The centre and heart of the city

The palace was originally built on the north side of Piazza Nuova (now Piazza Garibaldi) between 1283 and 1285, as “Palazzo dei Mercanti”, following the demolition of the pre-existing houses. In late Romanesque style, it consisted of two separate buildings, separated in the center by the narrow village of San Marco, no longer existing. Entirely covered in brick, it rose on a porch on the ground floor and was characterized on the first floor by two orders of mullioned windows and three-light windows; the facade was crowned by a battlement at the top. Lost its original mercantile functions, the building soon became the seat of the Captain of the city and, later, of the Governor, the Civil Auditor and other municipal magistrates; however, it kept unchanged the architectural structure for centuries.

Following the collapse of the very high Civic Tower on January 27, 1606, which also caused the destruction of the Town Hall, the need arose to restructure the palace of the Governor, which was initially unified closing the village of San Marco with a vault; on the latter in 1673 was built, designed by the engineer Gian Battista Piacenza Barattieri, a tower, which assumed the ancient functions of the destroyed civic tower, of which it maintained the ancient bell called “of third”, dating back to 1453, preserved intact in the centuries until the substitution with a copy in 1998.

Discover the other places not to be missed in Parma

Duomo e battistero

Along with the Baptistery, Parma Cathedral is one of the most important monuments of the city for its beauty and historical importance.

Regio Theatre

The Teatro Regio di Parma, considered among the most prestigious and well-known in the world, was inaugurated on 16 May 1829 with Zaira, an opera specially composed for the occasion by Vincenzo Bellini.

Ducal Park

It has always been the “garden” of Parma. Built in 1561 as a private park, it was opened to the public only after the unification of Italy.

Pilotta Palace

Immense complex that takes its name from the game of Pelota, houses inside, among other things, the magnificent Palatine Library.

Palatina Library

The Palatina Library of Parma is a public library located inside the Palazzo della Pilotta. The name originates from the temple of Apollo Palatine of Rome.

Farnese Theatre

Built in 1618 on the first floor of Palazzo Pilotta, the theatre is made entirely of wood and decorated with faux marble.

Sanctuary Santa Maria della Steccata

The church of the Steccata, a splendid example of Parmesan Renaissance architecture, was built on land that was once revered for a popular religious tradition.

Governor’s Palace and Piazza Garibaldi