Parma

Parma is the home of Parmesan cheese and some incredible prosciutto. 

My friends and I decided to visit Parma because, being in the same Emilia-Romagna region, it was really cheap and we thought it could be fun to visit a city many people didn't talk about. Why not, right?

All-in-all, Parma is a quite charming little city with good aesthetics, but it's downfall is that it's pretty much all shut down by 8pm. It left us with little to do after our "early" 7pm dinner. My advice would be to just let Parma be a day trip, if you do decide to go. 

Why Parma? 
If you decide you have to visit this city because Parmesan cheese is your absolute favorite, Parma is home to many castles, museums and cathedrals. Like many other cities in Italy, it is rich with ancient history and has remnants of a 20th century battle. It's definitely gorgeous. 

Highlights?
On Saturday, we took the #12 bus toward il Castello Torrechiara in the outskirts of the city. It was only a 3 euro biglietto (ticket) for entry and we walked into the castle of frescoes. Every single room was a completely different scene. Every 3D-looking column and door frame was actually a 2D painting. It almost fooled me more than once. It was so detailed and beautiful. I will never forget it.

On Sunday, we visited la Galleria Nazionale. This cost us non-EU citizens 6 euros. I was excited to see some more artwork and had no idea what I might find. I was pleasantly surprised to see La Scapigliata by Leonardo da Vinci. My sister had informed me before I left for my trip that she was in Parma, but I wasn't quite sure where. I am so glad that I got to see it, even if it was by accident. To be completely honest, she was smaller than I imagined, but she was absolutely gorgeous. Da Vinci is a seriously skilled artist. His detailing is just... sigh.

I was, unfortunately, not allowed to take any photographs in this museum, so you'll just have to see for yourself. There's also the option of just taking my word for it. This gallery was huge and wonderful. Done.

This was just a street in the center. Gorgeous, right?

Furthermore, Sunday shut down even earlier than Saturday. This is normally the case in many Italian cities because it is Sunday, but shutting down early for this city was like 3pm. Because of that, we just relaxed in a park until we heard people performing in a piazza. It was apparently a part of October's African heritage month. Weirdly enough, it just seemed like an open mic situation. Why? There was hip hop dancers and free-style rapping, but there was also some contemporary dancing and an all-girl alternative rock band. I'm thinking it wasn't really African heritage, but whatever. I felt bad for the poor, bored citizens of this dead, incredibly beautiful city. I can see why they craved any kind of show or a chance to perform.

Lock chain on the bridge to the Parco Ducale

Funny story: On Saturday we visited il Parco Ducale which was quite lovely and had the Duke's mansion on the East side, which was gorgeous and surprisingly modern. But, Molly decided to pull out her map of Parma to figure out where we could go next. While doing this, a young boy (6 years old) wanted to see her map. After charming us with this cuteness, he decides he's going to prendere (take) Molly's map. Yes, he ran away with it. We were amused for about half a second before we realized that he couldn't think it was okay to go up to random strangers to take their things, so Molly followed the child to get her map back. He did get upset, but he'll remember the six American girls he frustrated at the park one day.

Hostel review?
I stayed at my first hostel during this trip. It was "Ostello della gioventù." It may or may not be a chain, but if it is and can be found in an Italian city near you, I definitely recommend you book it. It was clean, the beds were comfortable and the service was great. I'm glad I had a good experience. It was 19.50 euros/night for a dorm-style room for five. 

Food:
This city has a lot of bread bakeries and crepe stores (even though none of them were actually making crepes on Sunday). For dinner on Saturday, I ate an amazing risotto. I have to write down the recipe and make it at home someday. It was risotto con salsiccia, pinoli e pomodorini (risotto with sausage meatballs, pinenuts (though, they tasted and looked more like walnuts to me) and tomato sauce). Of course, I smothered it with Parmesan cheese and feasted. I will never forget that risotto. Thank you, Parma.

The adventurers in the Castello Torrechiara

 <3, a girl with a stomach full of authentic Parmesan cheese.

P.S. It was delish.