Parma is famous for great food, Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano and eggplant Parmigiana. Create your own Parma food tour with these tips on where to eat in Parma, plus where to drink and stay!
Smaller than neighbouring Modena and Bologna, Parma is easy to discover on foot (or bicycle) and full of fabulous food and fashion shops as well as impressive cultural landmarks. It’s the first stop on my Italian food and wine tour of Emilia-Romagna and a fabulous introduction to Italy’s food valley. Here are some of the things I love most about Emilia-Romagna’s capital city.
Stay in Parma Palazzo dalla Rosa Prati
This 13th-century, sienna-coloured palazzo on cobbled Piazza Duomo is home to the Dalla Rosa Prati Marquises, whose private residence is on the first floor. It’s where I always stay in Parma. Right outside the door is the sparkling cream and pink Veronese marble of the rare 12th-century baptistery with its stunning frescoed cupola and beside that the beautiful Duomo with a cupola painted by Correggio.
Casual Eats in Parma Trattoria Rigoletto
I was drawn to this tiny trattoria down a cobbled alley by the quirky photos on the walls (a COVID project to keep the owners sane). Fabrizio is the most welcoming host and his wife Antonella is a wonderful cook, making beautiful fresh pasta daily with love and care. The food is simple, classic and delicious, but the real beauty lies in the warmth of the personalised service. It’s small, so book ahead or join my Parma food tour.
Fine Dining in Parma Ristorante Cocchi 1925
One of Parma’s oldest restaurants is also one of its best with delicious traditional food, great wine and friendly professional service. In a town where virtually every meal starts with a plate of salumi, nothing rivals the version here all made from Parma’s famed black pigs. Pasta is exceptional and the prosciutto-wrapped savarin with veal risotto is memorable too. The Torta della Duchesse (Parma’s nut cake) is excellent as is the gelato cart.
Alfresco Lunch in Parma daMat Chiosco Ducale
This casual kiosk amid the greenery of Parco Ducale, once the private estate of Maria Luiga Duchess of Parma, is a beautiful spot to relax. Its shaded tables are equally popular with Parma University students finishing assignments, old men reading the newspaper, and ladies catching up with friends for coffee or lunch. The focaccia is excellent, especially filled with spalla cotta (ham), scamorza cheese and preserved artichokes.
Aperitivo in Parma Tabarro
This is my kind of wine bar! Sit at a stool around the outside barrels, tell one of the friendly staff what you like and let them choose for you from their awesome range of natural and boutique wines. They always find a wine to match each person’s taste. It’s ideal for apericena too (aperitivo that rolls into dinner) with excellent open sandwiches and plates of superior salumi and cheese.
Breakfast in Parma Antica Pasticceria Pagani 1856
Skip the tourist breakfast in your hotel and grab a table (inside or out) in this historic cafe to enjoy excellent coffee and delicious pastries among the locals. Gualtiero Pagani is the 5th generation of his family to run this 150 year old pasticceria in Parma’s historic centre, and his parents are still there most days manning the counter. If you like Sicilian crostoli, you’ll adore Parma’s cannoncino!
Food Shopping in Parma Around Piazza Ghiaia
Piazza Ghiaia has been home to Parma’s main food market since the 13th century. Today the market is in a modern building and the piazza stalls sell bric-a-brac. However, the streets around it contain great food shops, including a horse butcher, salumeria & formaggeria, and greengrocers. Go early (just after sunrise is best) as many shops close by midday/1pm.
Coffee in Parma Café Tano
Once you’ve finished browsing the food shops near Piazza Ghiaia, pull up a stool beside the barrels outside Café Tano and join the locals for a caffé. In Italy a bar serves both coffee and alcohol, so if you’re around later in the afternoon, Cafe Tano is an equally excellent spot for a cold beer, spritz or glass of local wine.
Parma Culture Farnese Theatre
Built entirely from wood, Parma’s spectacular 17th century baroque theatre was the prototype for modern playhouse theatres. Largely destroyed by Allied bombing in WWII, and faithfully restored from original plans, its U-shaped rows of bench seating topped with ornate arches is an impressive site.
Parma History Monumento al Partigiano
Parma was heavily bombed during WWII and was also an early centre of anti-fascist defiance. The Monument to the Partisan in Piazza della Pace commemorates the Italian Resistance and those who fought against fascism and Nazi occupation. The brick wall contains bricks salvaged from local homes destroyed by bombs and bears the inscription: ‘Glory now dwells with the brave in the same stone’.
Day Trip from Parma Podere Pradarolo
Just 40km from Piazza Duomo are the beautiful hills of the Ceno Valley and this vineyard producing wine as naturally as possible (including Vej, an intriguing sparkling orange wine). Owners Alberto and Claudia love showing visitors their vineyard and cellar (by appointment) and also offer B&B in their charming 17th century villa. The winery tour, cellar tasting and lunch here is a highlight of my Parma food and wine tours.
Updated 20 Jan 2026
