Situated in northern Italy, in the western part of Emilia, between the Appennines and the Padana Plain, the city is divided into two by the River Parma, a tributary of the Po which, just before entering the heart of the historic center, receives the waters of the Influential Baganza. The Parma is a stream, so a fluid stream that's changing, alternating the swollen winter floods, when it's named Parma voladora, to the desolate summer dry weather.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the same bed of the stream was narrowed within the high walls, the "mongoparm", which deliver a continuous profile to the city.

Territory

In 2005, an expansion crate was set up, a few kilometers south of the urban center in Marano, to secure Parma's territory against the hydrogeological risks of a flood of the Parma stream. The flood may contain 12 million cubic meters of water: it is the largest basin in the region, effectively becoming the third lake by extension during the flood events of the stream. It consists of a barrier that is 260 meters long and 24 meters high. The communal territory is entirely flat and two streams of water mark part of its boundaries, west of the Taro River and east of the river Enza, which also marks the separation from the neighboring province of Reggio Emilia. The first plots of the Appennino Parmense are located approximately 15 kilometers southward, outside the commune, in the neighboring municipalities of Traversetolo, Lesignano de 'Bagni, Langhirano, Felino, Sala Baganza and Collecchio.

• Seismic classification: seismic zone 3 (low seismic), Ordinance No. 3274 of 20/03/2003

Climate

The climate of Parma is typically continental: The summers are hot and hot with a daily temperature of approximately 30 °C (6 August 2003 set the new record since 1878 as the hottest day ever; The maximum temperature was 39,3 °C), with strong thunderstorms on the lower plain. Winters are cold, with temperatures often below zero (the record was reached on January 10, 1985, when the temperature dropped to -25 °C in the center of the city and surrounding countryside to -33 °C), while in the winter of 2011 it was -24 °C. The snowstorms are very frequent in the Appennine, while the average snow falls in the town and flat sector every winter around 35 - 40 cm of snow. In the autumn, the phenomenon of fog is frequent, especially in the north of Via Emilia and the river Po. The most rainy month is October with an average of 91 mm, the driest month is July with an average of 36 mm (monthly averages over the period 1961-1990).

According to the average 30-year period 1961-1990, the average temperature of the coldest month, January, is +1,3 °C; The month of the hottest month, July, is approximately +24,4 °C. Annual average rainfall is 777 mm, with relative lows in summer and winter, peak in autumn and upper secondary in spring. The average annual absolute heliphany gives an average of 6.4 hours per day, with a maximum of 10.2 hours per day in July and a minimum of 2.6 hours per day in December.

• Climate classification: zone E, 2289 GG
• Atmospheric diffusivity: Low, Ibimet CNR 2002

According to many historians, the nickname comes from the round shield used by the Roman army, which probably recalled the shape of the first citizen nucleus. According to other scholars, it has a more ancient origin, derived from the Etruscan Parmnian gentlemen, the feminine Parmni, the anthroponymous Parme. The two seemingly contradictory arguments are summarized by linguist Massimo Pittau, who believes that the Latin parma/parmae voice was a loan of the Etruscan language and that the old people already used the same metallic shield of circular form. Not a single undefined ligure or Celtic origin of the latinized toponym is excluded. Finally, there is a hypothesis that the name will come from the same torrent that crosses it.

Name of inhabitants

Although for centuries the inhabitants of the city and its territory have been called Parmigians or Parmesans, it has been widely used since the 20th century to refer only to the native or resident inhabitants of Parma and to the latter to those of its own province, called Parmense.

Alessandro Farnese, painted by Otto Vaenius (ca. 1585). 3rd Duke of Parma and son of Ottavio (nephew of Pope Paul III) was considered one of the greatest captains of his century.

The oldest traces of human presence in Parma's territory date back to the ancient neolithic, ranging from around 5600 to 5000 BC, but at the time the area was sparsely inhabited; The situation changed after 5000 BC, when various settlements developed in the context of the culture of square-mouth vessels.

During the age of the ancient bronze, between the 18th and 17th centuries B.C., some villages that were ascribed to Polada's culture were founded, but it was with the beginning of the average bronze age, beginning in the 16th century BC, that there were a number of earthly settlements in the territory.

Although there is no evidence of witness, for some historians and according to Tito Livio, Parma was founded by the Etruschi, who settled in Western Emilia between the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Later, towards the 4th century BC, the region was occupied by the Boi Celti.

As the Romans gradually conquered northern Italy, Parma became a Roman colony in 183 B.C., and each of the 2,000 installed families was handed over land near the Emilia street, from which, in the east of the city, a centuries cardo was started, which was insinuated along the valley of the Parma stream, giving rise to the 100-mile street. It connected Parma to Luni through the Lagastt Pass. Over the years, loyalty to the empire earned the city the title of Augusta Parmensis.

Later, the crisis of the Roman Empire will also cause Parma to lose some economic stability and flourishing until the height of demographic decline, which in 377 forced Emperor Graziano to establish a barbarian tribe in the area, the Taifali. There followed periods of alternation between welfare and decadence: After the attacks in Attila in 452, the renaissance by Teodoric was opposed after 502; The subsequent dramatic consequences of the Gothic wars were once again revived during the short run of Byzantine (539-568), which used to be called "Crisopoly" in Parma.

It was then, with the arrival of the Longobards in 1953, that Parma became for the first time a military and administrative center, the capital of a duchy where one of the daughters of King Agilulfo lived. The landslides followed the longobards dukes and in 879 Carlomanno granted Bishop Guibodo temporal power over the city. The looting caused in the 9th century by the invasions of the Magyars followed a period of peace and population growth. In this phase Parma continued to be governed by a long series of bishops' accounts until the twelfth century, when the city became a free commune, administered by a pothole and a people's captain. In 1160, Federico Barbarossa subdued the Parmigians, forcing them to declare loyalty to the empire, but the imperial authority will be defeated in the battle of Legnano in 1176 by the cities reunited in the Lega Lombarda (including Parma). In 1183, the Peace of Constance restored the city's autonomy.

In the long dispute between guelfis and ghibellini, which dominated Italian political life from the twelfth to the 14th century, Parma began with the ghibellini, favorable to the emperor, and later with the guelphs, after the battle of Borghetto del Taro (near the present Castelguelfo). There followed a period of foreign domination: Parma was placed under the Milanese control of the Viscount from 1346 to 1447, except for a brief intervening period, between 1404 and 1409, when power was transferred to Ottobono de 'Terzi. The French domination will follow the sights.

The siege of Parma (1247-1248)

The defeat of the Swabs In 1247, thanks to the momentary absence from Parma di Enzo, son of Emperor Federico II of Svevia, the guelfis, who won the partisan ghibellini in the battle of Borghetto in Noceto, took the opportunity to return to the city government. The emperor, furious, decided to postpone the siege of Lyon by going to Parma to the head of a vindictive army and with the clear intention of destroying it in an exemplary manner. In the west of the city, in June 1247, he built a camp town in Grola (identified by some with the current sewer fraction), which he named Victory's best wishes, consisting of masonry houses, a church and a mint. The siege was very harsh for the people of Paris and for the fight already under the strain of the forces. Taking advantage of the Emperor's absence, engaged in a hunt in the Taro Valley, on 18 February 1248 the Parmenian troops followed by all citizens came out of the walls attacking and destroying the imperial city and besieging troops. Emperor Frederick II had difficulty finding refuge, with few followers, in the nearby Borgo San Donnino. Among the enemy rubble, the Parmigians found and took possession of a trophy, the imperial crown, the ultimate symbol of their triumph.

In 1521, after a three - day siege, the pontifical and Spanish army defeated the French and conquered the city. In 1545, Pope Paul III (born Alexander Farnese) created the Duchy of Parma by entrusting it to his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese and the Farnesian family maintained the ducal government until 1731, making Parma a small Italian capital, rich in the works of great artists such as Correggio and Parmigianino.

