Occupy Parma Ham…And Other Tales of the City

By Victoria Looseleaf

We love all things Italian (our Salvi harps are from Genoa), and so it was absolutely fortuitous that we were able to hop over to Parma last October for the tail end of the Verdi Festival. The music was only part of the fun. Armed with Stendahl’s Charterhouse of Parma (not the easiest read but well worth the effort), our usual assortment of iThings (Pod, Pad, Phone, pre-Siri, btw, since rectified), we flew Alitalia (they shipped our harps, lo those many years ago), and arrived in Milan. There we were met by one of our many lovely tour guides and bussed to Parma.

Did we mention it was raining like hell and a wee bit cold? Well, it was, leaving the afternoon a soggy blur. But the dinner, a pre-Teatro Farnese performance, was the beginning of a ham-stuffed affair with plenty of wine and cheese…which would continue for days. Completely jet-lagged and somewhat water-logged (Burberry’s not all it’s cracked up to be, fersure), we were ushered into the horsehoe-shaped theater to see an ebullient performance of Giuseppe Verdi‘s Falstaff.

The vastness of the space and the spectacle that is the Farnese is truly something – and hearing Verdi there was equally special; as was slogging through the rain late at night and during the next day. Oy! Still, we loved resting our weary bones at the Hotel Stendahl (where Luca Giennini, the kind manager, treated us to a delightful lunch), walking around the charming streets of Parma, and taking mini-day trips to converted castles and wineries.

In fact, a short drive away was Tabiano Castle, which dates back to the 11th century and overlooks salt wells and olive groves. Next time we’ll stay at this medieval fortress/cum/charming inn with a yummy restaurant and view of the River Po. (We’ll be sure to book a daily massage, too!)

We were also smitten with Lamoretti wine cellars – even more so drinking the stuff – which is near the epic Torrechiara Castle, and of course, the entire town of Busetto, where Verdi (seen below), who was born in nearby Roncole, lived and worked.

As for the Parmesan cheese and the delicioso Parma ham, including Verdi’s favorite, culatello, we felt like we were being fattened up for market. Yes! In any case, click here to read all about our excellent adventures in the story we wrote for Creators Syndicate. Ciao, for now!