Parma, a historical city rich in art and culture but fortunately still uncontaminated by mass tourism, is without any doubt a land of paradise for food lovers all over the world. From the Po Valley to the Apennines you can discover old farmhouses of the "Bassa Parmense" region and beautiful mediaeval castles. You can savor and feel that rural culture that still lives on, despite the toll of time. Parma is the birthplace of two of the most famous and precious jewels of Italian gastronomy: Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano, children of a tradition that have been handed down from generation to generation. Next to these two great products we can find others, not as well known but of the same extraordinary and exceptional quality. You just need to think of the esteemed Culatello di Zibello, Salame di Felino or the Vino dei Colli di Parma. Furthermore, you only need to travel a few kilometers to find the Coppa Piacentina and the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia and Modena. It really is worthwhile discovering these wonderful products and the culture that accompanies them, to be able to appreciate them fully when we can finally put them on our tables. A city of antique origins, Parma gets its name from its form, which is that of a Roman shield (in latin, shield = Parma). Via Emilia and Via Francigena passed through here, even in the year 1.000 A.C. which led the pilgrims to Rome. Once it became a Duchy, Parma reached its great splendor thanks to the Farnese, the Borboni and above all to Maria Luigia of Austria. We can admire that splendor which is still intact today when we walk through the historical center with its magnificent pink-colored Baptistery (Battistero), the Dome, Garibaldi Square with its antique Municipal Buildings, the Pilotta and the Ducale Buildingle. If you move towards the country you will be able to admire some marvelous castles that are so perfectly preserved; from Torrechiara to Felino, from Fontanellato (with Parmigianinos painting) to Soragna and to finish the "Reggia di Colorno". Fortunately still far away from the circuit of mass tourism, Parma remains a tranquil provincial city but nevertheless boasts a rich historical culture, with its antique university and its great tradition for opera, the great passion of parmesan people, which has its heart in the beautiful Regio Theatre. Let's not forget that Parma is the city of Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini, but also that of Benedetto Antelami, of Correggio and Parmigianino...enjoy your visit!