Parco Ducale

The city spent €2,730,000 on the Peschiera project. The work restored the fountain and put water back in it, rebuilt the islet around it, and rebalanced the hydraulics of the whole fishpond system. The city says excavations during the works turned up new finds about the park's past. The project took longer than planned; the mayor said so at the presentation.

The fountain stands on its islet in the Peschiera. Walk the length of the pond for the classic view back toward the palace, and come in the early evening in summer, when the park is busiest and the light is low. In winter the gates close at 8 p.m., so a late-afternoon visit after the Pilotta fits well before dinner in the Oltretorrente.

Not as a regular visitor. Duke Ottavio Farnese began the palace in 1561, to a design by Jacopo Barozzi, called Vignola. Inside are painted rooms by Agostino Carracci (the Sala dell'Amore), rooms by Jacopo Bertoja, and a Sala degli Uccelli painted by Benigno Bossi with 224 species of birds.

Today the building houses the provincial command of the Carabinieri and the Carabinieri's forensic science unit, the RIS. We found no published opening hours, ticket or booking channel for visitors in 2026. If a special opening is announced during your stay, the city's IAT office at Strada Garibaldi 18, near Piazza Garibaldi, will know. Do not plan a trip around getting inside.

• The statues. The 18th-century sculptures along the avenues are by the French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Boudard, court sculptor to the Bourbon dukes. His Madonna also stands under the clock on Piazza Garibaldi. The city has been restoring the statues and the historic gates as part of its plan for the park.
• Palazzetto Eucherio Sanvitale. A small Renaissance house inside the park. Its frescoes were secured in 2020 and 2023, structural work followed, and in September 2026 the city said the restoration was nearly finished. It is not yet open as a visitor site.
• New lighting and playground. The city has relit the whole park with EU recovery funds and built a new children's play area.

A wider project, which the city calls Il Giardino Ritrovato, aims to restore the historic buildings in the park. No completion dates are published.

The long, flat, tree-lined avenues make the park the obvious place to run in the center, and in the morning you will share it with locals doing just that. For a picnic, stock up on the other side of the river first: our cheap eats guide covers sandwich counters, and a slab of prosciutto and a wedge of Parmigiano need no cooking.

In summer the park hosts large open-air concerts, and on those days the city can close it for the whole day. Check the city's notices if your visit falls on a concert date.

On safety, the facts: the city's local police recorded 166 interventions in the park in the first eight months of 2026, most of them routine patrols of the green areas, and the Carabinieri send a patrol every day. It is a busy public park used by families; after dark, stick to the lit main avenues as you would in any city park.

From the Pilotta, cross the river on Ponte Verdi and the park gates are in front of you. From Parma station it is about 1.4 km (0.9 miles) on foot, around 19 minutes. Toscanini's birthplace is a few streets south in the Oltretorrente.

Our parks walk links Parco Ducale with the Cittadella for a slower day, and the Oltretorrente walk ends here.