The French succeeded the Borbans with the Infant OF SPANISH Carlo I, son of Elisabetta Farnese AND Philip V OF Spain. In 1734, following the outbreak of the war of Polish succession and the borbonic conquest of the Two Sicilies, Charles I was recognized as King of Naples, but was obliged to surrender in 1735 the Duchy of Parma to Emperor Charles VI of Habsburg, without first forgetting to strip Parma of all family collections held in buildings and to bring them to Naples oils. In 1748, the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, with the addition of Guastalla, returned to the Borbor with the conclusion of the Treaty of Aachen, which ended the war of Austrian succession; Philip founded the Borbón-Parma dynasty, which helped make Parma a cultural beacon in Europe. In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte annexed the duchy to France, transforming it into a simple department (department of the Taro). During the French occupation, various works of art took the route to France because of Napoleonic spoliation. Parma was together the most looted in Florence. According to the Canova catalog, of the 47 artworks sent to France and cataloged, only 28 returned to Parma, most of the ones left in France were exhibited in the Louvre and in the museums of the French province.

Only with the abdication of Napoleon in 1814, and the subsequent Congress in Vienna, was the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla restored, temporarily entrusted to the Habsburg. Maria Luigia d'Austria, the bride of Napoleon and daughter of Emperor Francis I, became the new duchess of the city, and, despite the revolutionary episodes of 1831, remained in power until her death in 1847, but did not have the power to transmit the throne to heirs. In the same year, the Borbón-Parma will return to rule the duchy, first with Charles II (1847-1849), to which his son, Carlo III (1849-1854), stabbed to death on the street on 26 March 1854 by an unknown attacker, and finally with Roberto I who Being too young to govern, he had the regency guaranteed by his mother Luisa Maria di Borbone-France. Roberto I was deposed in 1859, at the age of eleven, when, at the outbreak of the Second War of Independence, his mother preferred to flee to the Lombardy-Veneto Kingdom, pending the outcome of the war. With the Armistice of Villafranca the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed the Duchy after a plebiscite celebrated in 1860. The Borbone-Parma branch still flourishes, and Roberto's grandchildren have been in Granduchi in Luxembourg since 1964.

In 1922, the city of Parma was notorious for fighting fascist militias under the command of Italo Balbo and erecting barricades in several neighborhoods of the city. On 23 April 1945, the withdrawal of the Nazi-fascist troops from Parma began and on 24 April a group of citizens provisionally took over the local newspaper, La Gazette de Parma, with the aim of ceding it to the National Liberation Committee; finally, on april 26, partisans and allied troops entered the city. Parma is one of the cities decorated with the Military Valor for the Liberation War and awarded the Golden Medal to the Military. During the Constituent Assembly, Sen's attempt was made. Giuseppe Micheli and a number of politicians, to create the Emilia Lunense region, with Parma as its capital: The proposal was first approved, but was later suspended under the Mortati article.

Symbols

Weave

Seal of the municipality

The municipality's coat of arms consists of a shield with a blue cross on the gold field, overridden by the ducal crown and encircled by the motto: Hostis turbetur quia parmam virgo tuetur which means "I tremble my enemies because the Virgin protects Parma." The phrase was coined on the occasion of the victory of the Parmigians in 1248 over besieging troops led by Emperor Federico II.

Gonfalone

Gonfalone

The Gonfalone of the municipality consists of a drappo with a blue cross in the gold field bearing the following inscription: "Aurea Parma" recalls the ancient name that the Byzantines had coined for the city: "Chrypools."

Honors

She is one of the cities decorated with the Military Valor for the Liberation War because she was awarded the Gold Medal to the Military Valor on 9 September 1947 for the sacrifices of her people and for her work in the partisan struggle during the Second World War.

Military gold medal

"Proud of the centuries-old traditions of the victory over the hordes of Frederick Emperor, the new partisan camps renewed the era by winning for the second time the barbarous grandchildren, oppressors of the free streets of Italy. The unequal struggle, sustained with the same faith as the fathers and with the blood of the best children, began on the basis of the first freedom volunteers at dawn of September 9, 1943 and ended on April 25, 1945, with the uplifting of the people, all that, by flanking the seven thousand and five hundred partisan brother fighters, forced the surrender and saw the enemy flee. The shadow of the glorious swollen glorious of the holy gem of the value recognized by the Grateful Fatherland lies and holds the sacred memory of the 6990 men who died with weapons in their hands for the redemption of Italy, of the 400 buried under the rubble of the city torn by aerial bombardments, which, together with the 513 injured, mutilated and invalids, the 21 missing, and the 190 deportees in the cold and mortiferous landes of foreign countries, formed the elected part of the people who knew how to defend and regain their freedom." — 9 September 1943 to 25 April 1945

There are 330 cultural objects in the city, including 34 archeological and 296 architectural properties.

Religious architectures

Dman Square

Baptist dome

The main religious monuments for which the city is known are located near Dman Square: the Dumani, consecrated in 1106, who, considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture in Italy, retains the deposition from the cross, Bas-relief of 1178 by Benedict Antelami, in addition to the important renaissance frescoes of the dome, the work of the Correggio, and the three navates; The Baptist of Antelami, consecrated in 1270, which, entirely coated in pink marble of Verona, is enriched by frescoes and sculptures dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries; The Renaissance Abbey of St John the Evangelist, in which the great complex admires the church with the late Marmorea Manoist facade of Simone Mosque, which is internally rich in renaissance frescoes, including the famous dome painted by the Correction, and the Ancient Spzieria, which consists of four rooms containing still today the furniture of the time.

St. John Evangelist Church

House of São Paulo

Not far away are the monastery of St Paul, whose Chamber of Badessa presents once in an umbrella entirely surrounded by the Correction, and the Basilica of St Mary of the Steccata, which, considered one of the most significant examples in Italy of central-planned churches of the first half of the sixteenth century, has considerable renaissance, including the three virgins of the savines. And three stupid virgins, masterpiece by Parmigianino.

Basilica of the Steccata

Church of the Most Holy Annunciation

The following are also noteworthy: the neoclassical Church of St. Peter Apostle, of the Petitot; the baroque Church of San Vitale, with the scenographic Monument Beccaria; the baroque Church of Saint Anthony Abate designed by Ferdinand Galli da Bibbiena; the ancient church of St. Sepulcher; The imposing church of St. Francis of the Prato, built in Gothic times; the adjacent small oratory of the Immaculate Conception; the Gothic former Church of Saint Mary of Carmine; The little church of St Mary of the Angels, rich in frescoes 500TH and 60TH century.

Dome of Santa Maria del Quarter

Valserena Abbey

The monumental church of the most holy Annunciation of Giovan Baptista Fornovo is located in the Oltretorrente, considered to be one of the most significant monuments of the experimental mannerism of the second half of the sixteenth century, with an unusual elliptical plant with ten small dishes.

Not far away are they: The small, baroque Church of Saint Mary of Grace, with frescoes of Sebastiano Galeotti; The Sant'Ilario Oratory in the Old Hospital dedicated to the patron saint of the city; the former Church of St. Francis of Paola, whose only baroque facade is still preserved surrounded by two towers known as "Paulets"; the Romanesque Church of the Holy Cross; The baroque Church of Saint Mary of the neighborhood of Young Baptist Aleotti, characterized by the great dome with magnificent frescoes of Paradise, the work of Pier Antonio Bernabei.

Outside the urban area there are two remarkable monastic complexes: The Abbey of Valserena (also known as "Certosa of Paradigna"), now the headquarters of the Center for Studies and Communication Archives, whose large church retains its interiors in the Lombardy Gothic style; The Saint Jerome (also known as "Certosa di Parma"), today headquarters of the School of Training and Updating of the Penitentiary Police, which still maintains important works of art.

Finally, the fractions are noteworthy: the Pieve of San Pancrazio in San Pancrazio Parmense, which stores Roman and Roman columns and capitals; the pieve romance of St. Geminiano in Vicofertile, which maintains the original figurative capitals of the 12th century and a medieval baptismal source; The pieve romance of the Hippolite and Cassian Saints in Gaione, which contains important archeological finds.

Military architecture

Citadel Monumental Entry

Port San Francesco

The main military building in the city is the Citadel, a huge pentagonal fortress in the center of the city's neighborhood today. Built at the end of the 16th century by Emeraldo Smeraldi at the behest of Duke Alexander Farnese, its main entrance is framed by a monumental facade in the marble of Carrara designed in 1596 by Simone Mosque; After the end of its original defensive functions, it was transformed into a large public park, frequented by Parmigians.

