See Italy’s Capital of Culture 2020 through the eyes of an architect
Parma is widely-known for two things: its unmatched cuisine — wheels of Parmigiano and cured meats fill shop windows — and the master opera composer, Verdi. The city, in the Emilia-Romagna region, might be outshone by the more famous Bologna. Yet Parma has been at the center of Italy’s political and cultural scene for centuries, linked to legacies of families such as the Farnese, as well as Napoleon’s French Empire.
Finally nominated as 2020’s Italian Capital of Culture, the city showcases masterpiece monuments and “Parma yellow” buildings. As an architect who grew up in Parma, I had the privilege to walk by buildings every day that I had studied in my textbooks. Here’s how you can experience the city’s legacy for yourself.
Roman Era
Walking along the city center’s Strada Repubblica, I wonder how many of those around me know this is an urban section of the Via Aemilia, a Roman lifeline completed in 187 BC. Under this modern asphalt, some parts of the actual Roman road are still there. Further west is the Ponte di Mezzo (Middle Bridge), and the recently restored bridge underneath it, the Ponte Romano (Roman Bridge). Two semi-circular arches are visible, with nine still buried — but the bridge remains solid, young and old at the same time.
