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Five great reasons why Parma is Italy’s 2020 capital of culture

Congratulations, Parma: the northern city has been named Italy's Capital of Culture for 2020.

Published: 16 February 2018 16:21 CET
Updated: 13 January 2020 08:54 CET
Five great reasons why Parma is Italy's 2020 capital of culture
Parma's Piazza Duomo. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

A jury “unanimously” picked Parma over nine other Italian cities, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced, beating Agrigento, Bitonto, Casale Monferrato, Macerata, Merano, Nuoro, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Treviso.

Parma takes over the title from Italy's 2018 Capital of Culture, Palermo, and the 2019 European Capital of Culture, Matera. 

It's second time lucky for the city, which bid unsuccessfully for the 2017 honour. (It lost out to Pistoia in Tuscany.)

Here are just five of the reasons why Parma deserved it this time round.

It's food heaven


Branded Parma ham. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Parma ham and Parmesan cheese have made the city a household name all over the world. But they're far from its only exports: Emilia-Romagna, where Parma lies, produces more origin-protected food and drink than any other region in Italy.

In the plains around Parma you'll find some of Italy's finest artisans making some of its tastiest prosciutto, salami, cheese and porcini mushrooms – all of which can be sampled in abundance in the city itself. It's home to the top school of Italian cooking, Alma, and the only place in Italy to earn Unesco's “creative city” badge for its gastronomy. 

It has opera in its soul

A statue of Giuseppe Verdi in Busseto, the comune near Parma where the composer lived. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Parma province gave the world two of Italy's most famous musicians, composer Giuseppe Verdi and conductor Arturo Toscanini, and you'll find their legacy not only at their birthplaces (now museums) but in the concert hall, philharmonic orchestra and annual opera festival named after them.
 
Welcoming music from further afield, Parma's two largest venues – the 19th-century Teatro Regio and modern Auditorium Paganini – look and sound fantastic, in entirely different ways. And its House of Music museum is one of the most comprehensive resources around for anyone interested in the history of Italian opera. 

There's art everywhere


The Baptistery ceiling. Photo: vvoennyy/DepositPhotos

Really, everywhere: not only in the Galleria Nazionale, which houses work by local artists Parmigianino and Correggio alongside those of Da Vinci and Canaletto, but in its many private galleries and in the city's churches, where spectacular frescoes illuminate the walls and domes.

Not to mention the University of Parma's collection of more recent fine art, photography and fashion, as well as the Parma 360 Festival of contemporary creativity in all its forms, including music, illustration and graphic design.

Its architecture doesn't stand still


The Auditorium Paganini. Photo: bbsferrari/DepositPhotos

Central Parma boasts jewels of medieval, Renaissance and baroque architecture – the glorious cathedral, octagonal baptistery, all-wood Teatro Farnese and Palazzo della Pilotta to name but a few.

Yet it isn't afraid to mix it up: in recent years Parma has added contemporary designs to its architectural attractions, including the Barilla Centre and Auditorium Paganini, converted from an old sugar factory by Renzo Piano; the reworked Piazalle della Pace by Mario Botta; and Paolo Mancini's airy Piazza Ghiaia. 

Its museums innovate


The Masone Labyrinth. Photo: scrisman/DepositPhotos

Parma's abundant museums are anything but stuffy. As well as art collections and historical artefacts, you'll also find entire displays dedicated to food, sound recording and the local football team.

Just outside Parma, and gracing the logo for its Capital of Culture bid, is the Labirinto della Masone, the world's largest maze, built by editor Franco Maria Ricci as a promise to writer Jorge Luis Borges.

What's more, as part of its candidacy Parma has pledged to further broaden its cultural attractions, commissioning installations outside the city centre and inviting artists from elsewhere in Italy and the world to give their own creative view of the city.

For members

FOOD AND DRINK

Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

As well as its most famous cocktails, Italy has a long tradition of making refreshing aperitivo drinks without the alcohol.

Published: 11 April 2024 12:01 CEST
Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

Italy’s favourite aperitivo-hour cocktails are known far beyond the country’s borders, so their names will probably be familiar to you whether you drink them or not.

But if you’re in Italy and not drinking alcohol, you might find yourself stumped when it comes time to order your aperitivo at the bar.

The first time I found myself in this situation, there was no menu. The waiter instead rattled off a long list of all the soft drinks available, most of which I’d never heard of, and I just picked something I thought sounded nice.

Luckily it turns out that Italy has some great options for an aperitivo analcolico. As well as ‘virgin’ versions of well-known cocktails, there are bitters, sodas and other Italian-made soft drinks that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

They might not be quite as iconic as the Aperol Spritz, but they’re as thoroughly Italian – plus, effortlessly ordering one of these will make you look like a true local.

SanBittèr

San Pellegrino’s SanBittèr is one of the most famous non-alcoholic Italian drinks of all, with its highly-recognisable red packaging, often enjoyed in place of Campari cocktails because of its similar dark, ruby-red color.

This drink is carbonated with a slightly sweet, citrus flavor. The recipe is more complex than that of an orange or lemon soda, with notes of spice and herbs, making it ideal to pair with your aperitivo-hour snacks.

Crodino

Crodino looks a lot like an Aperol Spritz with its bright orange hue, and that’s not an accident: it’s said to have been created as a non-alcoholic alternative, and the zesty, slightly herbal taste is similar. It’s typically served the same way. in a round goblet glass over ice with a slice of orange: a Crodino Spritz.

The name comes from the town of Crodo in Piedmont, where it is still bottled today by the Campari group.

Chinotto

Citrusy Chinotto is an acquired taste for many, but it’s worth trying: it’s one of the classic Italian bitters and is said to have a long history, dating back to a recipe shared by Chinese sailors arriving on the Ligurian coast in the 1500s.

It may look a little like Coca Cola, but don’t let the appearance fool you.

(Photo by Eugene Gologursky /Getty Images via AFP)

Aranciata/Limonata

Aranciata is Italy’s version of an orange soda, but not as sugary, and it tastes like oranges. Its base is sparkling water with the addition of orange juice and sugar. There are various brands, but San Pellegrino’s is the most popular. It also sells a ‘bitter’ aranciata amaro, with even less sugar, more citrus tang and herbal notes, which might be more aperitivo-hour appropriate.

Limonata is, as you might guess, the Italian answer to lemonade. Again there are many versions out there but the fizzy San Pellegrino limonata is beloved for its strong, sweet-sour flavour and there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer’s day.

Cedrata

Cedrata is one of Italy’s oldest and best-known non-alcoholic drinks. It’s a refreshing, carbonated drink made from a large citrus fruit called a cedro, grown in southern Italy. It’s far less bitter than a Chinotto, but not as sweet as limonata.

The main producer of Cedrata today is Tassoni, and this is what you’re likely to get if you order it at a bar.

Gingerino

This is harder to find than the other aperitivi on the list and is seen as decidedly retro, but it’s worth trying if you can track it down.

It’s another orange-coloured, sparkling drink which became popular in Italy in the 1970s and is still sold today, though you’re more likely to find it in the north-east, close to Venice, where it’s produced.

You may be expecting it to taste a lot like ginger beer, and there are similarities, but it has stronger citrus notes and more bitterness.

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