Oltretorrente

From August 1 to 6, 1922, the people of the Oltretorrente and the Naviglio and Saffi districts built barricades and dug trenches against a punitive raid by fascist squads. About 350 Arditi del Popolo, commanded by Guido Picelli, faced about 10,000 squadristi led by Italo Balbo and Roberto Farinacci. The squads withdrew from Parma; the government declared a state of siege from midnight on August 5.

The name survives in Piazzale delle Barricate, 3 minutes from the Ponte di Mezzo, and in the Monumento alle Barricate on Piazzale Rondani; a plaque in the quarter also records the events. Our Oltretorrente walk passes the key streets.

• Parco Ducale: the Farnese dukes' garden, with the Palazzo del Giardino, the fishpond and the statues. The palazzo is about 10 minutes' walk from the Ponte di Mezzo.
• Arturo Toscanini's birthplace: on Borgo Rodolfo Tanzi, about 4 minutes from the Ponte di Mezzo. Pair it with the Casa del Suono on the music walk.
• Piazzale delle Barricate and the lanes around Borgo delle Grazie and Strada D'Azeglio, the spine of the quarter.

The parks walk starts on this side of the river.

The heart of the quarter is ZTL 3 in the city's 2024 ordinance: Strada D'Azeglio from Piazzale Corridoni to Borgo Cocconi, Borgo delle Grazie, Borgo Rodolfo Tanzi, Via dei Farnese, Strada Bixio from Piazzale Corridoni and the lanes between. Unauthorized cars are banned 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day. Piazzale delle Barricate and parts of Strada Imbriani and Strada Inzani are an isola ambientale, closed 24 hours.

Two cameras matter most here. The Via D'Azeglio and Strada Bixio bus lanes are enforced 24 hours a day, holidays included. And the riverside boulevards, Viale Mariotti and Viale Toscanini, carry ZTL gates active 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. A satnav routing you along the river to the old town will take you straight through them.

The hotels we cover on this side sit outside all of it, which is their point. Read the ZTL and parking guide before you drive anywhere near the bridges.

Booking.com public rates for a double, 1 night, 2 adults, checked September 29, 2026:

All three are room only. The Grand Hotel di Parma is the former Park Hotel Pacchiosi, now a five-star. The price gap to the centre is small on busy dates and larger in November, when the Du Parc's €106 plus a €15 garage beats a central three-star plus a €16 public car park.

Inside the ZTL 3 streets, traffic is light by day and the evenings are local rather than touristy. The boulevards at the edge, including Viale Piacenza and Via Gramsci where two of the hotels stand, are ordinary city roads with buses and cars. We have no official noise data; if it matters, ask for a room at the back.

The Ospedale Maggiore and university buildings are on this side of the river, according to Hotel Daniel, which sits near both. For food, our cheap eats guide lists the prices we could confirm.

A simple loop from the old town, with walking times from OpenStreetMap routes:

1. Piazza Garibaldi to the Ponte di Mezzo: 360 m, about 5 minutes.
2. Ponte di Mezzo to Toscanini's birthplace on Borgo Rodolfo Tanzi: 280 m, about 4 minutes. Check its opening days on our page before you go.
3. On to the Parco Ducale: the Palazzo del Giardino is about 10 minutes from the bridge.
4. Back through the park and across the river to the Pilotta.

Allow two to three hours with the museum and a coffee. Add Piazzale delle Barricate, about 240 m (3 minutes) west of the bridge, and the Monumento alle Barricate on Piazzale Rondani, about 8 minutes south of the bridge, if the 1922 story is why you came.