Sunday May 7, 2023
We manage to squeeze in breakfast in our room before making the 1.5 mile walk to the train station. Dave and Gwen are taking a cab from their place to save the walk but we want the exercise so we can have a gelato guilt free. We arrive in Parma at 1030 and make our way to the apartment. We are both staying in the same place here so that makes things easier.. We arrive about 1050 with no navigation problems and Laura Is supposed to meet us at 1100 to drop our bags. 1100 rolls around and no one shows. While we wait, here is a fast rundown on Parma. The Romans founded the city in 183 B.C. And it was an important road junction. It was rebuilt in the Middle Ages and ruled by its Bishops from the 9th century on. It is the city that the Tricolore Italian Flag was first adopted in. A few minutes later we get a text that apologizes as she cannot make it but to ring another apartment and her mother will let us in. We do and Mama comes down. Only problem is her English is non existent and I understand some of what she says but there is a bit of confusion as to who has what room and one is ready but another is not. The housekeeper comes out and she does not speak English either but we get through it. Carol and I can put our packs in our room and Dave and Gwen can move into theirs. To be certain Mama puts me on the phone with her grandson who speaks english and explains everything we just did and the key system for the gate and rooms. Mama gives us our keys and we are ready to go. We stroll towards a restaurant that I have reserved as they only serve lunch on Sundays and are closed on Mondays.
We wonder around a bit trying to find a little street, turns out to be more like an alleyway, which is a mini adventure in itself. My hand drawn map has it between two streets which we find but it is not exactly there. One street over and down another and we find it, unmarked except for the restaurant sign halfway down it. Il Righoletto is the name of the restaurant and at 1230, the owner welcomes us in. As we look at the menu, he starts turning people away as they are fully booked so I am glad we reserved while we were in Bologna.
We are in Parma so there is no question about ordering an antipasto of Prosciutto di Parma and Parmesano Reggiano Cheese aged 36 months. A bottle of red for Carol and I will complement our meal today. We also get Righolettos Bomb which is a baked bread dough with Brie, arugula and more Parma ham. Everything is excellent. Carol and I share a Parmesan Tortelli with ricotta and spinach pasta and beef tenderloin with balsamic, Pomegranite and potatoes. If you check our plates at the end you can tell it was no good. While we wait between courses, we talk to the owner as there are some very cool photographs on the wall. Turns out they were all shot by his wife and they are the stars in all of them. He says that when Covid happened they could not pay the bills due to the dining rules so they had to find another way to make up the difference and survive. Photography was the answer for them. I told him his wife was an artist and he said also in the kitchen as she is the chef. It is a two person operation, he does everything out front ad she cooks. The place gets very busy as we eat and I tell him I can see how he doesn’t gain weight as he works very hard. We are really glad we got to experience a meal here.
When we leave, we walk toward the Pilotta Palace which houses the National Art gallery, Archeological Museum, and the Farnese Theatre. It is the Theatre which really interests us. Dave and Gwen do not care to spend money on more museums so we are about to part ways when I discover that they are all free today. It is the first Sunday of the month and in most towns in Italy, this means free museums. We yell at Dave and Gwen to come back and they join us. The first thing we enter is the Farnese Theatre. Created in the 1600’s, at that time it was the largest theatre in the world and could hold a crowd of 4,500 people. The theatre is constructed almost entirely out of wood. The circular theatre with ornately carved wooden seating was almost completely destroyed during WWII, but has been meticulously restored to show the extravagant lifestyle of the Farnese Royal Court. It is really a magnificent and beautiful structure and you can walk backstage as well which is amazing to see all the riggings and the height of it all.
Somehow, we end up walking in to the art museum which is apparently connected. Dave more than Gwenn does not want to do the museum and tries to exit the way we came in. The Italian Museum Police will have none of it. You must go the way taxis meant and this ends up meaning through the whole museum much to Daves chagrin. We enjoy some sculptured busts of the royal Farnese Family, ceramics, paintings, and a sculpture by Canova. There is also a beautiful 3D framed canvas of me. It is almost as if I have completely jumped out of the painting. Quite mesmerizing. It took some time but we finally make it out of the museum.
We just meander around getting a feel of the city. We step into an open church for a visit. We pass a street that is full of mirrors hanging above it. We guess it reflects the lights at night and the people in the day. It is an odd form of street art. As seems to be the case here, our day has filled up and it is 1800 by the time we return to our place. Since we had a full meal at lunch, we discuss having pizza for dinner. At the apartment, we google pizza places in Parma and a place called Pizzium shows up as the number one in town. It is a little further than some others, about three quarters of a mile, but the consensus is to go try it.
We enjoy the walk and the streets along the way are lined with colorful houses. We are walking in a different part of town than earlier which is always nice. We get to a Main Street turn left and there it is. There are quite a few people eating and the pizza looks good. The waiter asks if he can help us? (In English). Carol says why are you speaking english, how do you know we are not Italian? I think it is funny that she says this in English. His response is well how do I say it, you look like tourists? We then ask for a table and get the dreaded question of do you have a reservation? We do not and he says to wait a minute and goes inside. Returning he says we can have a table if we want to sit outside. Outside it is then.
Carol and I order a spicy ventricina Salami pizza and one with eggplant, mozzarella, and Parmesan flakes (we are in Parma!). The pizzas are named for the regions they represent and they tell where each ingredient comes from on the menu. Ours are the Molise and the Siciliana. Some white wine to wash it down. White because it is a tad on the warm side out and we wanted a nice chilled wine this evening. When the waiter took our order, he asked where we were from so we tell him, United States and Utah. When he returned with our wine I ask where are you from. He is from Brescia but is going to the University here. His name is Francesco and he is very personable. I ask where he learned English and he says he went to school for a year in England and I say well then you do not know how to speak English!! I also tell him I am going to tell his boss he deserves a raise.
The manager comes around later to see if everything was good and I tell him in Italian that Francesco is the best and he should give him a raise. He says he agrees but unfortunately tomorrow is his last day. When Francesco comes back, I ask him about it and he says he is going back home for a bit to help his family and will be finishing school there. At the end of the meal, the manager comes back and asks if we would like a limoncello. Of course, and he brings four limoncellos on the house. We have not seen anyone else getting shots so I figure it is because I talked to him a little in Italian and maybe Francesco said something too. At any rate, it is a nice ending to a great meal in Parma. Did I mention that the pizzas were amazing. They were.
By the time we leave it is dark and we walk back on the quiet streets towards the Piazza Duomo near where we are staying. Our place is only one block from the Duomo and the main streets of the old town. Along the way Carol spots Batman in a tower watching over the town. We do somehow manage to find a Gelato place to enjoy as our dessert. So far Parma has been wonderful and after Bologna, it seems so quiet and relaxed. Bologna was great but is a big city with lots of city activity. Here is the complete opposite, quiet streets and more laid back. Tomorrow should continue that trend as we do not have any major sightseeing planned. Time for bed.
Expense Train from Bologna to Parma 16E Lunch at Il Rigoletto 61E Dinner at Pizzium 35E Gelato 7E Luigi at Palazzo Bianca 76.54E +4E Tax Walked 8.4 Miles
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