Parma Walking Tour with Audio and Written Guide by a Local

Garibaldi Square is the hub of Parma. The civic center of the city was located here, as opposed to the religious center located a few hundred meters away and represented by Piazza Duomo. This square is also commonly called Piazza del Comune or Piazza Grande .

The elegant Renaissance building of Santa Maria della Steccata is the first church in Parma to be built with a central plan. Inside we will see one of the masterpieces of Francesco Mazzola, known as Parmigianino: the large arch above the main altar, frescoed between 1533 and 1539.

Today it is recognized as a temple of the opera tradition and is one of the most prestigious theaters in Italy. Characterized by a neoclassical facade still today defined as “Parma yellow” and refined interiors adorned with gilded stuccos.

Ticket cost: 10€

The Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista, or more commonly the Baptistery of Parma, is an octagonal building covered in pink Verona marble, a symbol of eternity, considered as one of the most important points of transition between the Romanesque and early Gothic styles in Italy.

Ticket cost: 10€ (includes Diocesan Musem)

The idea of creating the museum dates back to the 1990s, with the treasurer of the Diocese, Monsignor Franco Grisenti, who proposed an exhibition of paintings, sacred vestments and silverware, as well as a lapidary in the basement rooms for the statues from the Baptistery .

Ticket cost: 10€ (includes Baptistery entrance)

The Cathedral of Parma or rather, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, is a Romanesque style building built starting from 1106 and still considered today as one of the Italian medieval masterpieces. lthough the Romanesque layout is well preserved, much of the interior, including the central nave, the dome and the transept, have been modified by subsequent Renaissance interventions. Furthermore, some side chapels have been frescoed in Gothic style in more recent times.

The Chamber of San Paolo is located inside the San Paolo museum and is a museum itinerary that recreates the rooms of the private apartment of the abbess Giovanna da Piacenza, an important figure in the religious and cultural context of Parma in the early sixteenth century.

In the Cella di Santa Caterina you can find important frescoes and decorations that reflect the Renaissance art and the religious tradition of the time. The works present in the cell describe scenes from the life of Saint Catherine and other religious themes.

Ticket cost: 8€

Originally conceived to house the services of the Farnese court, one of the most influential noble families between the 15th and 18th centuries, Pilotta Palace was intended to integrate the system of ducal residences. It connected the Representative Palace with the more modest building that housed the headquarters of the Farnesian court, located on the opposite bank and no longer exists today.

Ticket cost: 18€

The Farnese Theater is considered the first modern theater in the West. Located on the first floor of the Palazzo della Pilotta, it was built between 1617 and 1618 in the ancient “Sala d’Arme” of the court, designed by the Ferrara architect Giovan Battista Aleotti, known as Argenta.
Ticket: included in the Palazzo della Pilotta fee (18€)

The most famous garden in Parma, which with its 208 thousand square meters of greenery represents an important natural oasis for the inhabitants of the city.

The Ducal Parl is in neoclassical style and stands out for its avenues and sections that intersect in a trapezoidal shape. Walking inside the park, you will have the opportunity to admire some historical monuments of Parma, such as the Palazzo Ducale del Giardino and the Trianon Fountain.