PARMA’S CHARMS

Find out why Parma enjoys its reputation as Italy’s prime foodie destination as well as a world-class destination for culture vultures on this excursion to the countryside.

Meet your private driver at your accommodation and reach the first stop on the tour. Inside a caseificio foodies will learn all about the age-old art of cheese making and get to know the strict rules that regulate the production of Italy’s king of cheeses. Believe it or not Parmigiano Reggiano has delighted the palates of Italians for some eight hundred years. Its extraordinary fragrance, distinctive flavour and processing methods have hardly altered over the centuries, thanks to the skill of local cheese artisans and their efforts to preserve regional gastronomic traditions. As you will have the chance to see and savour, only this unique territory could reward us with such a tempting treat, born of an abundance of water, extensive grazing grounds and, most important of all, prime quality milk.

Next, rejoin your driver and reach an amazingly well preserved palazzo, still inhabited by a local prince, the last descendant of an aristocratic dynasty that has called the mansion home for hundreds of years. Reach the entrance, safely guarded by a pair of fierce stone lions, cross the empty moat over a masonry bridge and find yourself hurtled into a bygone era. Originally built as a defence fortress in 1385, the castle was transformed into a magnificent residence in the 16th and 17th centuries and can still be admired today in its original flamboyant Baroque state, miraculously unchanged over the years. The prince has kindly agreed to open portions of the palazzo to the public allowing visitors to gain a fascinating glimpse of a noble family’s way of life, both past and present.

Your guide will show you around a selection of splendid rooms and fill you in on the history of the mansion and its illustrious owners. You will be treated to a gripping account of the most significant events that unfolded within these walls, including the macabre story of a wicked crime. Murdered here by her brother-in-law in 1573, Donna Cenerina is said to have haunted these halls ever since and her ghost still appears to her descendants when something unfortunate is just about to happen. Original 17th and 18th century furnishings, portrait paintings, sumptuous stucco decorations and historical weaponry make an unmistakable statement about the wealth of this family who managed to uphold its prestige through timely marriages and successful allegiances. But the highlight of the palazzo is definitely the dazzling parade of brightly coloured frescoes, depicting biblical and mythological scenes, grotesques and episodes celebrating the family’s triumphs, skilfully rendered by Mannerist and Baroque masters Nicolò dell’Abate, Cesare Baglione, Ferdinando and Francesco Galli Bibiena.

After the tour a 20-minute drive will bring you to a farm, located on the site of an ancient castle. Built in the 15th century by the marquises Pallavicino upon a pre-existing fort, the noble mansion was later used as barracks and, after 1860, divided into small dwellings for farmers, fishermen and artisans. The great grandfather of the current owner, once a tenant farmer of the opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, lived on this very property. He farmed the land, raised animals, planted trees, cured pork and even grew silkworms, assisted by his children. Over the years the farmhouse flooded many times, fell into ruin and was eventually abandoned. In 1990 the farmer’s descendants managed to purchase the property and, after a twenty year-long renovation, transformed their great grandfather’s home into a luxury country estate. Today the premises host a relais, a self-sustaining organic farm, two restaurants and a museum dedicated to Culatello, honouring the history and memory of its former residents and revitalizing the heritage of the land.

Guests will enjoy a delicious lunch at the estate’s Michelin-star restaurant priding itself on offering a unique “gastrofluvial” cuisine, in which the traditional peasant fare of the lowlands is reinvented with a creative touch. Strictly zero-food-miles products are offered to a discerning and appreciative clientele, drawn here by an enticing menu that features an array of home-made specialities including cured meats, locally produced cheeses and hand rolled tortelli… Buon appetito!

After lunch, you can choose an independent visit round two different sections of the estate, led by informative audio guides. Tickets can be purchased on site. The first itinerary lasts about 20 minutes and includes the vegetable garden, the old kitchen and the elegant frescoed halls of the Pallavicino’s former residence. The second itinerary lasts 1 hour 45 minutes approx. and celebrates the estate’s most valued guests, the Nera Parmigiana pigs. The visit includes the Museum of Culatello di Zibello, featuring documents, maps, photographs and objects related to farm life and the rural culture, the ancient ageing cellars and an open air trail through the woods.

In the afternoon return to your accommodation in Parma with your private driver.