Parma is a prosperous and attractive historic town in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is famous for its fine cheese (parmigiano or parmesan) and ham, and this area is renowned throughout Italy as one of the best places to eat.
Parma is a surprisingly well-kept secret as far as tourism is concerned, perhaps because the comfortably-off town feels little need to advertise its charms. But the handful of visitors who arrive here will find an important art gallery, museums, frescoed churches, good shopping, charming historic lanes and of course the rich local cuisine. Parma is a very good weekend break destination, with plenty to occupy tourists for two or three days, and some interesting excursions for a longer stay. It is not a particularly cheap town for visitors, but neither is it a rip-off, and the eating, shopping and hotels are good quality.
Parma has several other interesting churches, and also few more, sometimes unusual museums. These include the Spezeria di San Giovanni Evangelista, a historic monastery pharmacy, the Casa del Suono, a stylish ‘Museum of Sound,’ and the birthplace of conductor Arturo Toscanini. Another small museum, the Castello dei Burattini (located in the courtyard behind the Camera di San Paolo entrance), is dedicated to marionette shows and is a fascinating curiosity, with many historic puppets on display, occasional shows, and histories of the family companies which toured northern Italy with their differing traditions of performance.
Drivers can visit more attractions in the surrounding area, including the Musei del Cibo, a ‘Food Museum’ circuit with museums in the Parma province dedicated to parmesan cheese, to the tomato, to salami and of course to ham. Among the interesting castles near Parma, the most impressive is the Castello di Torrechiara, while around the little town of Busseto, north-west of Parma, music-lovers can visit several sights connected to Giuseppe Verdi, including his birthplace-museum. So it is suggested that you hire a car while you are there, to cover maximum attractions of Parma. A rental car is an extremely useful and practical solution to visit the places around. Renting a car is actually the best solution. It will offer independence from fixed bus and train schedules as well as from the random transportation hassles that might tend to occur when travelling to the tourist attractions from all the places in Italy. You will be able to move from one place to the next at your leisure.
Car Rental Italy provides cars on hire at economical prices and has special packages on offer especially for the tourists visiting Italy. They have on offer a wide variety of cars to cater to your individual needs from 2 door economy cars to 9 seat Minivans, automatic transmission cars and much more, to give you a hassle free commuting experience during your holiday in Italy.