Not to miss

Cathedral of Parma

One of Parma's many visit-worthy churches, the cathedral (Duomo di Parma) has a deceptive face - its classically restrained Lombard-Romanesque façade hides a gilded confection of high baroque bombast. However, individual frescoes and sculptures rise above the frippery. Look up to the dome for a 16th-century masterwork - Correggio's Assumption of the Virgin.

Lombardi Museum

Of all Parma's rulers, Marie Louise of Austria is most beloved in her petite capitale. Napoleon's second wife, she embraced her little domain after brief tenure as Empress of France. Some of her belongings are in this recently revamped museum (Museo Glauco Lombardi), courtesy of an eponymous local collector. His miscellany illuminates Parma's long history.

Farnese Theatre

Rebuilt to original plans after WWII bombing, this theatre (Teatro Farnese) is almost entirely made out of wood. The great Monteverdi, frustrated by the theatre's acoustic problems before its inaugural event in 1628, was forced to put his orchestra in a pit below the stage - long before 19th-century composer Wagner established this modern practice.