Stretching along the west bank of the Parma river, these formal gardens seem like Parma personified – refined, peaceful and with barely a blade of grass out of place. They were laid out in 1560 around the Farnese family's Palazzo Ducale, which now serves as headquarters of the provincial carabinieri (military police).
Parco Ducale
Parma
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.53 MILES
Overshadowing even the cathedral, the octagonal pink-marble baptistery on the south side of the piazza is one of the most important such structures in…
0.56 MILES
Another daring Romanesque beauty? Well, yes and no. Consecrated in 1106, Parma has a classic Lombard-Romanesque facade, but inside, the gilded pulpit and…
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9.25 MILES
The opening of the world's largest maze in 2015 fulfilled a lifetime dream of art publisher Franco Maria Ricci, who once published what many considered to…
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26.73 MILES
Cremona’s history echoes to sound of violins and violin-making, meaning a visit to this relatively new, state-of-the-art museum is practically obligatory…
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0.28 MILES
The Galleria Nazionale displays Parma’s main art collection in dark and ambiently affective environs. Alongside works by local artists Correggio and…
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18.25 MILES
This stately theatre on Busseto's aptly named Piazza Verdi was built in 1868, although Verdi himself initially pooh-poohed the idea. It opened with a…
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26.8 MILES
Welcome to an ecclesial colossus. Cremona’s cathedral started out as a Romanesque basilica, but the simplicity of that style later gave way to an…
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10.75 MILES
Magnifico Pier Maria Rossi's impressive Torrechiara Castle is one of the most important examples of Italian castle architecture and is considered one of…
Nearby Parma attractions
0.06 MILES
Surrounded by the formal gardens of the Parco Ducale, this palace was originally built for the Farnese family in 1561. It now serves as headquarters of…
0.22 MILES
At the Parco Ducale's southeast corner, the birthplace of Italy's greatest modern conductor, Arturo Toscanini (1867–1957), retraces his life and travels…
3. Museo Archeologico Nazionale
0.25 MILES
The Museo Archeologico Nazionale exhibits Roman artefacts discovered around Parma, Etruscan finds from the Po valley and a small but fascinating exhibit…
0.28 MILES
Rebuilt to original plans after WWII bombing, this stunning theatre is almost entirely made out of wood. The great Monteverdi, frustrated by the theatre's…
0.28 MILES
The Galleria Nazionale displays Parma’s main art collection in dark and ambiently affective environs. Alongside works by local artists Correggio and…
0.31 MILES
Looming over the manicured lawns and modern fountains of Piazza della Pace, this monumental palace is hard to miss. Supposedly named after the Spanish…
7. Ponte Romano Spazio Aemilia
0.38 MILES
Parma's Roman Bridge originally dates to 187 BC and re-opened to the public after extensive renovations in 2018. Two of the bridge's 11 arches are now…
0.45 MILES
Giuseppe Stuard was a 19th-century Parmese art collector who amassed 600 years worth of epoch-defining art linking the Tuscan masters of the 1300s to…