Yet Parma is not only the city itself, the monuments or the tradition in music and culture: Parma also includes the province, a territory of infinite funds, a varied landscape that stretches from the Po river to the Appenines' crest, with small villages rich of history and liveliness, castles, medieval parish churches and theatres spread in the countryside.

The Bassa area is a vast territory on the shore of the Po river, which inspired artists like Bernardo Bertolucci and Giovannino Guareschi with its fogs and the quarrelsome character of its inhabitants.

The Culatello roads runs through these villages, also renowned for the production of the Spalla cotta, the Fortana wine and, last but not least, the Parmigiano Cheese.

Many activities are also possible in the countryside, itineraries on mountain bike, horseback riding, hiking, discovering ancient monuments and small villages or just relaxing in the beautiful frame of the Appennines mountains, from the south of the Via Emilia to the highlands at the border with Liguria and Toscana.

The beauties of the landscape, an uncontaminated nature and the cultural heritage are the right ingredients to make a visit in the territory of Parma a lovely experience.

History
Parma was founded in 183 B.C. by 2000 Roman citizens as part of a colonization project in which the nearby towns of Piacenza, Modena and Bologna were also established. The city's main development spans from the Middle Ages through the eighteenth century, as it became involved with every major artistic period and cultural institution. In the Byzantine period, Parma became known as Chrysopolis -- "golden city" -- due either to the richness of its soil or its administrative seat of the Treasury. During the Imperial Age, Parma had a forum (in today's Piazza Garibaldi), a theater, an ampitheater, public baths and a basilica. The flourishing town saw the rule of the Visconti, the Sforza, the French and the Papacy from the 14th to 16th Centuries, and in 1545 Pope Paul III established a Duchy with his son Pier Luigi Farnese as its ruler (a dynasty that lasted almost 200 years). The years between 1802 and 1814 were a time of Napoleonic rule, following with the important period when the city's administration was passed to Bonaparte's second wife, Maria Luigia of Austria, whose influencial power lasted until her death in 1847. After the Bourbons regained control for a short period, Parma was joined in the Kingdom of Italy with a plebiscite on March 18, 1860.

Travel to City
Parma is located in northern Italy, in the region Emilia-Romagna. Its strategic position allows to reach in a short time several towns, such as Venice, Ferrara, Verona, Turin as well as the coast of Liguria and the coast of Romagna.

Once you get to town, it is quite simple to travel within it. Parma can boast good public transports both in the urban area and in the surroundings. Tep, the local transport company, provides extensive daytime and night service covering the whole area, from town to province.

Access to the two areas called Isole ambientali is allowed only to residents and shopkeepers holding the specially provided permit. Besides, there are a few Restricted Traffic Areas or ZTL where access, from 7.30am to 8.30pm, is only allowed to residents and shopkeepers holding the specially provided permit. In all other areas parking is allowed in the blue lines: spaces for prepaid parking actually marked by the color blue. It is possible to pay at the parking meters scattered in the area or to buy a special prepaid ticket. Parking in the blue lines is free for all cars with a foreign plate.

The most convenient way to reach the historical centre is by leaving the car in one of the pay parkings, at short walking distance from the centre: Goito Parking, located between Viale Toscanini and Via Farini, Toschi Parking in Viale Mariotti and the Duc Parking in Viale Mentana.

For a few months during the year, cars are allowed in Parma on alternate days, depending on the number of the plate: even numbers on even days, odd numbers only on odd days. The only exceptions are for electrical cars, gas metano and gpl, car pooling of at least three people and car sharing.

MAP: http://turismo.comune.parma.it/tportalparma/application/tportal/engine/pubblica.jsp?db=tportalparma&id=cartinaIAT_en

Information: http://turismo.comune.parma.it/tportalparma/application/tportal/engine/pubblica.jsp?db=tportalparma&id=homeIAT_en&transformJava=true