Ever since we spent 5 days in Parma in 2006, I’ve wanted to return.  Just a short train ride from Reggio to the northwest, it has a totally different feel and color scheme.  We walked to the train station, bought the tickets from the machine and hopped on.  First stop, after about 15 minutes, is Parma.

random side street

We had lots of memories and knew exactly how to walk from the station to the center.  There are lots of new stores and franchises, but still I saw a couple of hat shops and small men’s suit shops.  Near Piazza Garibaldi is this street strung with lamp shades which we imagine light up at night:

Town was quite crowded with Italian tourists because this a long weekend, with Tuesday being Labor day, a national holiday.  Many people “fare il ponte”/make the bridge and take off Monday too.  I think this making of the bridge is a universal.  We talked with travelers from Genoa and from Milan. The famous octagonal Baptistry is partially under scaffolding with an explanatory sign.  Some of the rock pillars are crumbling and the repair situation is noted on the building as “urgent.” Piazza Garibaldi looks about the same, but just across the street under the porticos there are now big franchise department stores–like OVS and H&M.

Piazza del Pace is totally fenced and covered for repairs.  Still, Parma is clean and bright with its lovely pastel pallette

We had a nice lunch at Trattoria Tribunale, despite the long wait for a table at 1:00 p.m.  We each got a pasta dish and shared a secondo.  I really need a half portion of pasta.  Mine was a mix of 3 kinds of tortelli/ravioli, pumpkin, ricotta and spinach with ricotta.  All wonderful.  Kenny’s pasta was beautiful eggy tagliolini with a bit of ham, zucchini and saffron sauce, the best dish of the day.  We also shared punta di vitello ripiena/stuffed veal.   It turned out to be almost all stuffing and we didn’t love it.

On our way back from the restaurant to the train, we stopped for a coffee and to buy some dinner supplies in the gastronomia there.  Easy going back on the train and called it a day.