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PARMA.
Departing Lago Di Orta we headed east across the Po river valley region to another major town from the past, both Roman and Byzantine times, Parma. Our first visuit was just a whistle stop for lunch a bit of sightseeing so we headed into the Duomo Piazza, queed up for some lunch and began the discovery. First up was the amazing baptistry adjacent to the Duomo and this one was next level on design, execution and detail. Built around 1200AD the San Giovanni Battista is a unique building in that it soars up 6 stoeys and yet is one open structure inside. The big dome is supported without buttreses and its pink Verona marble casing inside and out gives it a light apprearance but in reality it is a solid Romanesque meets Gothic structural masterpiece. It consists of four tiers of open loggias and architraved portals. The cupola vault was frescoed in the 13 hundreds in the Byzantine icongraphic style and depicts a whole lot of bible bits that it was hard to get a real feeling of what its was all about, but it looked stunning.
The sculptures that adorn the walls are a mix of wooden and stone forms from very intricate like the entry portico above and Baptisimal basin below to very simple juvenile depictions such as the nativity scene below.
We could not get access to the Duomo so vowed to come back on our return loop to check it out. So instead we wandered around the streets of the old town and saw all the left over decorations for the Verdi festival that had just been completed.
Before heading off we wanted to visit the Farnese Theatre in the Palazzo della Pilotta as well as the archilogical museowhich are accessed through Piazza della Pace gardens and water feature.
The Theatre is built entirly of timber but the current structure was restrored significantly having being damaged in Allied bombing during WW2. Built true to its original specs the theatre is used more today that it ever was since its construction in the early 1600’s, and that is due to the massive costs of conductions performances in its first floor location. It is truly a wonderous sight and a rarity even in past times.
They put on light shows every hour for visitors to highlight the types of performances in the past and show off the intricate detail of the sets created for the aristocracy of the renaissance.
Every major Italian city has a great Archilogical museo and Parma did not diassapoint because the Romans made a lot of stuff and its buried everywhere so what gets unearthed is always spectacular.
The Emilia Romagna region was significant in the three big conflicts of the modern age for Italians. First in the unification wars of the mid1800’s the region had mixed views on the idea but came out in support of unification and Joined Garabaldi and Ferrero in the battles. next was WW1 and the support for Italy on the battles in theAlps against the Austrians and then in WW2 it was the scene of the bloodiest battles to be fought in Italy as the remnats of the Axis armies were desperate not to reteat so it was the local partisans who paved the way for the Allies to break through. The statue below is the Monumento al Partigiano (partisans) in the palazzo gardens.
On our second visit a few weeks later we wandered the Parco Ducale and its surrounding buildins and Palazzo and it is so good to see the care taken in maintaining old frescos from medieval and reneicence times.
We explored the town further spreading beyond our first visit and found this facinatinf lane with mirrored screens suspended between the buildings which just goes to show what a bit of imagination can do to add some flair and interest to a town.
Well the Duomo was open this day and wow what a sight it was to experience, we loved the pink Verona marble entry portico and the Venetian lions guarding the entry but it was inside that really impressed.
Huge vaulted Cupola’s with spiralling assentions to the heavans as usual but the real interest for us was around the fringes down the ailes where the frescos were more intentional in story telling but also very risqué in the execution.
Nakedness everywhere and the more you looked the more you saw what the artists got away with in these very conservative times.
Intertwinned bodies and nothing left to the imagination of the congregation everytime they visited thier Duomo.
FERARRA
Departing Bolgna we headed north firther towards the Po river basin and visited famous citadel city of Ferarra. Another redbrick city that once rivalled Bologna but over time things change but one thing is for sure, the Castello still shows off its prior importance in the region, as this was the seat of power for the ruling D’este family for hundreds of years.
Two of the stunning marble renaissance statues in the municipal gallery museo of Ferarra.
The Duomo is under restotation following devestating erthquakes back in 2012 so nothing to show inside but it is apparently up there with the best.
The Venetians had a massive influence in the region both in trade and arthitecture and this extenal Gala staircase in the Palazzo Ducal is a fine example .
And right in the centre of town stands the imposing Castello Estense di Ferarra, or better known as the Este castle. Surrounded by a moat that was fed by the ever changing route of the Po river, Ferarra’s survival depended on the how the regular floods affected its commerce which could be good and could be bad.
The solid brick and stone structure was a labrynth to explore and had also been affected by the eartquakes of 2012 with much of the frescos taped up for preservation.
There is a great little museo and interesting palazzo rooms to explore throughout so well worth a visit.
