Things to see and do Parme

Built in 1564 by Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, the palace is now the headquarters of the gendarmerie. The park, once the private property of the dukes, is the main green space for the inhabitants. Its large central avenue leads to a pond. Its current appearance is the result of major redevelopment work (until the 1960s, cars could cross it). In the middle of summer, people come here to take a breath of fresh air among the hundred-year-old trees.

Built between 1521 and 1539, the church is a small marvel of frescoes. The Parable of the Ten Virgins of the Parmigianino can be found in the arch of the presbytery. In the crypt are the tombs of the Farnese family and of some Bourbons, notably that of Marie-Louise of Austria's second husband, Adam-Albert de Neipperg, who ruled Parma for a few years. Small adjoining museum that preserves relics such as the shirt of King Louis XVI at the time of his execution.

The collection of this museum is made up of the rich collection of puppets, puppets and stage sets by Giordano Ferrari, a renowned Parmesan puppeteer. Housed in the former Convent of St. Paul, it covers an area of 300 ^m2 and houses the largest collection of puppets in Italy (500 pieces from the late 18th to mid-20th centuries), from various origins, including Fagiolino, the Emilian equivalent of Guignol.

At the end of Corso Mazzini, this 1930 th century bridge, rebuilt in the s, links the historic centre to the Oltretorrente. Its underground passage houses the remains of the Roman bridge.

Huge market, which became very popular because we do business in gold.

Organized around the churches and monasteries of Romanesque art. Among the three main pilgrimage routes that today as yesterday saw thousands of pilgrims every year to reach Rome, Jerusalem or Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle lies the via Francigena, which connected the Middle Ages to Rome in the Middle Ages. The proposed and signposted route leaves Fidenza to move towards Fornovo, then Bercerto and finally reach Le Pass (Tel 0524 83 377 - www.associazioneviafrancigena.com).

Located behind the cathedral, the church preserves important frescoes by Correggio (1520), including the Apparition of Christ to St. John in the dome: while Christ appears in the centre lit by divine light, St. John is represented on the edge of the skullcap. In the left nave, some works of Parmesan cheese. The monastery has three beautiful cloisters from the 16th century. Behind the church is the old pharmacy of San Giovanni, which was in use from the 13th century to 1766.