Tourist itineraries

Recommended exit: A15, Parma Ovest – A1 Parma

The ancient capital of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (1545-1859), the city of Parma has been a university seat since the 11th century. Since 2004 it has also been the seat of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); since 1956 of the Magistrate for the Po River, today the Interregional Agency for the Po River (AIPO), and since 1994 of the Carabinieri’s Scientific Investigations Department (RIS), whose headquarters is located inside the beautiful Parco Ducale.
Every year in October the Festival Verdi is held, attracting artists and audiences from all over the world to listen to operas by the great composer.
In December 2015, Parma received the recognition of “UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy”.
In 2018, the city was nominated Italian Capital of Culture for the year 2020.

Sights:
The Cathedral: considered one of the greatest works of Romanesque architecture in Italy, it was consecrated in 1106 and its interior preserves the Deposition from the Cross, a bas-relief of 1178 by Benedetto Antelami, as well as the important Renaissance frescoes of the dome, by Correggio, and the three naves.
In addition: Church of San Francesco del Prato, Basilica della Steccata, Church of the Santissima Annunziata, Baptistery, Cittadella Park and Ducal Park, Valserena Abbey, Governor’s Palace, Petitot, Teatro Regio, and the Monumental Complex of the Pilotta, which houses the National Archaeological Museum, the National Gallery, the Palatine Library, the Bodoni Museum and the Farnese Theatre.
In Tabiano and Salsomaggiore there are important spa facilities with the Art Nouveau-Déco jewels of Terme Berzieri and the halls of the Palazzo dei Congressi; in the surrounding area there are numerous medieval buildings: the parish church of San Nicomede, the castles of Scipione, Tabiano, Bargone, and the castle and parish church of Contignaco.
Famous worldwide for its food and wine specialities, Parma is a city to be seen and enjoyed.

Recommended exit: A15, Sissa Trecasali

The municipalities of the Terre Verdiane Union are of historical, cultural and tourist importance. Fontanellato, Busseto, Roccabianca, Soragna and San Secondo are home to as many well-preserved medieval fortresses, open to the public and part of the Association of Castles of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Pontremoli. Busseto, in addition to the house where Giuseppe Verdi was born, is home to the prestigious theatre and museum dedicated to him. Fontevivo is built around a Cistercian abbey founded in 1142. Salsomaggiore is renowned for its curative waters, spa facilities and Art Nouveau buildings. Fidenza is an important stop on the Via Francigena, a destination for pilgrims on their way to Rome, and the Outlet Village located at the Fidenza exit.

The Union territory is also the place of origin of PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) food products that are appreciated and spread all over the world, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and Culatello di Zibello.

Sights: The Rocca dei Terzi in Sissa.

Recommended exit: A15, Borgotaro

The road that the abbots of Bobbio Abbey travelled to Rome between the 7th century and the year 1000 passed through the upper Taro Valley. Coming from the Ceno Valley it crossed the Taro on a bridge at Borgotaro, from there two roads climbed the watershed: the early medieval via montis Burgalis with the hospice of San Bartolomeo on the Borgallo pass and the medieval via del Brattello, both of which descended to Pontremoli.

The best known route is the Via Francigena, a road that pilgrims travelled in the Middle Ages and that connected Canterbury to Rome. It ran along the entire valley, from Noceto to the Cisa pass.
The Taro Valley is the richest and most famous area for porcini mushrooms, and in Borgo Val Taro the Fiera del Fungo di Borgotaro IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) is held in autumn.
In the higher part, the valley includes very picturesque villages, including Santa Maria del Taro (Tornolo) and a few kilometres from the Ligurian Sea, which can be reached via the Bocco Pass.
On the Upper Taro Valley stands the castle of Compiano, whose origins date back to before the year one thousand and which is part of the club of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.

Recommended exit: A15, Pontremoli

Pontremoli is the northernmost municipality in the Region of Tuscany, lying in the upper valley of the river Magra, at the confluence with the torrent Verde and the Valle del Verde, at the north-western end of the historical region known as Lunigiana. The centre lies in a basin surrounded by high hills, and is located on one of the most ancient routes connecting the Po Valley with Liguria and Tuscany, once the route of the Via Francigena, and still today the route of important road infrastructures such as the A15 motorway and the Pontremolese railway line, which directly connect Parma with La Spezia. It is divided into the old town centre and Verdeno, the inhabited area built in later times across the Verde stream.

Sights: the old town centre with its typical trattorias where you can taste testaroli, panigacci and other typical Lunigiana dishes.

Stele Statue Museum
The first human settlements in Pontremoli date back to the 1st millennium B.C.; finds of ancient anthropomorphic megalithic artefacts, scattered more or less all over Lunigiana and better known as Stele Statues, now preserved in the museum inside the Piagnaro castle above, testify to the presence of inhabited nuclei at least until the arrival of the Etruscans, around the 7th century B.C.. The phenomena of mixing between Etruscans and indigenous tribes gave rise to what was identified as the Liguri Apuani population.