The city also has the small Torrione Visconteo, located in front of the Pilotta Palace on the opposite side of the stream. It was built by Bernabò Visconti in the 14th century.

As for the city walls, Parma was for millennia surrounded by a wall circle, modified and expanded over the centuries; However, in the early years of the twentieth century, the entire belt was destroyed, with only a few partial traces and two of the five doors remaining: The ancient St. Francis gate at the end of the Nino Bixio road, alongside the monumental Barriera Bixio in 1866; The elegant Farnesian building of the Renaissance brings Holy Cross to the side of the square. There are no traces of Port San Barnaba at Garibaldi Barrier, while the Farini facade of Porta San Michele Barrier Republique and the Coal coat of arms overmounting the facade of Porta Nuova Barrier Farini are stored in the courtyard of the Palazzo della Pilotta.

In the fractions there are also some fortified architectures, illustrating the numerous defensive structures that were dotted the medieval era; These include the torrion of Baganzola, the torrion of Beneceto, the Vicomero tower, the tower of the Trees and the castle of Panocchia.

Civilian architectures

Palaces

Palace of Pilotta

Reserve Palace

The main city buildings were built over the centuries when Parma was the capital of the Duchy. Among them is the enormous monumental complex in the Palace of Pilotta, which was built for the French duks since 1580 as a container for all the services of the court and the state; access is provided through a large stopover with a dome covered by Simone Mosque; Today it is the home of the National Gallery in Parma, the Farnese Theater, the National Archeological Museum in Parma, the Palatine Library, the Bodonian Museum and the Paolo Toschi Institute of Art.

In addition to the neoclassical Palace of the Province and the Palace of Ministries, the Reserve Palace, which has been built since 1673, is located in the same square of Peace, in addition to the neoclassical wing designed by the Petitot, which is now the seat of the Glauco Lombardi Museum. The building's rib is the post office building, in its pure style of Freedom.

Garden Palace

Eucherio Sanvital building

In addition to the Parma stream, the Garden Palace is located within the Ducale Park, a court building built since 1561 on the project of the Vignola and still rich in important Sixteen-century frescoes and stucks; The Renaissance Eucherio Sanvita Palace is also located in the same park, which stores fragments of a Parmigianino fresco within it. Not far away is also the enormous monumental building of the Old Hospital, a rare example of a renaissance - era hospital architecture.

City Hall

Governor's Palace

In the central Garibaldi Square, the headquarters of the city's power in the medieval era, there are still several buildings that bear witness to this: the renaissance of the municipality, which contains a number of valuable works and the present seat of representation of the city's municipal administration; the Podestà Palace, the rib of the previous one, characterized by the elegant medieval triforms; The former governor's palace, renovated in neoclassical style by Petitot and now a permanent exhibition center of modern and contemporary art. Next to the neoclassical church of St. Peter Apostle, is the newly - created palace of the savings bank, with its annex to the former palace of the Chamber of Commerce, with the praiseworthy Nouveau and déco.

Episcopal Palace

Palazzo Pallavicino

Moving to the Marian Square, the Episcopal Palace stands, the most ancient bishop's residence characterized by the two-century triforces and renaissance vestments, still today the seat of the Diocese of Parma and the Diocesan Museum; In the vicinity, the major seminary is being built, which retains the renaissance structure of the lawn, with the entrenched overlooking the facade, closed in the nineteenth century.

Among the ancient public buildings in the city, the following are worthy of note: the university building, impressive 16th century building, the current headquarters of the University of Parma; the Baroque Palace of Orsoline; the palace of the Tribunal; the newly born Ape Museum; the neoclassical Imperial Palace of the Arena, a large building rich in important frescoes and the seat of the Maria Luigia National Council; the 18th Palace of Carroupes, the seat of the language unit of the University of Parma; The elegant Casinet Petitot, one of the first elegant Italian cafes built in neoclassical times; the large Jordanian Palace, in its Liberty style, seat of the offices of the Province of Parma; the new minor seminar; The Mother House of Saverian missionaries, seat of the Chinese and ethnographic Museum of Art.

In the city there are also numerous nobleman's palaces: the eighteenth Palace of La Rosa Prati; the large Sanvita Palace, now the seat of the Amedeo Bocchi Museum; the renaissance of the Cusani Palace, the current home of the House of Music; the Tirelli Palace, with its large renaissance windows in bed; the neoclassical Dazzi Palace; the baroque Rangoni Farnese Palace, with the impressive portal consisting of two pseudo-telamones standing the balcony, now the seat of the Prefecture; the 18th Marchi Palace, with a facade in a fake outrage; the Bossi Bocchi Palace, which is today the seat of the Cariparma Foundation Museum; the neoclassical Palace of Soragna, the current headquarters of the Parmense Industrial Union; renaissance of the Tarasconi Palace; the 18TH CENTURY Carmi Palace, with its imposing neoclassical facade; the baroque Palazzo Pallavicino, containing valuable frescoes of Sebastiano Galeotti and the current seat of the Regional Administrative Court; The 14th Boselli Palace.

Ville

Villino Bonazzi

Villa Malenchini

In the urban environment, there are many villini and antique Nouveau villas which emerged in the early 1900s, especially in the southeastern areas of the historic center, around Campanini Avenue and the Citadel. Among them, the Villino Bonazzi was built in 1911 by the architect Mario Stocchi Monti and considered one of the most typical of the Italian Freedom. Neoclassical Villa Picedi in the southern suburbs are at the end of Rustici Avenue and Villa Avogadro in the Farnese Street, originally built in the open countryside.

Moving out of the city, there are several worthy villas: on the west end of Parma, near San Pancrazio Parmense, the neoclassical Villa Levi-Gerdeschi, characterized by a large pronoun and a high turret; In Gaione, the neoclassical Villa Paganini, surrounded by a large park, belonging to the violinist Niccolò Paganini; in Carignano the 50th century Villa Malenchini in the center of a 15-hectare romantic park, characterized by the rococo structure of the entrance portal and the important renaissance frescoes of Cesare Baglioni, from the inner-halls; in Vigatto the neobarocetta Villa Meli Lupi with the neogotic annex Villa Magawly-Cerati and the great English park; to Marore, the neoclassical Villa Petitot by architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, which still hosts a theater of the age entirely filled; a Porporane the neoclassical Villa Simonetta, characterized by two equally and contractually timed high facades; The neoclassical Villa Mattei, which was renovated by the Petitot, is in San Prospero Parmense.

Theaters

Theatro Regio

Teatro Farnese

The city of Parma is universally known for opera. The most representative building in this sense is the neoclassical Theater Regio, the city's opera house, considered one of the most important theaters of tradition in Italy; It was built by architect Nicola Bettoli in 1821 at the request of the duchess Maria Luigia; The interior is built on four orders of lounge and slogan, decorated by Girolamo Magnani, and preserves the ancient curtain painted by Giovan Baptist Borghesi.

Niccolò Paganini Auditorium

Theater at the Park

The other historical theater for which the city is known is the French Theater, located inside the Pilotta Palace. considered one of the first theaters to have a permanent proscenium arch, it was the first European mobile theater. It was built in 1617 by Giovan Battista Aleotti as a court theater for the French duchi; destroyed by an airstrike in May 1944, it was rebuilt in the post-war second war according to the original plans.

A small theater, designed by architect Nicola Bettoli at the behest of the duchess Maria Luigia, is located within the National Council of Mary Luigia.

At the gates of the historic center, the Niccolò Paganini Auditorium of Eridania Park is located, designed by architect Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 2001, recovering the former industrial structures of the Eridania sugar refinery.

Other theaters of notable importance are also present in the city: Theater Two, overshadowed by a recent 780-seat outdoor amphitheater, considered a reference point in the national and international theater landscape; the Theater in the Park, within the buildings built between 1939 and 1941 to host exhibitions in the Ducale Park, which has been the headquarters of the ‘Comrade of the Kriss’ for years; the huge Palaverdi, originally known as Palacassa, an auditorium in the fairground; The construction of the Giovannino Guareschi Theater, which is intended to provide parmigian popular theater seasons entirely in dialectal language.

Finally, in the marore section, the Villa Petitot retains a rare example of a private theater in the 18TH CENTURY, designed by the neoclassical architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot.

