The older sector of town, which attracts the most visitors, starts just a 10-minute walk from the rail station. Here modern Parma segues into Strada Garibaldi, a main avenue leading to the historic heart of the city. Lined with enticing shops and food emporia and serviced by a comfortable surface rail, the street becomes increasingly intriguing as it approaches Piazza Garibaldi. En route, travelers encounter a maze of often-narrow byways, streets that retain much of the charm and walking appeal of times past.

Teatro Regio in Parma, Italy, offers stunning opera and orchestral performances. Photo courtesy of Barbara Selwitz.

However, music is what makes Parma particularly special. The nearby village of Roncole is the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi. And legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini was a Parma native whose birthplace and home is now a museum.

Batons, concert photos, scores, memorabilia, performance and rehearsal videos and tapes — some with Toscanini heard berating orchestra members for errors — and an hour-long bio will keep music lovers entertained.

The jewel box Teatro Regio di Parma is a gorgeous opera house with performance standards far above what one might expect to find outside of major cities. With just 20 rows of orchestra seating surrounded by five tiers of boxes, opera attendees experience what 19th century music fans could enjoy when so many of today's standards were fresh and performed in theaters that seated fewer than a thousand people. A recent performance of Verdi's second — and rarely staged — "A King for a Day" featured fabulous acoustics, sets, singing, staging, lighting and incisive ensemble acting. The audience here knows the music, and the vocal wrath of Parma audiences is legendary when a singer has a bad night. Teatro Regio also offers a series of top-quality orchestra concerts.

Near the opera house is one of Italy's greatest medieval monuments, the 13th century octagonal rose-colored marble baptistry. Crafted by Benedetto Antelami, who also created many of the statues, the interior is covered with stunning renditions of biblical tales that include the flight into Egypt along with Byzantine-appearing frescoes focusing on the life of Christ. Many of the statues displayed at the baptistry are actually copies of originals that have been moved across the piazza to the Diocesan Museum of Parma — also worth seeing.

Steps away is the Romanesque 12th century cathedral. The highlight here is Correggio's Assumption of the Virgin frescoes that cover the interior of the dome. They were created between 1522 and 1530. Also noteworthy is Antelami's

lifelike and moving "Descent From the Cross" on the south transept of the cathedral.

Benedetto Antelami created many of the sculptures in Parma's baptistry, which he also designed.
Photo courtesy of Barbara Selwitz.

Other notable churches include the nearby San Giovanni Evangelista, also with frescoes by Correggio covering the interior of its dome. Light here is minimal, so it is best visited on a bright day when outside rays relieve the gloom to some extent. Steps away is the 13th century pharmacia of San Giovanni Evangelista, created by Benedictine monks with furnishings from the 16th century.

Great art is also housed in Parma's National Gallery, one of several museums now based in what was once the grand home of the Farnese family. Restored following World War II bombing, the sprawling site also includes the national archaeological museum. The first stop for any visitor should be the exact re-creation of the extraordinary 16th century Teatro Farnese. This massive, horseshoe-shaped wooden structure was originally created to celebrate a marriage between members of the mighty Medici and Farnese families.

On display at this massive palace turned museum — sizable enough to comfortably house the largest works — are paintings by Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, van Dyck and Canneletto. Also here are copious royal portraits, plus an intriguing group of maps of Parma through the ages.

Back in Garibaldi Square another don't-miss is the totally renovated former Palace of the Governors. While the exterior still blends comfortably with the medieval-renaissance square, inside it has been completely converted into a massive space for modern art. Not far away lies the Galleria San Ludovico on Borgo Parigianino, home to a historic clothing-fashion-costume exhibit. The Scuderie della Pilotta near Via Bodoni is dedicated to architectural trends and displays.

Parma's appeals extend beyond the mind and the soul. In this city, where the cheese everyone casually scatters on pasta earns a much higher level of respect, Parma is also home to Prosciuotto di Parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Indeed, many restaurants offer cheese tastings that demonstrate the subtle differences when the city's most famous product is aged for varying numbers of months.

One of these is Parizzi Ristorante, whose patrons also flock here for extraordinary pasta offerings, as well as their mostly chocolate rendering of the solar system. Titled "Constellation," astronomy never tasted better!

To walk off dinner, Parma also offers plenty of green spaces. Most notable is the Parco Ducale on the same side of the river and not far from the Toscanini museum.

IF YOU GO

Parizzi Ristorante: Strada Repubblica 71; www,ristoranteparizzi.it.

Hotel Maria Luisia, Viale Mentana 140; www.palacemarialuigia.com/hotel or www.summithotels.com.

Teatro Regio Parma: www.teatroregioparma.org.

Robert Selwitz is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.