Parma

Parma, capital city of the province of Emilia - Romagna, has over 175,000 inhabitants and is located on the Emilia area between the Apennines and the Padan Plain, divided into two by the Parma stream (tributary to the Po). Its shifting climate stands out by its hot and sultry summers and winters with temperatures below zero. A typical winter scene is to see the Apennines thickly covered by snow due to the low temperatures of the place. The city of Parma boasts one of the most magnificent cathedrals of the Romanesque age, built between the years 1060 and 1073 and later restored after a violent earthquake. Parma is visited year-round by numerous tourists lured by a variety of historical, architectural and tourist attractions that render the Parmesan city one of the most picturesque places of Northern Italy. The Church of St. John the Evangelist, the Monastery of Saint Paul, the Palazzo della Pilotta, the Farnese Theatre, Teatro Regio (Royal Theatre) and the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) are among the most important and impressive places of the province. Some monuments worth mentioning are monuments to Verdi and Bottego and the Monumento alla Vittoria (Victory Memorial).