10
October 2019
Currents
Globetrotter
By: Max Edwards
Parma-Cheese, Ham, And Italian Rocca
The Charterhouse of Parma, described by French
writer, Stendhal, never existed.
But, Parma, the city, has starred
in many real-life dramas.
Founded by Etruscans, and
named for the round shield of
Roman soldiers, Parma has been
center stage in Byzantine
intrigues,
Papist
conflicts,
medieval feudal ambitions, and
post-Napoleonic politics. Over
Parma’s roads, Northern Europe
once trod toward Rome. All of
Italy’s history is here.
Today, with 200,000 inhabi-
tants, Parma is a quiet refuge, at
ease with its rich inheritance.
Deep in the Emilia-Romagna
region, it can serve as a base for
exploring northern and central
Italy. Milan is 100 miles away by
car, or 1 ½ hours by train.
Bologna is an hour by train, Flo-
rence less than two.
A rail pass is indispensable
(www.raileurope.com). Hotels are
less costly in Parma.
Once a regional capital,
Parma’s buildings are grand, of
Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque,
and Neoclassical eras.
The
churches hold priceless sculp-
tures, frescoes, and paintings.
The Duomo on Piazza Duomo
contains Correggio’s 1534 mas-
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