Monuments

Victory Monument

Central Ara of the Monument to Giuseppe Verdi

The city still has some traces of its ancient Roman origin; Among these, the remains of the Pons Lapidis (also known as the "Ponte Romano"), originally built in masonry in Augustea but reconstructed in stone by Teodoric in 493, are visible under the current road.

Fountain of Trianon

Arcadia temple

The city center is also home to a number of valuable monuments: In the square from the Church, in front of the railway station, the bronze monument to Vittorio Bottego, carried out in 1907 by sculptor Ettore Ximenes; in Toschi Avenue, behind the Pilotta Palace, the high obelisk of the Victory Monument, created in 1917 by Ximenes on the project of architect Lamberto Cusani; in the peace square the central area of the disappeared monument to Giuseppe Verdi, executed in 1913 entirely in granite and bronze by Ximenes, also on a project of Lamberto Cusani; in the same square the monument to the Partigiano, created in 1954 by the marine sculptor Mazzacurinate on the project of the architect Guglielmo Lusignoli; On the ancient tower of St. Paul in Melloni street, the monument to the Fallen of all Wars, carried out in 1961 by various sculptors on the project of architect Mario Monguidi; at the center of the Steccata Square, the monument to Parmigianino, created in 1879 by the sculptor Giovanni Chierici; in the central Garibaldi Square, in front of the governor's palace, the monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi, created in 1893 by sculptor Davide Calandra; in the same square, in a niche in the Palace of the municipality, the monument to Correggio, made in 1870 by the sculptor Augustine Ferrarini; Near the same palace, towards the Church of San Vitale, a copy of the ancient monument in Ercole and Anteo (also known as I du brazé in Parma), made by the Flemish artist Teodoro Vandersturck between 1684 and 1687 and originally stored in the center of the courtyard of Cusani.

Monument to Filippo Corredundi

Arch of San Lazzaro

Moving into the Oltretorrente, the Ducale Park, in addition to several neoclassical pots and statues of sculptor Jean-Baptiste Boudard, is home to two significant monuments: the Grand Fontana of Trianon, built between 1712 and 1719 by the architect and sculptor Giuliano Mozzani for the Garden of Reggia in Colorno, located on the island at the center of the peach tree in the Ducale Park in 1920; The Tempietto d'Arcadia, built in the form of ruin in 1769 on the project of the architect Petitot.

Also in the same neighborhood, just beyond the Middle Bridge, the tall monument to Philip Corredundi is located in the center of a small square, built in a taste of déco between 1925 and 1927 by sculptor Alessandro Marzaroli, on the project of architect Mario Monguidi.

Outside the historic center, along the way to Emilia-East, there is an important artifact, the Arch of San Lazarus, a triumphal three-kiln arc built in 1628 with Baroque flavor but rearranged several times, to give it the current neoclassical robe.

The neoclassical monumental cemetery of the village, built on an octagonal plant in 1817 at the behest of the duchess Maria Luigia, is of note; It is home to several monumental graves dedicated to illustrious personalities, including Niccolò Paganini, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Carlo Alberto Dal church, Giuseppe Cenni, Father Lino Maupas, Giancarlo Rastelli and Pietro Barilla.

Missing monuments

The Ducal Palace in the 1930s

The monument to Joseph Verdi in 1920

Like many other realities, Parma has lost many monuments for several reasons over the centuries. The most significant are: in Garibaldi Square the Civic Tower of 1287, probably the tallest tower in Italy with its estimated 130 m height, which suddenly collapsed in 1606 and also destroyed the headquarters of the Captain of the People of 1281; in the peace square, the neoclassical Ducal Palace of Architect Nicola Bettoli and the Reinach Theater of 1871, damaged by the British-American air bombings of 1944 and subsequently destroyed; In the square from the Church, the majestic monument to Giuseppe Verdi in 1913, damaged by the bombings of the Second World War and subsequently demolished, and only the central area moved to the peace square; In Ghiaia Square, the neoclassical Beccherie (1838), demolished in 1928 by Mayor Giovanni Mariotti for the creation of Lungoparma; The walls that stretched the entire city and three of the five Doors razed by Mayor Mariotti himself in the early 1900s to allow the city to expand more easily.

Natural areas and urban livelihoods

Green parks and areas

Ducal Park

Citadel

Botanical Garden

A large number of parks, gardens and green areas are located in the municipality, some of which are of great historical and architectural value. Among them are: the former Ducale Park, which was restructured in its present form in the 18th century; the Citadel, the imposing pentagonal fortress of the 16th century, transformed into a large public park in the post-war era; The Gardens of St. Paul, created in the 19th century within the monastery of St. Paul; The 17th Botanical Garden, with the 18TH CENTURY Italian garden and the neoclassical greenhouses of the Petitot.

Gardens of St. Paul

A major ecological artery for the city is the beehives of the two streams that pass through it: the Parma stream, which cuts it in two parts from the south to the north; The stream Baganza flowing into the other immediately south of the historic center.

Long

In 2007, the percentage of urban green on the municipal surface was 1.8% (approximately 4.68 km²), while it was 26.6 m² of urban green per inhabitant. According to the Urban Ecosystem report 2014, per capita green in the urban area was 30.8 m² per inhabitant in 2013, while the percentage of the area of the different green areas in the total municipal area was 3.9%. In 2014, the city’s ‘green heritage’ consisted of 3 200 000 m² of green areas eligible for citizenship and 40 000 trees were present, with different species and age characteristics, with a percentage of trees damaged in relation to the municipality’s entire arboreal heritage, which was very small and in particular well below 1%. In 2014, the total number of newly equipped green areas was 146, divided into different neighborhoods. In Parma in 2014, a total of 34 dog areas were located in neighboring parks or in the vicinity of child playgrounds, while 16,000 animals were registered in the child welfare register.

As regards the management of public green areas, the municipality and Iren have jointly launched in recent years the ‘Kyoto Forest’ project, which at the same time is concerned with conserving and significantly increasing the existing tree stock; plants which have completed their life cycle are therefore to be planted and culled at the same time as the replacement of each plant culled.

Urban viability

Air quality is not always good: fine particulates (PM10), although they have decreased slightly in recent years, often exceed permitted values; in addition, 2014 saw the city still dominate the region with 70 overruns of PM10 levels, double the allowed. On the contrary, the separate collection, which is currently carried out through the contested door-to-door system, achieves very good quality levels, having exceeded 70% by the end of 2014. In Parma, where the proportion of cycling journeys is high, the cycling network has expanded considerably in recent years, reaching 46.93 km per 100 km² of communal area in 2012, an increase of 40.3% compared to 2008; at the same time, the city has the highest number in the Region on the extension of pedestrian areas, which in 2012 had reached 81.84 m² per 100 inhabitants, an increase of 23.8% compared to 2008. In particular, at the end of 2014, the cycling network was 123 km wide, while the pedestrian areas occupied 8% of the historic center and the low-traffic areas accounted for 39%, with their further extension in the near future; at the same time, areas 30 accounted for 20% of the entire municipal area. The 2013 ‘Environmental Quality Classification of Italian Cities’, which was drawn up following a survey by Environment Italy (Research Institute), Il Sole 24 Hours and Legambiente with 125 indicators, places Parma in the third place among medium-sized cities, which was only anticipated by Trento and Bolzano.

Demographic evolution

Parma is the third largest in Italy (Censis 2010 analysis) for an increase in the resident population, thanks to the resilience of the birth rate, the decrease in mortality and the increase in the migratory rate, with a rejuvenation of the average age and a high percentage of foreign residents. According to the Dynamic Metropolitan Areas (DMA) procedure, which consists of starting from centers with more than 50,000 inhabitants and adding adjacent municipalities with at least 15% commuting to them for work or study, the Metropolitan area of Parma is considered to be DMAs of level B with a total population of 444,395 inhabitants (Dec. 2008 data, the data on commuter flows is derived from the 2001 census of Istat).

