Discover Parma! Reconfirmed as the Italian Capital of Culture 2021, Parma and its surroundings are fascinating places, steeped in history, art, music and excellent gastronomy. In the city centre, fascinating monuments can be found around every corner, making a stay in Parma full of opportunities to discover its past and present soul. Must-sees are the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Ducal Park. A few kilometers away are Busseto, where the composer Giuseppe Verdi spent most of his life, and the village of Fontanellato, characterised by the Rocca Sanvitale, whose external moat and drawbridge entrance take visitors back to the 14th century. Italy Euro Italian Image Image Image Cathedral and Baptistery The Cathedral, in Romanesque style, contains a priceless treasure. In fact, the dome was painted by Correggio, making it an artistic masterpiece of the first decades of the 1500s. Also in Piazza Duomo is the Baptistery, a magnificent Gothic building covered in pink Verona marble, whose beautifully decorated dome is as impressive as that of the Cathedral. Image Ducal Park A true green lung of the city of Parma, the Ducal Park also houses San Giovanni and San Paolo’s Convent Gardens and the Botanical Garden. The majestic presence of the Ducal Palace was a great attraction for European intellectuals in the 16th century and today it houses the headquarters of the Parma Carabinieri. Image Fontanellato and Busseto Fontanellato has prehistoric origins, but it was in the 10th century that it began to take on the characteristics of a small fortified town. It was the Sanvitale family who made the Rocca a real defensive fortress and developed the urban layout of the village, that is what we nowadays see and appreciate for its unique characteristics. The cultural interest of Busseto is due to the itineraries dear to Giuseppe Verdi, such as the house where he was born and the villa he owned in the nearby hamlets. In October, the Festival Verdi is celebrated between Parma and Busseto, with its diversified programme full of surprises to relive the works of the great Maestro.