or rooms proved to be locked. Perhaps the lunch siesta was extended on that particularly hot day??

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The Parco Ducale has an interesting history. Originally a plot of land yielding produce, fish and game for the Duke and his family, it gained a small man-made lake with an island in 1690. Some sixty years later, the park was redesign in the French style, gaing the Templet of Arcadia, and subsequently as an English garden during the tenure of Marie Louise. It wasn't until 1920 that the Trianon fountain was installed on the island, a relic from the Palace of Colorno.

The park was in constant use during our visit to Parma. Strollers, bikers, and old men playing chess, itinerant musicians, children attracted to the miniature railway just off via Kennedy, lovers entwined under the towering shade trees, concert-goers, and hordes of tourists setting off purposefully with their guidebooks prominently displayed all managed to co-exist.

Of course one may enter the park with a goal of touring the Ducal Palace, but since we never did so, I can simply recommend that those with more time than we had pay it a visit -- there are some lovely frescoes from the early 1600s if one is to believe what one reads in the city's self-published art guide.

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The Piazza del Duomo has three major components: the cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, and the Baptistery. You may not be fascinated by the history of the early church, but I find it interesting that, starting around the time of Constantine (who declared that the Roman Empire was henceforth to be Christian) in the fourth century, the church began a large-scale building program, creating a separate space in which catecumens -- those desiring to become members of the church, typically adults -- would be immersed, conferring both church membership and eternal life in one fell swoop (though typically they would have been dunked three times, for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). You'll see some baptisteries today with big fireplaces, probably needed to warm up the newly-soaked church members. Because baptism was such an important rite, it was administered by the bishop and thus facilities were built close to the cathedral (and incidentally, at least in Parma, the bishop's residence).

Parma's Baptistery fully justifies a trip to Parma, even if you didn't want to relish its other art treasures and great food. Designed by Benedetto Antelami, the octagon-shaped, pink marble structure was begun in 1196 and building was supervised by the architect until 1216, when the supply of marble was interrupted by wars between Parma and Verona. Though Romanesque, the building shows a strong Gothic influence. The exterior features a series of small balconies, with large scultped lunettes over the doors (the originals of which can be found in the Diocesan Museum, safe from acid rain). Inside, sixteen sections rise to the dome's pinnacle. At ground level, there are sculptures of the months and seasons (believed to have been created personally by Antelami). The massive baptismal font was excavated in 1299. There is also a smaller "aspersion font" (useful when it became to custom to sprinkle rather than immerse the baptisands), which rests upon a lion.

You can rent an audiotape describing the various saints on display, and presumably a lot more about the architectural details. We chose to rely upon several guidebooks instead, but simply standing around gawking is fine, too!

A combination ticket gives you admission to the four interesting structures around the Piazza.

In Parma's car-free historic centre, bicycles are a great way to travel around. Both conventional and electric bicycles can be hired from Punto Bici on the Viale Toschi.

We also noticed a number of bright yellow bicycles rented on the Zip car model, with pick-up and drop-off points close to various historical sites. I regret that I didn't get the full information about these services, but I seem to recall that you could get information from the Tourism office, 1 Via Melloni.