Attractions and Places To See around Sant'Ilario D'Enza - Top 20

The Governor's Palace is a Baroque and Neoclassical building located on the entire north side of Parma's central Piazza Garibaldi. The palace was originally built on the north side of Piazza Nuova (now Piazza Garibaldi) between 1283 and 1285 as the "Merchants' Palace," following the demolition of pre-existing dwellings. In late Romanesque style, it consisted of two separate buildings, separated in the center by the narrow Borgo di San Marco, which no longer exists. Entirely clad in brick, it rose above a portico on the ground floor and featured two rows of mullioned windows on the first floor; the façade was crowned by battlements at the top. Having lost its original mercantile function, the building soon became the seat of the Captain of the city and, later, of the Governor, the Civil Auditor, and other municipal magistrates. However, its architectural structure remained unchanged for centuries. Following the collapse of the towering Civic Tower on January 27, 1606, which also caused the destruction of the Town Hall, the need arose to renovate the Governor's Palace. Initially, the building was unified by enclosing the Borgo di San Marco with a vault. A tower was erected on top of this vault in 1673, designed by Piacenza engineer Gian Battista Barattieri. This tower assumed the former functions of the destroyed Civic Tower, retaining the original bell known as the "third bell," dating back to 1453, which remained intact over the centuries until it was replaced with a copy in 1998. In 1760, the court architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot was commissioned to redesign the square; the Governor's Palace was thus renovated in elegant neoclassical style, with the addition of typical decorative elements. The central niche was also opened to house the statue of the Crowned Virgin, sculpted by Jean-Baptiste Boudard. In 1829, Duchess Maria Luigia commissioned Lorenzo Ferrari and Luigi Pazzoni to create the large sundials on the façade. In the 1920s, the interior and rear of the building underwent a major renovation in the Rationalist style, which preserved only some of the original interior decorations. The entire building, home to several municipal offices until the end of the 20th century, underwent a complete restoration between 2000 and 2009, transforming it into today's "Place of Modern and Contemporary Art": inaugurated in January 2010 with the Nove100 exhibition, it hosts temporary exhibitions of mostly contemporary art. SOURCE and further information https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_del_Governatore_(Parma)

An early Christian church, probably built over a pre-Christian sanctuary, stood on the site of today's cathedral square from the 4th or 5th century. From 860 onwards, the Church of St. Mary was built nearby, which became the cathedral. After its destruction by fire, construction of the present cathedral began in 1074 in several phases. The bell tower was built between 1284 and 1294 in the Gothic style. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_von_Parma

The Pilotta in Parma is today a Monumental Complex that gives life to a cultural and scientific center and opens up to a new dialogue with citizens. complessopilotta.it

The Pilotta in Parma is today a Monumental Complex that gives life to a cultural and scientific center and opens up to a new dialogue with citizens. https://complessopilotta.it

Parma Cathedral has been a place of art, history and sanctity for 900 years. Here are preserved the bas-reliefs of Benedetto Antelami, the Romanesque art heritage and the great frescoes of Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio. Entering this place means living the faith, opening yourself to art and discovering one of the city's most precious treasures.

Garibaldi is depicted standing, with his cap on his head and his shoulders covered by a poncho, his hands resting on the hilt of his sword and his right foot forward. On the sides of the pyramidal pedestal supporting the statue are three bronze bas-reliefs, depicting three crucial moments in Garibaldi's epic - the defense of the Roman republic in 1849, the battle of San Fermo in the Como area in 1859 and the landing of the Thousand in Marsala del 1860 - and on the front a marble plaque with the inscription: «A / GIUSEPPE / GARIBALDI / MDCCCXXXIII». Source: https://bbcc.ibc.regione.emilia-romagna.it/pater/loadcard.do?id_card=169950&force=1

Piazza Garibaldi is the result of successive phases of evolution where the main forms of municipal power have gradually established themselves in this point of the city. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Palazzo Vecchio defined the south side together with the Palazzo Comunale, later the Palazzo dei Mercanti, now Palazzo del Governatore, caused an extension to the north. The arrangement of the north side in neoclassical style reinforces the uneven character of the space. Today the square, with its outdoor tables, the nearby pedestrian streets, the elegant shops, is the real living room of the Parmesan people. Center of city life and crossroads of the city's crossroads.

The Palazzo della Pilotta is a monumental complex made up of several buildings on which numerous architects worked at different times. Originally designed as a container for the services of the Farnese court, able to integrate the system of ducal residences, connecting the representative palace (today's Palazzo del Giardino), located across the stream, to the more modest building which housed the headquarters of the Farnese court , located on the opposite bank near the historic center, which no longer exists, expanded between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries until it assumed the imposing dimensions that still today characterize its gigantic masses, almost out of size compared to the diminutive size of the Old City. Its name derives from the noble game "pelota" which was played in the courtyards on special occasions for representation. Knowing more? Click through to https://complessopilotta.it/il-complesso-monumentale/