Parma.

I apologise for not having kept up to date with this blog. It's fair to say I have been TERRIBLE but I have bought a journal/scrap bookback from the xmas holidays and having looked through everything that I have collected from my various trips I will hopefully now find it easier to update this.


This was the third on the list and I went here waaaay back in October '13 for the day with 4 friends.

We arrived and surprise surprise our first stop was lunch. I had done some research (which I thoroughly recommend when visiting somewhere new, especially for the day) and after wondering around trying to find the place I had seen online, we were about to give up and give over to our rumbling tummies and go to the next place we saw. Thankfully we found the restaurant, and thank goodness we did!

The place is called Trattoria Corrieri on Via Conservatorio which is a fairly empty street behind the university, you might need a map!

This place was highly recommended on Trip Advisor and by Italian locals and rightly so!
It was a saturday when we went and even though we hadn't booked there was one table left, the place was jam-packed with italian families, which is always a good sign!

As we were in Parma, we just had to have the shared starter of torta fritta (or fried pillows of bread) and a platter of prosciutto crudo (parma ham) and parmigiano reggiano (parmesan). What a treat to have parmesan and parma ham in Parma!!!!! We were pretty full up after all of that food but went on to have some tagliatelle al ragu, all washed down with a bottle of red wine, of course.

We then thought we had better do something cultural, or rather I forced the others into it.

They thanked me however, as the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Steccata
in Parma is beautiful with a dome painted to look like the ascension into heaven.

 

We didn't pay for the basilica but it's still a pretty good view from the outside so it's enough to just wonder around so you can save the pennies for something else. i.e. food.... ;)

The Duomo has a crypt so make sure you find the stairs down to it once you get inside!













Round the back of the duomo I had heard of a gelateria who's ice cream was supposedly made by nuns. Much to the amusement of my friends. Its called K2 and is on Strada Benedetto Cairoli. We didn't see any nuns unfortunately but the ice cream was pretty good, although that might just have been because they made it in a cool flower shape on your cone. 

The beautiful architecture of Parma!

Make sure you stop off at the deli shops on the way back to the train station!

For me, it doesn't get better.. Parmesan and Parma ham from Parma. mmmmmmm...

All in all, Parma is a lovely city with plenty to see and do in a day. I can't wait to go back!