Parma, Italy

How funny - we'll be going to Parma from the Cinque Terra on our fall trip and were thinking of Bolonga as a day trip. I'll be interested to see the what people here have to say about these two towns...........

Am in Bologna for a week at the moment. It is our second visit and, thank goodness, we are glad that we have returned. It is a lively friendly city with a laid back attitude. It has a lot of visitors, both business and tourist (mostly Italian and European), and in our experience it welcomes and treats them well. The other nice thing is that the old city centre is more or less traffic free so no dodging scooters and cars, just watch out for the bicycles. Also traffic stops for you on pedestrian crossings! It is not a "quaint" place but has some fine old buldings and interesting back streets to wander around. And of course the food, you are spoilt for choice. Walking around after dinner this evening we passed some busy bars and cafes, some with live music, overflowing on to the street. Because of the University there are lots of young people around. There was a rock concert in Piazza Maggiore yesterday afternoon and I can imagine this might, given the setting, upset some visitors doing the cultural thing. It upset my OH because the performers were murdering some British and American classics, their sound system was doing them no favours!

Parma is certainly worth a stop, but deserves more than just "a few hours." The train station is a short walk to downtown, but it all depends on your interests. For example, if you're an opera fan, Parma has a beautiful theatre and is is where Verdi came from (his native town, Busseto, a short train ride away, has related museums and sights.) Great restaurants all over, great risotto! Parma and nearby areas are also home to the great Parmesan cheese, which you can see being made on a tour, and Parma's famous prosciutto ham is also made there. Good museums in Parma, as well. Give it a couple of days, at least. I would pick Parma over Bologna.

We recently spent two nights (one full day) in Parma and a travel day in Modena on the way from from MPX to Bologna. Both are lovely. Both justify more time than we allowed. Both are also nice stops for a few hours on the way to Bologna if that is all the time you have. Note, most all museums, theaters, villas, etc. in Parma are closed on Monday. If that is your travel day, go to Modena instead. In Modena, we had a wonderful experience touring Acetaia di Giorgio (http://www.acetaiadigiorgio.it/english.htm) and then eating lunch at Trattoria Ermes (http://lagrandeabbuffata.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/trattoria-ermes-modena-mo/).