Parks walk: Parco Ducale to the Cittadella

From Piazza Garibaldi, the walk runs south down Strada Farini, the aperitivo street, to the wide, tree-lined Stradone, and the Cittadella's gate is just beyond. From the station, the Parco Ducale is about 1.4 km (19 minutes) on foot.

The park's avenues of old trees follow a plan drawn up in 1560 in the Italian style, later reshaped in the French manner with statues by the court sculptor Jean-Baptiste Boudard: look for the Silenus group of 1766 and his four Genii of 1756 and 1757.

The centerpiece is the Peschiera, the long fish pond made in 1690 for the wedding of Odoardo Farnese, with the 18th-century Trianon fountain. The city finished a €2,730,000 restoration of both and presented it on July 27, 2026, so this is the park at its best for years. The Palazzo del Giardino houses the provincial Carabinieri command and has no public visits. The small Palazzetto Eucherio Sanvitale, built in 1520, was being restored and was not open in September 2026.

Hours: April to October 6 a.m. to midnight; November to March 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Facilities: a kiosk with tables, toilets, a play area, fitness trails and a dog area.

Cross the Ponte Verdi and you are at the Pilotta, whose courtyards are free to walk through. If you want a museum break, the Pilotta's €18 ticket drops to €10 from 5 p.m. Continue down Strada Garibaldi to Piazza Garibaldi, the civic square, then south on Strada Farini.

Strada Farini is the city's aperitivo street. If you are walking in the late afternoon, Tabarro at number 5/b opens at 5:30 p.m. and Enoteca Fontana is at number 24/A. Our aperitivo walk covers them properly.

Alessandro Farnese had the Cittadella built at the end of the 16th century as a pentagonal fortress with bastions and moats, following the model of the citadel of Antwerp by the architect Francesco Paciotto. The main gate dates from 1596. The fortress later became a barracks and then a public park, and its pentagonal layout and gate survive.

Inside: a children's play area with rides, sports fields, a running track, a drinking fountain, a dog area and a bar. Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. from April to October and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from November to March.

• Start at the Cittadella if the children are small: rides and running first, then the walk north to the Parco Ducale when they are tired enough to sit in a stroller.
• Break it in two: the Parco Ducale plus Toscanini's birthplace in the morning (430 m from the Pilotta; free for under-18s), the Cittadella after lunch.
• Snacks: the kiosk in the Parco Ducale and the bar in the Cittadella. For something local and hand-held on the way, see torta fritta and our cheap eats guide.
• Bikes: see cycling Parma if you would rather ride between the parks.