Parma is a city that tells its story through art, architecture and atmosphere. This itinerary will guide you through the most iconic places that preserve the masterpieces of two Renaissance masters: Correggio and Parmigianino.
The route winds through churches, museums and frescoes, touching the symbolic places of the ducal city: from the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista to the Duomo, from the Camera di San Paolo to the National Gallery, up to the Basilica della Steccata but there is also an unmissable stop in Fontanellato, where the Rocca Sanvitale preserves precious works of art.
Each stage is a journey into the splendor of Italian art between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The paintings blend with the architecture, creating an immersive and exciting experience.
A perfect itinerary for those who love art, history and the timeless elegance of one of the most refined cities on the Peninsula.
Useful info
Il percorso si può svolgere a piedi o in bici per il tratto cittadino, mentre per raggiungere Fontanellato (tappa finale con la Rocca Sanvitale affrescata dal Parmigianino) è necessario l’auto o un bus di linea.
The itinerary begins in the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, a Benedictine monastic complex located in the historic center of Parma, next to the Duomo.
Here, Antonio Allegri known as Correggio created one of his masterpieces between 1520 and 1524: the fresco of the dome, where the Vision and Transit of St. John is depicted, also known as the Ascension of Christ surrounded by a multitude of apostles.
Built between the twenties and forties of the 1500s, this dome is a real joy for the eyes, which look into a limitless space in a blaze of clouds populated by angels and the four Evangelists with the fathers of the church in the pendentives. A precise story that Correggio creates with a succession of looks, movements and perfectly frescoed figures.
Tips
Don't miss the Monumental Library of San Giovanni, kept in the Monastery: an authentic jewel of art, decorated with elegant stuccoes and frescoes. Check the opening hours, it's really worth it!
Opposite, a few steps from the Church of San Giovanni is the Cathedral of Parma, one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Northern Italy.
The Cathedral preserves one of the greatest masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance: the dome frescoed by Correggio, built between 1526 and 1530, with the theme of the Assumption of the Virgin.
In this work, Correggio overcomes all perspective conventions: the scene opens up like a vortex towards the sky, populated by angels, saints and dynamic figures that drag the gaze upwards.
Tips
Right next to the Cathedral, the majestic Baptistery, one of the highest expressions of art in Italy, can be visited every day.
A few minutes' walk from the Duomo, you reach the Monastery of San Paolo, where one of the absolute masterpieces of the Parma Renaissance is located: the Chamber of Saint Paul, frescoed by Correggio in 1519.
The room, once the private room of the abbess Giovanna da Piacenza, is decorated with a spectacular fake painted pergola, which opens radially on an umbrella vault. the decoration evolves, from the center of the vault with the triple lunar coat of arms of the Abbess, dividing into sixteen segments in which fake ovates open between the intertwined branches you can glimpse playful putti, animals and allegorical symbols inspired by classical culture.
In the center of the vault is depicted Diana the huntress, the key to reading the entire cycle: a tribute to purity, intellectual autonomy and the feminine power exercised by the abbess at a time when such freedom was rare.
This work is considered one of the highest examples of illusionistic painting and one of the first manifestos of Correggio's "modern" language, suspended between classicism and scenic invention.
To taste
It's the perfect time for a lunch break! Stop in one of the many restaurants in the historic center and let yourself be tempted by the typical flavors of Parmesan cuisine: from fragrant tortelli d'erbetta seasoned with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano, to a steaming plate of anolini in broth, perfect for recharging with taste.
After the beauty of the Abbess's Chamber, you can continue the tour at the National Gallery: housed within the Monumental Complex of the Pilotta, it is one of the most important art museums in Emilia-Romagna.
The museum itinerary preserves some of the most significant works by Correggio and Parmigianino, allowing you to retrace the stylistic evolution of the two artists in a unified exhibition context.
Masterpieces
Advices
Admission to the Complex is a single ticket that includes a visit to the Farnese Theater, the National Gallery of Parma, the National Archaeological Museum, the Palatine Library and the Bodoni Museum. Among the main works, the Carracci brothers, Leonardo da Vinci's La Scapigliata that will leave you speechless and Cima da Conegliano are worth mentioning. And of course stop to admire the beautiful wooden theater, the Farnese Theater.
The day is coming to an end and you can enjoy a tasty aperitif with a platter of cold cuts and Parmigiano Reggiano.
The day begins with a visit to the Church of the Holy Steccata, which is located in the historic center.
Here, in addition to frescoes by local artists, you will admire how Parmigianino left his mark on the decoration of the church: in the arch of the presbytery we find the beautiful work Wise Virgins and the Foolish Virgins, the large fresco by Parmigianino datable to 1531-1539 which depicts statuesque and monumental Venuses in an extremely refined painting. It is one of the masterpieces of Parmigianino's maturity.
Tips
Right in front of the Basilica is the evocative Teatro Regio: take advantage of it for a visit and to attend one of the operas that animate its prestigious stage.
The itinerary ends outside the historic center of Parma, in the splendid Rocca Sanvitale di Fontanellato, easily accessible by car or public transport (it is about 20 km from the city).
The Rocca, still surrounded by its moat of water, houses one of Parmigianino's most enigmatic and refined masterpieces: the cycle of frescoes in the Room of Diana and Actaeon, inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses and created in 1524 for Count Galeazzo Sanvitale.
The work depicts the goddess Diana surprised during the bath by Actaeon, punished for her transgression. The myth is treated with extraordinary elegance, in a monochrome composition that decorates the lunettes of the room, while the ceiling is dominated by a central oculus with fleeing putti and heraldic motifs.
Tips
Curiosity
The Optical Room of the Castle of Fontanellato, which is located at the end of the hanging garden, is very suggestive and once you enter you discover a particular optical effect.
Which one? You just have to visit it to find out!