Evolution to the 21st century

From the first 2,000 families in the Roman colony of 183 B.C., the strategic territorial value of the city allowed it to be chosen as a settlement area by many immigrants after 774, following the arrival of Charles Magno. In 1400, it reached about 12,000 citizens and in 1545 Parma was considered a medium-sized city with 19,592 residents registered. A severe famine in 1551 reduced the number to 17,000, but a little more than 20 years later, in 1573, thanks to the established role of the capital of a duchy, the number of inhabitants reached 26,000 and in 1630, thanks to the "big construction projects" that attracted maneuvering It hit 46,000, and then it fell to 30,000 after the terrible plague that year. During the government of Maria Luigia (which lasted from 1814 to 1847), the number of inhabitants increased to 45 000, and in 1861, the year of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, 47 428 inhabitants lived in Parma, which made up 18.5% of the citizens of the province. The city is in its twentieth position in the country.

Ten years later, the capital lost almost 2,000 inhabitants at a height of 45,511, a contrasting decline with other Italian cities. Demographic decline continued in the following years, declaring its population in 1881 to 45,217 inhabitants and positioning the city as the 26th capital of Italy. Demographic decline was the result of the state's and the ducal court's closure, which led to the loss of many economic activities, resulting in social and economic decline.

In 1901, the municipality of Parma was almost entirely urban with a population of 47,000 inhabitants, while the next census, which took place around 1911, showed a first demographic recovery since the end of the ducal period, with some 57,000 inhabitants.

With the beginning of the new millennium, as a result of migratory flows, the number of residents in the communal territory increased steadily until the end of 2012, while it declined in the course of 2013 and then grew again in 2014.

Residents

Ethnicity and foreign minorities

According to the municipal statistical office, at the end of 2015, 30,687 regular foreigners (14,348 male and 16,339 female) were resident in the city, and increased again after the decline in 2013. The total population was 15.9% at municipal level, distributed in various ways in the various districts, which at the end of 2013 were 24.4% (Oltretorrente), 22.2% (Pablo), 20.1% (Parma Centro), 19.3% (San Leonardo), 13.2 9% (Molinet, San Pancrazio and Montanara), 13.5% (San Lazarus), 11.7% (St. Martin’s yard), 11.6% (Ljubljana), 11.3% (Citadella), 10.9% (Golese) and 9.0% (Vigatto). As regards age, at the end of 2014, the 25-39 age groups were the largest, followed immediately by the class 0-4, which stood out in comparison with the next classes, and witnessed the increase in births in recent years. In terms of family composition, 42.2% of foreign households were one person, 18.4% two, 16.1% three, 13.5% four, 6.1% five and the remaining 3.8% six or more.

As of 1 January 2019, the foreign population living in the municipality was 32,782.

The most widely represented nationalities were:

Catholic religion

Several religious families have been raised in Parma and are still flourishing: The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded in 1575 and reformed by Maria Lucrezia Zileri from the worm in the 19th century; The Luligine Teachers, who were born in 1755 by Rosa Orzi and joined by the Dominican Sisters of the Blessed Imelda; the Ancelle del Immaculate, founded by Anna Maria Adorns for the care of women in the street and for the dangerous girls; The small daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, founded in 1865 by Augustine Chieppi; The Pia Society of St. Francis Xavier for foreign missions, founded in 1895 by Guido Maria Conforte, of which there is the female branch of the Sisters of the Missionary Society of Mary, founded by Celestina Bottego and Giacomo Spagnolo.

The Benedictine monks of the abbey of St John have been present in the city since 1983 and their monastery was reformed in 1852 by the sublacense. The cloistered monasteries of the Carmelite Scalze (near Santa Maria Bianca), founded in 1635 at the request of Margherita Aldobrandini with sisters from Cremona, and the Capuchine Clarisse (at Santa Maria dei Angeli), founded in 1682 for the purpose of Ranuccio II Farnese with some nuns from France from Guastalla.

The minor friars were introduced to Parma in 1220 by St. Francis of Assisi and then divided into the branches of observants, at the Church of the Most Holy Annunciation, and of the conventuals, at St. Francis of the Prato (then reduced to the oratory of the Immaculate Conception).

The Carmelites Scalzi, who have been present since 1623, returned definitively to Parma in 1881 and officiate at the Church of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus; The Salesians came to the Church of St. Benedict in 1889 and founded a male college, to which the women of the daughters of Mary help of help joined; The Brothers of the Christian Schools opened their first headquarters in Parma in 1836; The Stimmatins came to the city in 1876 and since 1969 they have cared for the parish of the Sacred Imams; The priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bétharram are caring for the parish of St Andrew, founded in 1977.

In Parma there are also: the Daughters of the Cross, Sisters of St Andrea, introduced in 1851 by Luisa Maria di Borbone-France; The Ancelle sisters of the shrine, born in Piacenza and active at the care home "City of Parma"; The Sisters of the Divine Providence for abandoned childhood, coming from Piacenza, who arrived in 1924 for the service in the hospice of St Joseph; The Orthodox sisters, Daughters of Mary Immaculate, dedicated to hospital care.

Institutions, bodies and associations

Over the years, a number of research and control bodies have been set up in Parma, particularly in the agri-food and scientific fields. Already the headquarters of the Interregional Agency for the River Po (AIPO) (formerly the Magistrate for the Po) and the River Po district authority, Parma became the seat of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in December 2003, one of the most important control agencies in the European Union.

The geographical position and presence of a prestigious university have also enabled the development of other important public structures, reference points for geographical areas that cross the provincial borders, such as the Major Hospital of Parma, which has become one of the main hospitals in the Emilia-Romagna region, the Italian Consortium for Food Safety and Research, the Interuniversity Consortium of Pharmaceutical Technologies over the years Innovative eutics (TEFARCO), the Food Conserve Industry Experimental Station (SSICA) or research, innovation and advisory laboratories linked to the food industry SIQUAL and TECAL. Thanks to the economic impact of the close cooperation between these bodies and the local industry, a major sector of congressional and business tourism is developing in Parma, with consequent repercussions on the local economy, the standard of living represented by the presence of numerous scientists and officials in cities and the development of infrastructure such as the airport, road network and the hotel industry.

Henri Beyle called Stendhal. French writer, wrote the famous novel The Certosa of Parma

Home of Arturo Toscanini

Giovanni Battista Bodoni. Incisor and printer at the Court of Ferdinand I of Borbone-Parma, invented the Bodoni typefaces

The aristocratic traditions and a certain refinement of social life characterize the city's soul, which is particularly marked by the passion of Parmigians towards music and opera, which has been widely followed and appreciated by various strata of the population for centuries.

The first native literary in Parma to be heard was Gaio Cassio Parmense (10th century BC), which belongs to one of the founding Roman families of the city and author of tragedies and elegies, but the history of Parmense has, over time, enriched the intellectual contribution of many artists, poets and painters who have led to its intense fervor towards many cultural interests, confirmed by its presence In cities of numerous theaters, museums, international events and rallies in the field of art and trade. Benedetto Antelami, Parmigianino, Correggio, Ireneo Affò, Giovanni Battista Bodoni with the Brothers Amoretti, Ferdinando Paër, Macedonio Melloni, Giuseppe Verdi, Arturo Toscanini, Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, Étienne Bonnot de Condillac and Attilio Bertolucci are only a few of the personalities linked to Parma It has left an important footprint in urban artistic and cultural traditions.

Parma was magnified by Stendhal (to the Henri Beyle century), who first visited her in 1814 and dreamt about her on the pages of her Chartreuse de Parme (La Certosa di Parma); Afterwards, it was desired by Marcel Proust in his Du côté de chez Swann (the street of swann).

In the 18th century, the development of the arts and urban institutions helped to define Parma as the 'Athens d'Italia'. Today, thanks to its new role in the European Union, with the creation of an important Community agency, the city is trying to reassert its ancient tradition of small capital.

On 16 February 2018, it was declared the Italian capital of culture for the year 2020.

