Ham, Cheese and More in Parma

Nestled in the Po Valley, between Bologna to the south and Milan to the north, this handsome town has the enviable reputation of being one of Italy’s food capitals.

But there’s more to Parma than ham and cheese.

It’s a city rich with art, culture and a past that reads like a fairy tale. It has beauty, pride and, yes, gorgeous food.

Through the centuries, Parma has seduced princes and artists alike. French author Stendhal wrote a famous novel set in these surroundings, “La Chartreuse de Parme,” for he was under the city’s spell, as were the Bourbons, composer Giuseppe Verdi and Correggio, who painted the magnificent cupola in the cathedral.

I also fell in love with Parma as I strolled through its narrow flagstone streets on a balmy spring morning. The old part of town is a maze of buildings colored in soft yellows and deep ochres. The people of Parma have a definite penchant for yellow, which was, with blue, the ensign of the House of Bourbon-Parme, which took possession of the tiny dukedom in 1749.

The Duchess Louise Elizabeth, daughter of Louis XV of France, and her husband, Don Philip, soon introduced their city-state to French culture: intellectuals, architects, artists and cooks from the court of Versailles came flocking to Parma, and, to this day, Parmesans cherish their French heritage.

The last duchess to reign in Parma was Marie Louise of Austria, Napoleon’s second wife. Although a Hapsburg, Maria Luigia, as she is affectionately called, maintained the French tradition and charmed her subjects to the extent that, 150 years after her death, their descendants still speak of her with great affection. Her presence is felt everywhere and her name crops up in conversations as if she were family.

Parma is studded with beautiful museums, churches and parks. The town is divided in two by the Parma River. After crossing the Ponte Verdi on foot to the left bank, you can stroll through a huge park called the Parco Ducale that was created in 1560. This magnificent property includes two palaces--the Sanvitale Palace and the Garden Palace (Palazzo del Giardino), which was home to the Dukes of Farnese.

Facing the Parco Duacale, on the right bank, stands a massive piece of austere architecture: the Pilotta Palace. It’s home to the National Gallery and the Farnese Theater on the second floor of the building. You can admire this awesome wooden structure (the stage alone is 10 feet deep), which was built in 1617 by the Duke of Parma as a wedding present to his son. It is a stunning example of the lifestyle of the rich and famous of the day.

Spectacular performances were produced here before a dazzled audience. The waters of the Parma River would flood the floor of the theater to give realism to naval battle scenes. Although badly damaged during World War II, it has been beautifully restored and is once again one of the wonders of Parma.

The National Gallery is also a must. It’s home to an extensive collection of masterpieces by da Vinci, Correggio, Parmigianino and many more. There you can have a glimpse of Maria Luigia in a lovely portrait painted by Giovan Battista Borghesi. If you enjoy memorabilia, the Glauco Lombardi Museum on Via Garibaldi is dedicated entirely to the duchess and Napoleon. You can feast your eyes on their wedding gifts, jewelry, personal letters, her gowns and many paintings of her in splendid settings.

The Piazza Duomo and the Baptistery are just a short walk away from the Lombardi Museum. These are fine examples of 11th- and 12th-Century architecture. Two major artists contributed their talents to this remarkable center of religious life: Benedetto Antelami and Correggio. In the cathedral you can marvel at the famous cupola painted by the master himself, Correggio, and if you are a lover of frescoed ceilings, you will enjoy St. John the Evangelist’s Church, the Camera di San Paolo, the Palazzo Marchi and the Church of the Madonna della Steccata.

The city abounds with lovely piazzas, and after the Piazza Duomo, the most famous one is Garibaldi Square. Every evening, young and old congregate here to share a sip of espresso or a glass of wine before dinner. Parmesans are urbane and sophisticated, and the people who crowd around the piazza are chic and very elegant, even the teen-agers.

Although fewer than 200,000 people live in Parma, the city is no provincial small town. Good taste pervades everywhere. The buildings that are restored have to meet with the approval of local government and museum officials, and the colors on the walls of the facades are also tested for shade and hue before being painted on. The result is a striking city where harmony and consistency prevail.

The people of Parma are intensely proud of their food. With good reason. It is in this region that real Parmesan cheese and real prosciutto ham are made.

Cheese and ham are indeed part of the success story of Parma, and, like Vuitton bags and Cartier watches, very much copied. But nothing compares to the real nutty aroma of golden flakes of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the sweet smell of super thin and silky smooth slices of prosciutto.

The outskirts of the town are blessed with a rich soil and a climate favorable to cattle and farming. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or the golden food, as the locals call it, is produced in the exclusive zona tipica, which comprises the provinces of Parma, Regio Emilia, Modena, Mantua on the right bank of the Po River and Bologna on the left bank of the Reno River.

Nearly 1,000 dairies or casellos, run as cooperatives, produce four to 10 cheeses a day. Cheese making in this region is centuries old, and the technique has barely changed.

Made of partially skimmed milk, the cheese is cooked in enormous copper kettles and slowly matures for up to two years or more. Parmesans favor slow, even aging. No additives or preservatives of any kind are used, and the production is supervised by the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium in order to secure the best quality controls. The cheese is also identified with the word Parmigiano-Reggiano imprinted all around the rind, and guarantees the origin and authenticity of the product.

Parmesan is best purchased whole rather than already grated, especially at bargain prices. (Grating sometimes indicates that it is an imitation.) Choose a piece of Parmesan that is properly identified and grate it fresh on pasta, asparagus, carpaccio or even soup. It is a food high in calcium content and an excellent source of protein.

