MUSICAL ITINERARY: A VERDIAN TOUR TO DISCOVER THE OPERAS AND THEATRES OF PARMA

The city of Parma: a magical, infinite and richly nuanced place where, through an indissoluble bond between art, music, literature, history, ancient traditions and the pleasure of living, it is possible to stop time and immerse oneself in the most intense and profound culture.

Thanks to its nickname, “Città Ducale” (Ducal City), Parma has always attracted numerous tourists and visitors from all over the world, seduced and enchanted by its unique charm, which is not only due to its cultural riches but also to the indelible mark left by great figures from the past, confirming its innate status as a cultural centre. In particular, Parma is the land of the legendary composer Giuseppe Verdi, whose exploits are recounted along its streets and alleys, guiding the city’s musical repertoire and making it a tourist destination for all music lovers. The heart of Parma and all its inhabitants beats to the rhythm of music, in particular the great and renowned Verdi opera that permeates the city’s atmosphere. This passion, however, goes beyond the Parma-Verdi pairing: it is evident in the variety of themed events and facilities dedicated to musical culture, honouring not only the great “Swan of Busseto”, but also exceptional figures such as Niccolò Paganini and Arturo Toscanini, who echo in Parma’s musical history.

In honour of music and its great protagonists throughout history, this themed itinerary has been designed and proposed to allow all types of visitors to contemplate and discover the deep roots of Parma’s musical culture, hidden in splendid monuments and structures such as the theatres that dot the city and represent the symbol of Parma’s musical excellence.
The route starts at the Niccolò Paganini Auditorium, in Via Toscana 5A, and then continues to the Casa del Suono in Piazzale Salvo d’Acquisto and then to the Casa della Musica, with the adjacent Opera Museum, in Piazzale San Francesco 1. After a thorough visit, it will be time to visit the Monument to Giuseppe Verdi, located in Piazza della Pace, and then the first splendid theatre that can be admired on the itinerary: the Teatro Regio, in Strada Giuseppe Garibaldi 16A. The next stops will be the Teatro Farnese, in Piazza della Pilotta 15, and the Arturo Toscanini Birthplace Museum, in Borgo Rodolfo Tanzi 13. The musical tour will end inside the Ducal Park, where visitors can fully appreciate the Teatro al Parco and its important architectural structure surrounded by greenery.

Main themes: musical, historical, artistic
Mode: on foot / by bike
Duration: 3 h
Indications:
– Type of excursion: one way
– Difficulty: easy
– Lenght: 3,7 km
– Height difference: 12 m ascent, 9 m descent

Route stages
Start: Niccolò Paganini Auditorium (Via Toscana 5A, Parma).
Designed by Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 2001, the Niccolò Paganini Auditorium is dedicated to the musician whom Maria Luigia appointed as conductor of the Ducal Orchestra in 1836. It stands in the city park, where Renzo Piano was struck by the impact of the large perimeter walls of the building that once housed the Eridania sugar factory. The Auditorium is covered by steel trusses, accompanied by an ancillary building used as a maintenance workshop and a 45-metre-high funnel. The foyer is arranged on two levels connected by a wide staircase: at the bottom are the cloakroom areas, at the top is the access to the bar and the stalls. The structure seats 780 people on a single, slightly sloping level to improve visibility of the stage, which is set against a backdrop of Lebanese cedars, oaks and plane trees in the park.

Stage 1: Casa del Suono (Piazzale Salvo d’Acquisto, Parma).
A facility that hosts a cutting-edge project in the field of art and technology, born from the collaboration between the Casa della Musica and the University of Parma. Created with the aim of reflecting on the different ways of listening to and enjoying music, it takes visitors on a journey through the history and evolution of musical instruments, from the gramophone of yesteryear to the current iPod.

Stage 2: Casa della Musica and Opera Museum (Piazzale San Francesco 1, Parma).
The walls of the Fifteenth-Century Palazzo Cusani are home to the Casa della Musica, which manages a system consisting of museums, exhibition halls and services open to the public. One of these is the Museo dell’Opera, which draws on Parma’s tradition to retrace four centuries of opera history through the themes, places and protagonists that have marked its journey from its origins to the present day.

Stage 3: Monument to Giuseppe Verdi (Piazza della Pace, Parma).
A granite and bronze work dedicated to the master composer Giuseppe Verdi, damaged during the bombings of the Second World War. It consists of a huge triumphal arch, surmounted by lions pulling a mythological chariot and surrounded by statues depicting characters from Verdi’s 27 canonical operas, arranged in the correct chronological order of composition.

Stage 4: Regio Theatre (Strada Giuseppe Garibaldi 16A, Parma).
One of the most important opera houses in the history of Italian tradition. Designed and built between 1821 and 1829 by Nicola Bettòli on commission from Maria Luigia, the Regio Theatre (at the time called the Nuovo Teatro Ducale) stands on the site previously occupied by the ancient monastery of Sant’Alessandro. It has a majestic neoclassical façade, a square-shaped atrium and a ceiling supported by eight Ionic columns with carved capitals, depicting the leading figures of dramatic art (by Gian Battista Borghesi): Lino, Aristophanes, Euripides, Plautus, Seneca, Metastasio, Alfieri and Goldoni.

Stage 5: Farnese Theatre (Piazza della Pilotta 15, Parma).
The first modern theatre in the West. Located on the first floor of the Palazzo della Pilotta, it was built in the ancient “Sala d’Arme” (Arms Room) of the court between 1617 and 1618, based on a design by Ferrara architect Giovan Battista Aleotti. Made with materials such as wood and stucco painted to simulate marble and precious metals, the theatre was built at the behest of the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Ranuccio I Farnese (1593-1622), who intended to celebrate with pomp and circumstance the visit to Parma of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo II de’ Medici (which never took place). Almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing in May 1944, the theatre was rebuilt starting in 1956.

Stage 6: Arturo Toscanini Birthplace Museum (Borgo Rodolfo Tanzi 13, Parma).
The building is the house where maestro Arturo Toscanini was born in 1967. In 1967, it was decided to restore the house to its original appearance and, today, it houses a number of memorabilia from Toscanini’s life, which can be discovered in the various rooms.

Arrive: Theatre at Park (Ducal Park, Parma).
Located within one of Italy’s most beautiful monumental gardens, the Theatre at Park is today a multi-purpose venue that caters to a variety of needs. Built in the 1930s to host trade fairs, in 1987, following an agreement with the Municipality of Parma, it became the permanent home of the Teatro delle Briciole Theatre Company, offering the city of Parma a rich programme of theatrical performances.


Useful tips: Comfortable shoes for walking, water supplies and layered clothing. At the end of the itinerary, we recommend visiting the adjacent Corale Verdi’s Bistrot (Vicolo Asdente 9), which welcomes tourists for lunch featuring delicious local products. For further information or reservations, please call in advance on 3208648480 (Website: https://bistrotcoraleverdi.eatbu.com/?lang=en).