• Italy: Ciao Bella
    The entrance to the Monumental Complex of Pilotta — Parma, Italy.
    Looking up toward the grand entrance to the Farnese Theater ... Palazzo della Pilotta — Parma, ItalyThe grand entrance to the Farnese Theater ... Palazzo della Pilotta — Parma, Italy.Historic photo of the Farnese Theater ... this entire area was covered with scaffolding today.Horseshoe-shaped seating at the Farnese Theater ... could accommodate 3,000 spectators — Parma.Leonardo da Vinci's "La Scapiliata" (c. 1492-1501) in a 15th/16th century Italian frame.Double faced flint (center) from the Paleolithic Period (3.3 MYA to 11,650/10,000 years ago).Neolithic statue of a woman representing a "lady of death and rebirth" (5th Millennium BC).Celtic bronze helmet found in a burial structure in the Parma Apennines (3rd century BC).These statues from the Veleia excavations led to the founding of the Archaeological Museum in 1760.Statue of Germanicus with the head modified into that of Nerva (1st century AD).Ceiling detail from the room with the statues — Palazzo della Pilotta.Back of one of the Etruscan mirrors in the collection (4th-2nd centuries BC)Fragment of the tomb of Imeneminet, high-ranking military officer (Saqqara, Egypt; 1330-1295 BC).National Gallery at the Palazzo della Pilotta — Parma, Italy.Palatine Colossi are the 2 giant statues of Dionysius (top left) and Hercules (top right/bottom).Canova's "Maria Luigia of Austria as Concordia" (1810).Giovan Battista Borghesi's portrait of Marie Louise of Habsburg (1839)."The Madonna of St Jerome" (1526-1528) by Antonio Allegri (aka Correggio).Inner Courtyard from the National Gallery (from a streaky window; sorry) — Palazzo della Pilotta.Hans Holbein's "Erasmus of Rotterdam" (c. 1530).The Farnese coat of arms near the Palatini Library @ the Palazzo della Pilotta.The Palatini Library — Palazzo della Pilotta.17th century ebony and ivory cabinet made in Central Italy."Coronation of the Virgin" by Correggio ... fragment from the apse of a church in Parma (c. 1522)."The Turkish Slave" (1530) by Francesco Mazzola (aka il Parmigianino).

    Parma: Monumental Complex of Pilotta

    April 9 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    After lunch, we walked over to the Piazza della Pace … where we started out our day in Parma this morning.

    Our destination was the Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta … which was built as a palazzo for the Farnese Court, integrating the ducal residences and connected to the Ducal and Garden palaces that were across the river. Built around 1583, it was expanded over a period of time. Its name comes from a noble game called pelota that was played in the courtyards on specific occasions.

    Today, in addition to the Farnese Theater, which replaced a large palace hall in 1618 as the first modern theater in the Western World, the complex consists of the Palatina library, which was established here in the mid 18th century, and also houses the National Museum of Archaeology, the Bodoni Museum, and the National Gallery of Parma. The Fine Arts School is also housed in a wing of the palace, but it is not open to visitors.

    Our first stop was the ticket office … where we were given a €4pp discount on the admission because parts of the complex are closed due to ongoing restoration work. Securing our daypack in a locker, we headed off to explore what was open today. We had a brochure with a map of the building to help guide us, but with the restoration closures, we were soon ‘lost’. The good news? Staff stationed around the complex, were happy to help us get on track.

    Since the complex is massive and there is so much to see, we made a ‘game’ out of our visit … sort of like a scavenger hunt for the pieces highlighted in the brochure.

    When we left the museum around 3:30p, our route back to the train station took us through an international food festival on a street lined with stalls. Delicious smells were emanating from several of them as they prepared for tonight’s opening. Still full from lunch, we were satisfied to just smell and not partake.

    We managed to make the 3:58p train back to Bologna … a regional train with a few more stops than the train we took this morning. Nonetheless, we were back at Bologna Centrale at 5:10p … just in time to walk out of the station and hop on bus 25 back to our neighborhood.

    Our visit to Parma proved to be a lovely pre-birthday trip that gave us a taste of the city. We’ll go back to explore further, but first we have other places that we have not yet been to that we need to tackle.    Read more