Northern Italy Road Trip: Parma

Parma, Italy

Now where were we? Ah yes, after two days of gluttony in Sirmione, we hit the road again. One and a half hours later we were checking into the Palazzo dalla Rosa Prati right in the center of Parma. 

frescoed dome in Parma, Italy

We spent our first day in Parma wandering around town, checking out the churches, piazzas, art galleries, gelaterias, and cafes.  Parma has a medium-sized old town, easy enough to cover on foot if you’re not in a hurry.

Aperitivo hour in Parma

We found aperitivi and stuzzichini at Caffe Garibaldi on Piazza Garibaldi (the Italians who name things, they love Garibaldi).

Sformato di parmiggiano at Parizzi

Before we knew it, it was time to head to Parizzi for our dinner reservation. The atmosphere immediately reminded me of Joia, my favorite haute cuisine restaurant in Milan. The food was a little less haute-y than at Joia, and the service was a little on the grumpy side, but the food lived up to the restaurant’s glowing reputation.

My first course was a sformato di parmigiano (sort of like a cheese soufflé), which was followed by lasagnette with Swiss chard and parmigiano. Next came the cheese course: three different ages of parmigiano. When in Parma…

Palazzo dalla Rosa Prati, our hotel

Our second day in Parma started at the Galleria Nazionale to take in their collection of Correggios and Parmigianinos. The building also contains an exceptionally lovely old theater that is definitely worth a peek inside.

Gelato from K2

Gelato was found at K2, where the servers (rumored to be nuns)  smoosh your preferred flavors into roses atop cones.

more Parma

After more wandering we settled into an outdoor table at Enoteca Fontana on Via Farini (a nice walking street, and good for people-watching). Their menu featured many affordable and tasty wines by the glass.

Wine in Parma

The grand finale to our time in Parma was dinner at La Greppia. This small, cozy restaurant made me very, very happy. Everything I put in my mouth was delicious. My lady menu didn’t have any numbers printed on it, so I can only assume that everything was quite reasonably priced, too (these throwback menus popped up surprisingly often on this trip).

Malfatti with saffron and walnuts

Whole wheat malfatti with saffron and walnuts. Polenta with roasted yellow peppers. Chestnut fettuccione with ricotta fresca. Artichokes stuffed with dried mushrooms.

artichokes stuffed with dried mushrooms

And then, of course, the parmigiano course.

Parmigiano

The dessert cart was a sight to behold. This place got lots of bonus points for presentation.

dessert cart

We settled on a meringue cake with chocolate and almonds.

poached pears on the dessert cart

Our waiter was happy to recommend some outstanding grappas to finish off our meal.

Grappa at La Greppia

Parma lived up to its reputation as a great foodie destination. It was worth it to do a little research and book our dinners in advance, especially since most restaurants are closed for one or two nights per week, and we weren’t going to be there long.

Ciao, Parma!

The next morning it was time to reclaim the car from wherever it had been hiding and continue on to the next stop on our northern Italy road trip.

2 thoughts on “Northern Italy Road Trip: Parma”

  1. Looks nice, but awfully darn hot — at least from the color temperatures in your photos.

    How did you cope? Or is it just the white balance?

  2. Must just be the white balance. It was really really sunny but just barely too hot by my standards (so, not warm enough by everyone else’s).

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