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Pedal
through Parma's parks
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| As
Parma's Parco Ducale opens its gates once more we
wheel out our bicycles and go for a springtime cycle
through Parma's magnificent parks. |
 Spring
has sprung, and what better way to herald it than
a cycle through one (or all) of Parma's
parks. Start off from the Parco Ducale, resplendent
after its recent facelift. Some 460 new trees have
recently been planted in the park and over 600 other
trees treated for disease which, along with its
miles of hedgerows are expanses of lawn make it
a favourite hangout for all those looking for some
peace and quiet from the hustle and bustle of the
city centre.
The park was planned and laid out more than 200
years ago for Parma's Bourbon Rulers by the French
landscape gardener Ennemond
Alexandre Petitot. It is considered to be one
of Europe's finest public gardens, thanks in part
to a wonderful collection of statues by the 18th
century sculptor Jean Baptiste Boudard and,
with its 160 lamps, is the ideal place for a romantic
moonlit stroll.
While in the park visit the Duke's Palace
built in1561, and the recently restored (1998)
Temple of Arcady which once played host to Don
Ferdinand of Bourbon and Maria Amalia of Habsburg's
wedding celebrations and is now a popular meeting
place and exhibition space.
The Cittadella - the fort that never was
Keen cyclists will pedal on to the Cittadella
Park, a five-sided fortress complete with ramparts
and moat (which, for the record, is now dry). Built
to the south of Parma between the 16th
and 17th centuries it soon proved ineffective
as the knowledge dawned that no enemy would ever
attack the city from the south! Used for centuries
as a barracks and prison it now offers an open-air
gym for keep-fit fanatics as well as welcome shade
in the summer months.
It's back on your bike again for the short trip
down the road to the Botanical Gardens. The
gardens were first opened as a public park with
the glasshouses and house (both by Petitot) being
later additions. The house is now given over to
an extensive library where you can look up antique
herbals and view a remarkable collection of seeds
and pollen.
To finish off your trip head for Saint John's
Convent Garden. The gardens which surround the
early 16th century Benedictine church
once supplied the convent's ancient pharmacy - La
Spezieria di San Giovanni - which is open to
visitors.
At this stage you'll have worked up quite an appetite.
Worry not, you're in Italy's Food Valley
where a gourmet meal is never far from hand. We
like "I Corrieri" in Via Conservatorio and "Sorelle
Picchi" in Via Farini where the culatello di
Zibello, tortelli and cappelletti
are all particularly good - especially when washed
down with a glass of the best Lambrusco from Fortanina
di San Secondo.
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| by
ELENA
GUARNERI |
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Apr.
3rd, 2002
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THE SURVIVOR'S 