Education

Libraries and archives

Palatine Library Reading Room

In June 1912, the municipality of Parma, through the purchase of the People's Library in Circulation, laid the foundations for the opening of a municipal library service, which however only finally became a reality in 1973, when the library Ugo Guanda library was opened, which was then placed under the central Garibaldi square. After increasing over the years, the Municipal Libraries, including the heritage, services and activities of municipal structures, have been directly managed by the municipality of Parma since 31 December 2013 as a Library Service:

• Civic Library Mario Columban Guidotti, in Santa Maria 5 (c/o Old Hospital)
• Antonio Bizzozero Agriculture Library, Santa Maria 5 (c/o Old Hospital)
• City Hall, Santa Maria 5 (c/o Old Hospital)
• Library Umberto Balestrzzi, in Santa Maria 5 (c/o Old Hospital)
• Library Guanda, in alley of Axis 5 (c/o Monastery of St Paul)
• International Library Ilaria Alpi, in alley of Axis 5 (c/o Monastery of St Paul)
• Library of Alice via Ildebrando Bocchi 33 (c/o Paolo Racagni primary school) (currently at the temporary headquarters of the Serres in Ducale Park)
• Cesare Pavese Library, Newton 8/a

In addition, the prestigious Palatine Library, which is state - owned, is located in Pilotta 3 Square in the Palazzo de la Pilotta.

The University of Parma has many libraries located in various departments.

Finally, the Germinal Library, run by the Center for Movement Studies, is located in Saragat 33/a (c/o Casa Bagnaresi).

The State Archives of Parma store public documents and documents from the Farnesian and Borbonic periods.

Schools

A large number of schools of all kinds, including 51 from childhood, 36 primary schools and 20 primary secondary schools, are based in Parma; secondary schools are divided into 13 high schools (2 artistic, 2 classic, 5 scientific, 1 linguistic, 2 human sciences and 1 music and coreutic), 11 technical institutions (5 economic and 6 technological), 7 professional institutions (4 services and 3 industrial and craft industries) and 2 experimental courses lasting four years.

These include the national boarding school Maria Luigia, the state high school Gian Domenico Romagnosi, the state scientific college Guglielmo Marconi and the state art school Paolo Toschi. The "School for Europe", which provides multilingual teaching, is also present in the city.

Arrigo Boito's higher art education is in the hands of the Academy of Fine Arts and the Arrigo Boito Conservatory.

University

University of Parma logo

The city is the headquarters of the University of Parma, founded in the 11th century, which has been among the 500 best institutions in the world for some years now included in the academic classification of world universities (ARWU), which also ranked the Department of Math and Informatics among the top 150 Mathematics Departments in the world in 2014.

Since 2003, the European College of Parma, a post-university higher education institution in the field of law, economics and EU policies, has been present in the city, similar to that of Bruges in Belgium.

Museums

The Parmense museum system comprises different types, many of which focus on the history, art, cultural and congestive traditions of the territory. Often the host structures are located inside prestigious buildings and important city buildings, including the Pilotta Palace, the Reserve Palace, the former monastery of St. Paul, the Basilica of St. Mary of the Steccata, the bishop's palace, the Abbey of St. John the Evangelist, the Cusani Palace, the Old Hospital and the Abbey of Valsery okay.

Average

Print

The city is home to one of the oldest newspapers in Italy (together with the Mantova Gazette, which was established in 1664): The Parma Gazette (also available in the online version www.gazzettadiparma.it), which was established in 1735, is the most popular daily newspaper in the city and province, with a self-declared average of 42 088 copies sold each day between 2008 and 2009 and a daily average of 233 00000 readers.

A few weeks have been published in the city, among them Vita Novita of the Diocese of Parma, founded in 1919.

Among the monthly publications, since 1999 the Parmigiana publishing house Edicta has published the Month Parma, devoted to current events, the economy, sport and leisure for Parma and the province. With the support of municipality, province, University of Parma Studies, Cariparma Foundation and many other citizen bodies, the copies of the magazine are distributed free of charge throughout the province.

Founded by Glauco Lombardi and Giuseppe Melli in 1912, the magazine Aurea Parma is still in publication, a four-monthly magazine devoted to history, literature and art published by Diabasis; The aim is to study the past and present of the city and its artistic and intellectual manifestations.

Since 1869, the Parma Chamber of Commerce has published the four-monthly magazine Parma Economica, which deals with economic analysis, but also with current events and culture, in relation to Parma and Province, without neglecting the national and international context.

The local editorial office of the daily newspaper La Republica, which publishes the only online edition parma.republic.it, also has its headquarters.

Television Broadcasters

In Parma there are several television broadcasters:

• Tv Parma, a historical broadcaster of both towns and provinces, belonging to the publishing house of the Gazette of Parma, with which it is strongly linked; its origins date back to 1974, when, under the name of TeleParma, the television station broadcast by cable using the first wiring of central roads; Following the liberalization of local broadcasting decided by the Constitutional Court and after a further experimental phase lasting several months, the first official transmissions via air started in 1978 with afternoon-evening programming; today it is also available online at www.tvparma.it.
• Teleducato Parma, an independent broadcaster with provincial coverage; Born in Parma, and initially broadcast in Piacenza as Teleducato Piacenza; it is also available online at teleducato.it. In 2016, after the dismissal of all employees in January, it was taken over by the Alliance Coop 3.0 group and joined the group that already controls Telereggio in Reggio Emilia and resumed broadcasting on April 18.
• It's TV Parma, part of the regional TV station is TV that has been active for more than a decade with its headquarters in the city. It closed in 2014 due to internal transformation in the lead.

Art

Young Artists Archive

Parma is personally involved in the development and promotion of youth creativity. The Young Artists Archives is a service provided by the municipality of Parma which is aimed at all young people working in the fields of Visual Arts, Applied Arts, Moving Images and Literature in order to document, offer services and organize promotional activities. It is carrying out initiatives directly or through participation in artistic events in Italy and abroad, aimed at promoting the constant flow of information and events, through national and international exchanges and joining networks, such as the JHA (Association for the Young Italian Artists’ Circuit) and the Bjcem (Biennial Association of Young Artists of Europe and the Mediterranean).

Archive of institutions and cultural associations

The municipality of Parma has censured and organized in a database all the free associations and institutions involved in promoting and organizing cultural events in the city.

Music

Music Capital Parma

Parmigians' passions: opera and bicycle

Arturo Toscanini. He was born in the popular district of the Oltretorrente; his home has become a museum dedicated to the great conductor

With the aim of affirming the importance and central importance of music in the cultural life of Parma, in 2004 the Ministry of Cultural Property and Activities, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the municipality of Parma formed the Parma Capital Foundation of Music; The structure was dissolved in 2008 because of the failure of the Arcus funds to transfer funds.

The "Theater Regio di Parma Foundation", which was set up in January 2002, aims to enhance the ancient tradition of the Italian opera house, and to organize important concertistic and dance seasons in the main city theater and the recent Niccolò Paganini Auditorium.

Another important citizen institution is the Casa della Musica, which was established in 2002 at the initiative of the municipality of Parma and subsequently became an institution in 2005; It is housed in the walls of the 14TH Cusani Palace and stores objects, photographs, posters and videos of the musical and theatrical tradition of Parma from the 16TH century to the present day.

In the space of the former church of St Elizabeth, the House of the Sound has also been set up very shortly, and its aim is to create a synthesis of a historical and cultural path linked to listening to music, from the cylindrical phonograph to modern means of sound reproduction and distribution.

Finally, the city is home to the prestigious and ancient music conservatory "Arrigo Boito", set up in 1819 by the duchess Maria Luigia.

Classical music

Giuseppe Verdi. Every year, in October, the birth of the great composer, a world renowned festival dedicated to his works takes place in Parma

Niccolò Paganini. The 18TH Cemetery in Villetta preserves the remains of the musician and of Ildebrando Pizzetti, united in a funeral monument built on the project of Giuseppe Cocconcelli

As early as the 16TH century, music began to play an important role in the city: since then, the farnesian court, sensitive to the social importance of this art, has been involved in promoting the teaching of music and lute to the principles and essays. In 1570, Guests of the Paggeria were given singing lessons from Giulio Buonaddition and liuto by Galeazzo Cacciardino. In 1601, the College of the Nobles was founded, whose subjects taught music and dance were always present. In 1603, the "Society of violins" was established, at a time when this instrument had not yet taken on a specialist role in the performance of theater works, while in 1757 the "Royal School of Ball" was founded, of which Pierre Delisle was appointed director, accompanied by a French actor company that stayed in the court until 1758, acting The works of classics (Corneille, Racine and Molière) and modern in both the city Ducale Theater and the biblienical Theater in Colorno.

A few years later, in 1768, in the premises that would later be occupied by the Music Conservatory, the "Royal Directorate-General for Spectacles" established the "Royal School of Cantants" or "School of Song for Ducale Theater", whose teaching was intended to train singers for the occurrences of the choirs in theater performances and with the aim of training them He said that he would be useful to the duchy.