Parma is equally proud of its ham, the prosciutto di Parma.

Prosciutto is still produced in a traditional way with no additives, just a little salt and a lot of tender loving care.

The pigs are fed with maize and soy, as well as the whey of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Their diet is largely responsible for the silky texture and rosy color of the meat. But that isn’t all. The air, neither too dry nor too damp, is scented by the olive and pine trees and breezes through the vast open windows of the storehouses. The hams mature slowly for up to 18 months. They are also inspected thoroughly and must bear the logo (a ducal crown) of the Prosciutto di Parma Consortium in order to be sold.

If you go to Parma, you will have the opportunity to sample authentic prosciutto served solo or garnished with fresh figs, an exquisite combination. You can also discover the wide selection of salamies and specialties in very fine restaurants.

In Parma, dinner begins with slivers of Parmigiano-Reggiano chipped from the cheese wheel. Some restaurants also serve torta fritta : crisp, lightly fried ravioli wrapped with sliced prosciutto. Then comes a plateful of prosciutto sliced so thin that it melts on your tongue. Or perhaps you will taste some culatello, which is not available anywhere else. Culatello is a smaller prosciutto made out of pork shoulder. Connoisseurs consider it the best of cured pork.

Pastas come next as a small entree. Choose between tortelli d’erbette, stuffed with ricotta and Swiss chard, or tortelli di zucca, stuffed with a light creamy puree of pumpkin. The pasta dishes are fresh and come glistening in melted butter and dusted with pale-gold grated Parmesan. It is all so good that you don’t want it to end.

The secondo piatto, or main course, varies: veal served with capers, guinea fowl or fish that melts in your mouth. Desserts are usually simple: fruit, semifreddi or souffles. The wine is a frizzante , a sparkling red or white called Malvasia. It is the tradition here to drink a light sparkling wine throughout the meal.

Restaurants in Parma are unpretentious. The food is not fancy, but flavorful and well prepared. Among the finer eateries, choose from La Filoma, which looks like a Visconti movie set; Maxim’s, which has excellent seafood; Cocchi; La Greppia; Charly, or Angiol d’Oro. You can also drive to nearby Busseto to sample the food at Il Ritiro in a beautiful 16th-Century palazzo.

There are many hotels to accommodate visitors, and the range is quite diverse--from the ultra-luxurious, brand-new Hotel Baglioni to the very simple Albergo Brenta or the more sophisticated Park Hotel Stendhal or Palace Hotel Maria Luigia.

Food aficionados should visit the Salumeria Garibaldi on Via Garibaldi and try to resist the exquisite salads, hams and marinated porcini mushrooms. Via Farini is a good place to ogle the fine food of another delicatessen: Specialita di Parma.

Back on Via Garibaldi there’s a pastry shop, Pasticceria Torino, known all over the world for its wonderful assortment of pasteries. The owner, Dino Paini, has an incredible selection of miniature liqueur-soaked sponge cakes, pastries filled with zabaglione, tarts, fruit jellies and candied violets (Maria Luigia’s favorite) that sparkle like precious jewels in their transparent boxes and cones.

Piazza Ghaia is home to the marketplace and where to marvel at the variety of vegetables and fruit stalls. And don’t forget to stroll through the O. Dall’Asta cheese shop nearby and have a glimpse at the wide variety of Italian cheeses.

In Parma, you can shop till you drop. Via Garibaldi, Via Farini, Via Cavour or Via della Republica have a number of very fine shops and the prices are not as steep as in other parts of Italy. From superb clothes to fine antiques and old gravures, the choice is hard to make. Franco Maria Ricci, the famous publisher of art books and a very beautiful art magazine, has a shop on Via Garibaldi where he displays some of the most exquisite books on earth.

At the National Gallery, in the Pilotta Palace, there is a fine collection of old maps and plans of the city: one of them is titled La Nobilissima Citta di Parma . A very noble city, indeed.

GUIDEBOOK

Parma, Italy

Getting there: From Los Angeles, fly nonstop to Milan on Alitalia or direct to Milan through Chicago on American. Summer fares are about $1,220. Then take a train or rent a car to Parma.

Where to stay: Grand Hotel Baglioni, Viale Piacenza, 14, telephone 0521-29-29-29, rates $230-$275, luxurious. Palace Hotel Maria Luigia, Viale Mentana, 140, telephone 0521-28-10-32, $185-$255, breakfast included, very nice hotel, central location. Park Hotel Stendhal, Via Bodoni, 3, telephone 0521-20-80-57, $165-$185, breakfast included, very nice hotel, central location. Albergo Brenta, Via G.B. Borghesi, 12, telephone 0521-20-80-93, $45, breakfast included, clean, not fancy.

Where to eat: Dinner for one, not including wine, at the following for about $50: Ristorante La Filoma, Via XX Marzo, 15, telephone 0521-23-42-69. Ristorante Cocchi, Via Gramschi, 16-A, telephone 0521-99-51-47. Ristorante La Greppia, Via Garibaldi, 39, telephone 0521-23-36-86. Ristorante Angiol d’Or, Viale Scutellari, 1-A, telephone 0521-28-26-32. Ristorante Charly, Via E. Lepido, 89, telephone 0521-49-39-74.

For more information: Contact the Italian Government Travel Office, 360 Post St., Suite 801, San Francisco 94108, (415) 392-6206.