ABOUT PARMA ...
| Parma has about 170,000 inhabitants. It is a lively and charming town rich in history, art, and culture. Founded in the Roman age, Parma has been shaped along the centuries by great painters and architects, and has inspired musicists and writers. |  |
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ART and CULTURE Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral) Square, which is considered one of the most beautiful Medieval squares in Italy, is dominated by the Romanesque Cathedral and by Antelami's pink marble Baptistery. |
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| Antelami’s work, together with Correggio's illusionistic frescoes (XVI cent.), which decorate the Cathedral and the Camera di San Paolo, and with Parmigianino's masterpieces in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata are the trademarks of the town. | ||
| Parma reached its maximum splendour under the influence of Marie Louise Habsburg, grand Duchess of Parma (1814-1847), the daughter of the emperor of Austria. She commissioned the Teatro Regio, a world-famous opera house and she opened to the public. the huge park around Palazzo Ducale. |
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