A suburb connected to the city by an ancient stone bridge since Roman times, Oltretorrente has over the centuries been host to hospitals, military camps, convents and inhabitants of different geographical origins. This district is perhaps the most bohemian place in Parma, with the Ducal Garden and the Farnese Churches, not to mention the Old Hospital, the Paolotti Towers and Santa Croce Church with its ancient Romanesque origins built along the route of the Via Francigena.
Visit guaranteed with a minimum of 4 full-price tickets.
The ticket is valid all day during opening hours.
Our itinerary begins at the famous stone bridge dating back to the Augustan age and, after passing the Parma torrent, we'll wind through the Co' di Ponte area to discover the events that led to the development of the medieval quarter: from the torrent&... more
Our itinerary begins at the famous stone bridge dating back to the Augustan age and, after passing the Parma torrent, we'll wind through the Co' di Ponte area to discover the events that led to the development of the medieval quarter: from the torrent's flooding to the foundation of the Rodolfo Tanzi Hospital. We'll get to know the characters who animated the ancient medieval quarter, a theatre of religious fervour, social unrest and political experimentation. We'll discover the stories of Giovanni Barisello and Benvenuto Asdente, whose fame went so far beyond the city walls that he was mentioned by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy. We'll admire the architectural jewels of the Farnese period and the important building and town-planning interventions of the 19th and 20th century. We shall visit the Church of the Holy Annunciation, "the Oltretorrente Cathedral", he very heart of charity, with the adjoining convent of the Franciscan Friars Minor and the cloister, places that still speak of the life and work of Father Lino Maupas. We'll discover the history of the Ospedale Vecchio, one of the most important monumental complexes in the city, as well as the building that symbolises the city's hospital history and the humanitarian services provided for centuries. A city hospital from the 15th century to 1926, it represented in the dossier of Parma 2020 the pilot project from which the sense of most of the projects that led Parma to be the Italian Capital of Culture stemmed.
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