We arrived in Parma yesterday in a heavy drizzle and were very happy to see a drying trend today. Yesterday's weather would have made it difficult to fully appreciate this wonderful city.
We started the day with our first hotel breakfast on the tour. It was a simple affair, but had all the key ingredients that we enjoy, a good wholesome muesli, a nice natural yogurt and multiple bread choices. In addition there was the parmesan cheese and hams for which Parma is famous. Of course, there was also bottomless espressos for Scott.
We headed out the door with no real plan for our tourist day in Parma except we knew that we were staying in the core of the old district so our standard wandering around somewhat aimlessly approach was deployed. We tend to go with the flow and it worked well in Parma, with all the key sights having elaborate descriptions in English. We had not gotten far out the door when a few drops of rain sent Pat back to our room for another layer and a hotel umbrella. Being on the third floor and our love for stair climbing over an elevator added one more trip to the many ups and downs we did today.
We spent the next few hours marveling at the sights and architecture of Parma. It is a very approachable town with many interesting buildings including multiple churches, piazzas, towers and streetscapes in a relatively small historic area.
Piazza Garibaldi is the center of Parma and just a few steps from Hotel Button where we are staying.
The church of Francesco del Prato was built in the mid 1200`s. It was turned into a prison for political prisoners by Napoleon's army in 1810. It remained a prison for 200 years. It is now being completely renovated.
The church of Saint Francesco del Prato is undergoing a complete renovation and was reopened to the public in 2021. The church appears to be fully functioning today with a number of temporary features. It is very interesting seeing an old building in this stage of renovation and it gives you a real sense of the scale and expense of these projects.
Palazzo della Pilotta is home to a couple of museums and an art gallery. We encountered a short shower here. I am quite amazed that small regular sized bricks are used as the building blocks for such massive structures.
Parma is split by the Parma River which is a tributary to the Po river. There are several bridge crossing connecting the two haves of the city. We explored the far side of the bridge in the afternoon on our bikes.
Monument to Giuseppe Verdi. I had to include this thinking that if some Floridians were to see this, it would also be banned along with the statue of David. The monument has 28 statues, many naked, depicting the characters of Verdi's operas.
This mom is picking up her two sons from school. An older boy, not pictured here, is on his own bike. There are many people on bikes in Parma and almost no one wears a helmet.
The Oritorio di san Tiburzio. Loooking at it, we called it the unloved churched. Built in 1722, it changed hands many times over its history and is now proclaimed as ¨no longer a place of worship.¨ Interesting to see the natural decay of building materials over decades and millenniums.
After a full morning of walking the old section of Parma we returned to our room for a bit of a break and then walked to a nearby sandwich shop for lunch. At first we thought they served hamburgers but later discovered that Clinica del Panino - Da Walter was well known for it`s large offering of sandwiches at good prices that has been around since the 8o`s. As we entered, a young couple out front told us about the menu and that the number 16 was a favourite - Pesto alla tartara with olives, onions and a special hot sauce. Scott being adventurous tried that one while Pat enjoyed something a bit simpler.
We returned to the hotel and again up the three flights of stairs to get ready for a short bike ride through the park and the far side of the river. Just a short distance over the river, Scott found that it was colder than he had dressed for and it was his turn to return to the room for some long pants and another layer. When the sun was out, which was not that frequent, it was warm but otherwise it was cooler cloudy day.
After exploring the park and university lands we stumbled upon a beer garden that was just setting up. We grabbed a table in the sun on the Piazza Guido Picelli. Scott talked craft beers with the proprietor of Brewort, a local brewer.
Turtles on the log in Ducal park also looking for sun.
Dinner was beer and tapas in at a very local bar and then we returned to the hotel, locked up the bikes and climbed the three flights of stairs one last time for the day.
Tomorrow we take a quick train ride to Modena where we begin our ride south and our first step into the Alpenines.
