Parma

Town in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, on the River Parma, 85 km/53 mi northwest of Bologna; population (1992) 170,600. It is the second largest in the region after Bologna. Industries include food-processing, oil-refining, engineering, and the production of textiles. Founded by the Etruscans, it was the capital of the duchy of Parma 1545-1860. It has given its name to a type of ham, and to Parmesan cheese.

History Parma was colonized by the Romans in 183 BC, and is crossed east-west by the Via Emilia. In the 16th century it was the seat of the Farnese family. From 1749 the Bourbons ruled Parma, including Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma, wife of Napoleon I. The conductor Arturo Toscanini was born here.

Features The old walls of the town remain. The cathedral, begun in 1196, contains frescoes by Correggio, painted from 1522 to 1530. It adjoins a Romanesque octagonal baptistry. Other churches include the Renaissance S Giovanni Evangelista, which also has frescoes by Correggio; and the 16th-century Sta Maria della Steccata, which contains the painting Moses breaking the Tables of the Law by Parmigianino. There is a ducal palace and a university founded in 1502.