The City

Parma is one of those places where art, music, literature, history, traditions and good life go hand in hand. The city, as it is today, is strongly influenced by the heritage of some of the greats that have lived here in the past: Marie Louise, the great duchess of Parma, the genius of Arturo Toscanini, the visual harmony of Correggio, the immense talent of Giuseppe Verdi.

Founded in 183 B.C. by through a colonization effort by Roman citizens, Parma’s beginnings date back to the same period as the birth of other nearby towns, including Piacenza, Modena and Bologna. The city has flourished through the from the Middle Ages through the eighteenth century, offering important contributions to every major artistic and cultural periods.

During the Roman imperial period, the city centre boasted a forum (at todays Garibaldi Square), a theater and an amphitheater, public baths and a basilica. Some of the most important rulers of the city include the Visconti, the Sforza, the French and the Papacy from the 14th to the 16th century. In the year 1545, Pope Paul III established a Duchy with his son Pier Luigi Farnese as its ruler (a dynasty that lasted almost 200 years).

The year under the Napoleonic rule (1802- 1814) were followed by one of the most important historic periods for the city, when Parma’s administration was passed to Bonaparte's second wife Mary Louise (Maria Luigia of Austria), whose influential power lasted until her death in 1847. The Bourbon rule that followed was brief - Parma was joined in the Kingdom of Italy with a plebiscite on March 18, 1860.

A city of strong international footprint, Parma has been the home of the European Food Security Authority (EFSA) since 2005. In December 2015, Parma has been nominated as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. In 2018, Parma has been nominated Italian Capital of Culture 2020.
In 2017 Parma celebrates 2200 years since its foundation.