Situation
Parma, the former capital of the duchy of Parma, now a provincial capital and seat of an university, lies at the foot of the Apennines in the North Italian plain on the banks of the River Parma, a tributary of the Po.
In spite of its long history
, the town, situated on the old Roman main road, the Via Aemilia, is a city of modern aspect, with straight streets on a regular plan. In the town center, on the right bank of the Torrente Parma, fine new squares have been laid out. On the other bank of the river lies the old town, Parma Vecchia, with the Palazzo Ducale and a park. The area is also known for its Parma ham and Parmesan cheese.
History
Parma became a Roman colony in 183 B.C. During the Middle Ages it became a place of some consequence through its woolen mills and its university. The town, always on the Guelf side, belonged to Milan from 1341 to 1512, when it was annexd to the States of the Church. In 1545 Pope Paul III granted the duchies of Parma and Piacenza to his natural son Pier Luigi Farnese. When the Farnese male line died out in 1731 the duchies passed to a collateral line of the Bourbons. They came under French rule in 1806, and in 1816 were granted to Napoleon's wife Marie Louise for life, reverting to the Bourbons on her death. After the expulsion of the Bourbons in 1860 the territory was incorporated in the new kingdom of Italy.
The painter Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio (1489-1534), the great master of chiaroscuro, lived and worked in Parma.
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