However, true music culture only emerged between the late 17th and early 19th centuries. A political and cultural crossroads between Paris and Vienna, Parma, whose city walls included around 4,000 French in the 18th century, became a real laboratory for the development of music and the role of the orchestra. In particular, the activity within the ducal Orchestra of famous musician Niccolò Paganini, wanted by the same regent at the time, Duchess Maria Luigia, influenced the first provisions of what would later become the modern concept of orchestra. Entitled to the great Master Paganini, a 780-seat auditorium is now being built, two steps from the center, with sophisticated technological and acoustic implants that provide the greatest functionality, designed by architect Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 2001.

Today in Parma the "regional orchestra dell'Emilia Romagna", founded in 1975, has its headquarters; Since 2002, it has been involved as a permanent constituent of the "Philharmonic Arturo Toscanini", a great team dedicated to the great Parmigian teacher. Since their creation in 1990, the "fiati di Parma" (Italian Stable Chamber of Breath instruments) has been the only orchestra in the city. In 2014, the "Orchestra of the Italian Opera" was also founded in the city, bringing together a group of musicians from various Italian orchestras, and in particular from the prestigious "Orchestra of the Theater Regio of Parma", which in turn has been present in the city for some time. Closely connected to the latter is the "Choir of the Theater of Parma", which in recent years has performed in the Royal Theater with the "Philharmonic Arturo Toscanini". Since 1978, the choir "Voices of Parma" has been added, with a repertoire composed mainly of sacred polyphony, popular songs and lyrical music. Finally, the "Coral Giuseppe Verdi di Parma", founded in 1905, is based in the city, which deals with both the concertistic and the recording works.

Rock music

Parmigian rock has its first representatives back in the sixties and seventies with the historical band Snakes and Corvi, which remains one of the Italian beat bands. In addition, "The Rangers," beat precursors, "Baronetti," "Gref 84," "Musketeers," and "Gentlemen." The "Gemini 4", the "Fragile Water" (Gino Campanini, Piero Canavera, Maurizio Mori, Franz Dondi and Bernardo Lanzetti, will then move to the PFM), will be declared later. In the 1980s, singer Scialpi affirms himself on the national stage, which remains the main phenomenon in the field of light music that Parma has produced.

Plain music

In Parma, at the Argonne Cultural Center in the Moluccas district, the municipal bandistic Corps Giuseppe Verdi di Parma, or City Band, was founded in 1946.

Cooking

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Parma hams

Parma and its province are world-renowned for their food and cooking, in particular Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Parma ham. These products are protected by their production consortia, which certify their origin and quality.

The pasta produced in Parma, made from durum wheat semolina, was already known and appreciated in the 500th century on the French duchi canteen.

The most important wine in Parma province is lambrusco, a dark red wine with a moderate alcoholic strength of not more than 10 to 11 degrees. The Parmense parcels also bear the "Malvasia dei Colli di Parma" (DOC), wine for meal or dessert, firm or semi-sparkling of low alcoholic strength (10.5º). Fortanina is a wine typical of Lower Parmense, which was once widespread and produced in limited quantities in the San second area.

Events

Numerous cultural events are regularly held in the city, including renowned events such as the Green Festival, which takes place every year in October, dedicated to the works of the great composer Giuseppe Verdi (born in Roncole Verdi on 10 October 1813).

A number of events devoted to music, dance and theater, from classical to contemporary repertoires, are among the main annual and most distinguished events, plus cultural initiatives devoted to literature and journalism, as well as the annual "Architecture Festival".

A 14th century city folkloristic event is the Palio di Parma (Palio di Parma), a competition held every year in September, which focuses on the relay between the five teams representing the five ancient city gates.

Urbanism

Quarters

The neighborhoods of the municipality of Parma

Since 2002, following the abolition of the seven constituencies in which the city has been divided since 1979, the municipality of Parma has been divided into 13 neighborhoods, which have no institutional and electoral functions since 2010:

• 1 Parma Center;
• 2 Overflow;
• 3 Molinum;
• 4 Pablo;
• 5 Golese;
• 6. San Pancrazio;
• 7 San Leonardo;
• 8 San Martino courtyard;
• 9 Ljubljana;
• 10 San Lazarus;
• 11 Citadel;
• 12 Montanara;
• 13 Vigatto.

Fractions

There are many fractions on the outskirts of the urban area: Trees, Baganzola, Baganzolino, Beneceto, Borghetto (or Castelnovo in mane), Botteghino, Carignan, Casalbaroncolo, Casalaltone in Parma, Old Houses, Casello, Castelnovo in the evening, Cervara, Coloreto, Corcagnano, Cornocchio, Crocetta, Eia, Sognano, Golese Fraore, Fraore of San Pancrazio, Gaione, Il Moro, Malandriano, Marano, Mariano, Marore, Martoran, Moletolo, Panocchia, Paradigna, Pilastron, Pizzolese, Pontetaro of Parma, Porporano, Ravadese, Roncopascolo, San Donato, San Martino, San Pancrazio Parmense, San Prospero Parmense, San Ruffino, Santa Elisabetta, Scarzara, Ugozzolo, Valera, Viarolo di Parma, Vicomero di Parma, Vicomero di Parma, Vicopò, Vigatto, Vigheffio, Vigolante.

La Violetta di Parma

La Duchessa Maria Luigia The Violetta di Parma is a perfume that is now part of the historical and entrepreneurial memories of the city, deeply intertwined with the myth and remembrance of the duchess Maria Luigia, who loved this flower as much as the city she governed herself. The Duchess favored in any way the research of some skilled Frati alchemists until she obtained an essence of the perfume of violet, and when she was forced to leave the Duchess during the riots of 1831, she wrote in her diary the phrase "Souvenir de Parme malheureuse" kept her in the colors and scent of some dried violets. between pages. It's a love that the city has always reciprocated by having every year a bunch of violets on its grave in the Capuchin Church of Vienna, where the crypt of the imperial burials of the Habsburg people is found. In 1880, 10 years after the start of his entrepreneurial journey in perfumery, the Parmesan Ludovico Borsari, who learned about the formula for obtaining the precious distillate of "violet perfume", had the idea of making it a product destined for the general public, to become, in our day, a famous symbol as an expression of the taste and refinement of the petiteCapital It also helped launch the Parma brand worldwide.

The culinary tradition, already firmly rooted in the culture of good living in the emilian, has been accompanied by a modern agri-food industry in these lands. Parma is one of Italy's most important cities in terms of the unique intersection between agriculture and industry. Parmenian farmers produce products for industrial processing: tomatoes, peas and sweet corn for the canning industry, milk for the dairy industry, among other things Parmigiano Reggiano.

The Parmense mechanical engineering industry has the national lead in the production of plants for the industrial processing of agricultural products: canning equipment, milk processing plants, slaughter facilities. It is for these primates that Parma has the title of the Padano agrifood center, a title that has important consequences for culture and institutions.

That being said, it is also important to mention that, although Parma is one of the richest areas in Italy, it is also among the most expensive areas of life, with a great disproportion between the incomes of employees and those of self-employed workers, which is also growing and which is causing great malaise in the many households with fixed incomes.

The agri-food district

Parma is located at the center of a major agri-food network worldwide, deserving the name of food valley. The region is known for the production of quality milk and milk products (Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, ham ham di Parma, Zibello cradle, Felino salami, San Second's shoulder), vegetable preserves, pasta and baked products.

The Parmigian Agro - food district comprises Parma and 29 municipalities adjacent to the city, and is a baricentric area compared to an area of about 2,411 km². It employs 15% of those employed in the agri-food sector. The business landscape consists of: 326 producers, 5 500 farms, 163 slaughterhouses, 189 producers (with 3 000 employees) and 1 380 dairy farms (with 7 500 employees). The district, for which the production and processing of pig meat is one of the most typical of the historical and economic food landscape, produces 80% of the region's raw ham, while total exports amount to 2.5 trillion products per year.

The area is home to a large number of related agri-food and industrial businesses which define the Parmenian area as a chain district, in which the agricultural and zootechnical products to be processed and projected, even outside the country, are processed products, processing plants and technology in general. These companies account for half of the city's industrial and craft turnover, i.e. EUR 7.6 billion out of EUR 15.6 billion (2002 figures).

