May, 2024
We kicked off our second Bologna road trip with a stop in Parma. Aside from its claim to fame as the home of a certain cheese and ham, there is plenty to explore here!
Parma
We had to stop in Parma on the way because, well, Prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano of course! But we discovered this town is actually much more than its cheese and ham claim to fame.
The big question is can Leo fix the world!
The Parma cathedral is a Romanesque masterpiece dating back to the 11th century. It took nearly 100 years to build but there were lots of updates and additions to the interior along the way. The most famous part of this cathedral was created by Correggio in the 1520s. It depicts the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, not to be confused with the ascension of her well-known son. Jesus ascended to heaven by his own divine power. Mary didn’t have such power so she was “called” to heaven by God. She was Jesus’ mom after all. Elevated in a swirling vortex of angels and clouds this artwork is considered to be one of the first truly “3D” illusionistic domes. Mary is to the left of the dark dot near the centre of the dome, surrounded by angels and the regular cast of biblical characters. She’s the biggest figure in a pale pink robe with a blue mantle gazing up toward the figure in the middle of it all, Jesus. He’s ready to receive his mother into her heavenly home…hope he cleaned up before she got there.
While Correggio’s dome is the main draw in the cathedral, the classic biblical stories on the side aisles by Lattanzio Gambara draw the art students.
Like Parma’s cathedral, its baptistery is also considered to be one of the most important medieval monuments in Italy. Started in 1196, it’s the place of Christian rebirth and eternity. Get baptized and you’ve got your golden ticket to salvation. Full of amazing frescoes and reliefs depicting the life of Christ and his band of merry men, it would be an inspiration to all who got dipped in the baptismal font. Interestingly, around the bottom are zodiac reliefs showing the trials of every month of the year, marking time and seasons. You’d think that the zodiac would lean a little to paganism and superstition and would have no place in a Christian space devoted to an unyielding belief in the power of God but not so! The stars, sun and moon were all part of God’s celestial clockwork. They were not about fate but rather God’s instructions written in the sky.
There is so much to be learned in a cheese shop where the staff live and breathe their product. Parma is the land of Parmigiano Reggiano (and prosciutto di Parma). First clue is in the name.
I knew that Parmigiano Reggiano is aged and the price varies based on the amount of time spent aging. What I didn’t know is there is a seasonality to buying the best cheese. Right now, as we launch into summer, the best Parmigiano Reggiano to eat is the one aged 24 months. Why? You’d think the older cheese would be the one recommended. But no! The cows milked 24 months ago were eating the freshest, green grass which results in the best tasting milk. So in summer, buy the 24-month aged cheese. In the winter, buy the 30-month aged cheese, because that would have been produced 2.5 years ago with the summer milk.
We bought some cheese to eat now and some more to take to our next destination. The cheesemonger switched from Italian to English to make sure we understood exactly how he was wrapping the cheese and how we needed to rewrap it once we opened it. And where in the fridge we should store it (the bottom shelf just above the vegetable drawer). That’s passion.
Our parking lot picnic stop with the spoils from our trip to the cheese shop in Parma. Suddenly, Gilly got up and walked away. We figured she went for gelato as she is wont to do at the drop of a hat…
…but no, she went hunting for take out Aperol Spritz!