The UNESCO gastronomy city behind Parmigiano and prosciutto.
Parma eats at the source. The city sits inside Italy's Food Valley with Parmigiano Reggiano dairies to the west, Prosciutto di Parma curing houses in the Langhirano hills to the south and culatello cellars in the foggy Bassa by the Po, and its tables read like a map of that geography. Lunch starts with salumi and torta fritta, the fried dough pillows that deflate as fast as they arrive, then moves to anolini in brodo or tortelli d'erbetta rolled that morning. UNESCO named Parma a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015 and the title changed little: the salumerie of Via Garibaldi and Strada Farini still slice culatello to order, the Ghiaia quarter still trades food where the market has stood since 1232, and the serious eating still happens in trattorias where the wine is Lambrusco or Malvasia and the bill stays honest. Book ahead; the best rooms are small and Parma's own families fill them first.
Order Torta fritta with Prosciutto di Parma, then tortelli d'erbetta.
Order Anolini in brodo, then the boiled-meat trolley in winter.
Order Tortelli d'erbetta and the stuffed veal breast.
Order The salumi board from the counter, then anolini in brodo.
Order The Emilian salumi board with Salame di Felino, then tortelli.
Order Anolini in brodo, then the rice bomb with pigeon ragout.
Guided tour · 1.5 hours
Enjoy an immersive masterclass in a cheese factory near Parma: discover the journey of Parmigiano Reggiano from milk to aging and finish with a guided food tasting.
Viator · 3 h
Explore Parma’s rich culture and fascinating history the best way possible, through its cuisine! Avoid the touristy spots and eat where the locals eat guided by your p...
Day trip · 4 hours
Discover where the world-famous Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Prosciutto are made, followed by a mouthwatering tasting accompanied by a glass of wine.
Affittacamere da Vittoria
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Hotel Forlanini52 Parma
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Hotel Parma & Congressi
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Holiday Inn Express Parma
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Hotel Residence
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CDH Hotel Villa Ducale
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Hotel City Parma
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Sacreterre Room & Breakfast
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Parizzi Suites & Studio
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Parma Stazione Rooms
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Best Western Plus Hotel Farnese
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Starhotels Du Parc
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Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Parma, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Parma's signature dishes include Anolini in brodo, Tortelli d'erbetta, Torta fritta, Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Parma by district. Centro Storico, Oltretorrente, Ghiaia, San Leonardo are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Parma include Inkiostro, Parizzi, Meltemi, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 8 editor-picked food tours in Parma, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Parma dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.
