Parma

Originally published on: Oct 7, 2008

When I arrived in Parma, it was a nice sunny day, and I easily made my way from the station to the Palazzo Ducale, familiar with the route from my stay there last year. I stopped at the Carabinieri Commando station to get the key to my suite, and quickly got settled. I have the same suite I had last year, comfy and spacious. My friend Paolo tells me that the mayor wants to relocate the Carabinieri headquarters so the Palace could be open for public use, so this will probably be the last chance I’ll have to stay here.

Palazzo Ducale

After settling in, I walked down to the tourist information center to find out about internet options, and learned there is a free wi-fi system in Parma, the first I’ve come across on my travels this year. The only drawback is that you have to be willing to sit outside in order to use it. As long as the weather stays nice, that should be no problem. Today I read my email while sitting on a bench in the Parco Ducale, surrounded by chestnut trees that are shedding not only leaves but chestnuts. It was quite pleasant. After four weeks without much internet access, I’m almost unwilling to have it again, it’s been a relief to be oblivious to what’s going on in the world.

Parco Ducale.

The next day, Paolo invited me to attend la partita di calcio, an Italian soccer game. Why not? It was between Parma and Modena, who are bitter rivals, but Parma performed poorly, so I didn’t get a chance to see the kind of brawl that often develops during these games. What I enjoyed most was hearing the steady chanting of the fans, quite musical and strong, that went on throughout the game. Paolo said that those same fans can become quite brutal when they are enraged over a game’s outcome.

Calcio a Parma.

After the game, I went to the Piazza del Duomo, where the preliminaries to Parma’s Palio were going on. People were strolling the area in medieval costumes, serving samples of foods, demonstrating creative skills and playing instruments from that time. It was quite festive, and the streets were crowded with people out for their weekend stroll. It was quite a contrast to the quiet day at the beach of a few days ago,

The Duomo.

The next day, there were hours of parades, as the five different quarters of the city strolled through town in medieval costume as a preliminary to the Palio, which turned out to be a short competition between three groups representing the five areas of the city: men, women and donkeys. Due to the crowds lining the street, I never got to see the men and women running the course, but I had a quick glimpse of the reluctant donkeys being pulled by ropes to compete in their portion of the event.

I’ve spent the last few days exploring the parks in Parma. The weather has been lovely, and people really enjoy the parks here, not to do anything specific, but just to hang out in. I enjoy observing this pastime, which seems quite different than the American habit of being in the park to do something specific, like going to the playground, playing frisbee or having a picnic. Here people just hang out together: talking, strolling and enjoying the weather.

Today I’m meeting with an American who recently moved here from Kansas City, and later in the week I’ll attend the opera Rigoletto. It’s the real deal, and my first time to see an Italian opera, so I’m looking forward to that experience. However, I was sadly disillusioned about my capacity to be stylish in Italy: there are too many beautiful, young and effortlessly stylish people everywhere I go! I might be making progress in the art of wearing scarves, but that’s about all I can manage this time around. I watched the primi (premiere) of Rigoletto on tv last night and am thankful I wasn’t in that crowd: they were really dressed to the nines! I’ve been told casual dress is also acceptable, but fortunately I brought some dress-up clothes that should suffice.

After the opera, I return to Florence to hang out with friends for a few days before my return home next week. Five weeks still seems all too short a time to be in Italy!