As provided for in the single programming document signed by the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Province of Parma, the municipality of Parma and the representatives of economic and social organizations in Parma, a technology will be installed within the university campus, consisting of research centers which will operate in different industrial sectors:

• Biopharmanet_Tec: interdepartmental center for product innovation for health;
• Cim: interdepartmental center of measures;
• Cipack: interdepartmental packing center;
• Comt: interdepartmental center of molecular and cross-sectional oncology;
• Rfid&Vis Labs: interdepartmental center on Radio Frequency and Artificial Vision Identification Technologies;
• Siteia.Parma: interdepartmental center on security and technologies for the food industry.

Protection of local products

Parma is the first province in the quality agrifood sector with regard to the number of protected designations and certified products (PDO - protected designation of origin, PGI - protected geographical indication and TSG - traditional specialty guaranteed). Parma excels in the provincial rankings for quality first based on two types of indicators: the turnover of each individual product in relation to the area of the province's production area in relation to the number of production holdings in the province, while the second is calculated by taking into account the number of certification falling within the provincial area in relation to the national total.

Economic and employment data

Overall, 41,435 companies were active in 2004, up 1.2% compared with the previous year, with a workforce of 188,000.

In 2004, exports from the province of Parma amounted to EUR 3.3 billion and EUR 326 million, but in 2007 they increased to EUR 4.348 million. Particularly significant, in 2007 exports, the increase to the US, where, despite the strong euro, the share increased from 2% in 2006 to 22% in 2007, particularly in the mechanical and food sectors. However, Europe remains the main market for products in the region, absorbing 73% of the total value. Overall, growth in 2007 compared to 2006 was 11.8% of turnover, 8.8% of output, 10.6% of exports, 6.1% of investment (compared to turnover), and 3.4% of employment: The Parmense industry allows the economy of this territory to travel at European rates, with substantial full employment and one of the lowest unemployment rates in Italy.

In 2006, 3,000 more jobs were created in services, women's and workers' employment increased in the 55-64 age group.

In detail, female employment increased in the 15-64 age group, from 57.5% in 2005 to 61.4% in 2006, while female unemployment rose alarmingly from 6.0% in 2005 to 3.2% in 2006, which is more than four points the Lisbon objectives; at the same time, the employment rate for older workers (aged 55-64) has risen from 36.6% to 40.3%, while the country continues to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, falling from 4.1% in 2005 to 2.7% in 2007 (in 2004 it was 3.6%).

According to Istat data for 2007, Parma is the second-largest province in Italy for employment rates, confirming the ability of the Parma system to react to market pressures, international competition and the 2003 Parmalat financial crash. It employs 72.4% of the population aged 15-64, or 200,000 people.

In 2007, the territory maintained its eighth ranking in the provinces with the highest GDP per capita at €32,388 per inhabitant. In 2009, 1,458 jobs were lost, but the trend reversed between July 2009 and June 2010. Enterprise activity in the period 2007-2010 has a positive balance of 4% (contrasting with region and country). In 2008, 7.9% of local entrepreneurs were foreigners, making Parma the third largest in the region. After a sharp drop in exports in 2009, exports registered an important +22.9% in 2010 at provincial level compared to 3.8% in regional terms. Censis puts Parma's geo-economic reality in 12th place in Italy.

Multinational

Food sector

In Parma and its surroundings there are two large multinationals in the food sector: Barilla S.p.A. and Parmalat S.p.A. According to the 2006 "Reputation Institute" of New York, Barilla has been among the world's multinationals and the best reputable company, the best known in the world. Parmalat is in 22nd place.

Other sectors

Parma is also home to large multinationals in the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, including the English company GlaxoSmithKline (the other Italian branch is in Verona) and the Church of Pharmaceuticals S.p.A., a company founded in the city in 1935 with 22 direct subsidiaries, 3 production facilities and four research centers worldwide. The presence of the glass industry, represented by the headquarters of the multinational companies Bormioli Luigi spa (headquarters in Parma), specialized in the glass production of perfumery flasks and table goods and Bormioli Rocco & Figli S.p.A., founded in the middle of the 19th century by Rocco Bormioli, remains important for the local economy. The Bormioli Rocco & children group has 9 factories (one for glass and one for provincial molds), 3 decoration studios and 11 outlets. It operates in more than 100 countries, with about 3,000 employees.

Tourism

Parma is part of the "city of art of the Po Plain" circuit, an association of 12 capitals in northern Italy. There are 30 hotels and three tourist hotels in the city. From early 2000 to early 2007, attendance at these facilities increased by 11%, from 365,000 to 408,000, the number of rooms increased by 70%, from 870 to 1,478, to which they will be added the possible 700 envisaged by the opening projects for new hotels. In 2006, the other 57 tourist accommodation facilities included 465 000 people, of whom 315 000 came from Italy and 150 000 from abroad, in particular from France, the USA, the United Kingdom and Germany, which alone have 65 000 ...

Terme

One of the most well-known and important Italian thermal poles is located in Parma province: Salsomaggiore Terme and Tabiano Terme. The spa center with sulfuree-sulfate and salsobromodic waters of Monticelli Terme, a fraction of the municipality of Montechiarugolo is also of prominent importance. These spas have been in operation since 15 may 1927 with the construction of the spa plant in a large 35 hectare secular coniferous park.

Parma fairs

The exhibition area is located on the A1 motorway in Baganzola, near the Roncopascolo and Eia fractions and covers an area of 300 000 m², of which 100 000 are used for the covered and equipped exhibition area. The main events are Cibus (International Food Fair), Cibus Tec (Mechanical and Food Plant), Dolce Italia (Sweetie), Mercanteflera and Emporium (Modernization, Antiquity and Collectionism), Gotha (antiques), Bagarre (Collectionism and Antiquity), and The Camper Hall (collection, engines, trucks and caravans).

Artisanate

As regards the craft sector, Parma is renowned, in addition to the agri-food sector, for the production of ceramics and for clothing laboratories, shoes and leather bags.

Roads

Parma is served by two motorways: the motorway A1 Milano-Bologna, via the exit ‘Parma Centro’, and the motorway A15 Parma-La Spezia, via the exit ‘Parma West’.

The main access routes are: the road 9 Via Emilia, which runs through the entire urban core from east to west; road 62 of the Central Bank to the south; State road 343 Asolana north.

A ring of tangentials finally draws the whole city.

Rail

Parma is located on the Milan-Bologna railway line. The lines for La Spezia, Brescia and Suzzara, the latter of the railway lines in Emilia Romagna, are being distributed from the city station. Since December 2010, the interconnection of Parma has connected the railway system to the Milan-Bologna high-speed line.

Airports

The city is served by "Giuseppe Verdi" airport, open to domestic and international passenger traffic.

Urban mobility

Urban transport is operated by TEP - Electric Parmensi, which provides the city with 17 daytime lines extending at night until midnight; In addition, a four - line filviary network was set up, replacing a tramway network in 1953 which was activated in 1899.

Tranroads

In addition to the urban network, Parma was served between 1892 and 1954 by an extensive network of long-distance tramways:

• Parma-Langhirano (steam 1892-1940);
• Parma-San Second-Zibello-Busseto (steam 1893-1939);
• Parma-Soragna-Busseto (steam, 1893-1939);
• Parma-Traversetol/Montecchio (steam 1894-1940);
• Parma-Fornovo (Electric, 1910-1954);
• Parma-Marzolara (electrical, 1910-1954).

Consulates

The honorary consulates of France, Bulgaria and Lithuania are present in Parma.

Twinning

The town is twinned with:

• Ljubljana, 1964
• Tours, since 1979
• Worms, since 1984
• Shijiazhuang, since 1987
• Hanging, since 1988
• Bourg-en-Bresse, 1990

He has a friendship agreement with:

• Castel Giorgio, since 1977
• Guadalajara, since 1979
• San Vito Lo Cape, since 1983
• Rosario, since 2000

International trade

The Internationalization Agency set up by Parma Province established tourist trade and cultural agreements with the cities of Manchester and Stockton in 1998, Reutlingen in 2002 and Cluj-Napoca in 2003.