A dark and fascinating journey through the streets and squares of Parma's historic centre, where the city tells its storey through its women and its secrets. Cultured and powerful duchesses such as Maria Luigia of Austria and Luisa Elisabetta of Bourbon emerge alongside enigmatic and controversial figures: influential abbesses such as Giovanna da Piacenza and Maura Lucenia Farnese, guardians of power, silences and scandals, but also nameless women, accused of witchcraft and condemned to the stake in the squares of the seventeenth century by ducal order.

In the background, like a long shadow that crosses the centuries, the figure of Matilde di Canossa, capable of imprinting her mark on the sacred heart of the city, the cathedral square, transforming it into a place full of symbols, art and faith.

This itinerary delves into the most secret side of Parma, from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century, where female power is intertwined with intrigue, trials, devotion, and fear.

Highlights: Ducal Park and Palazzo del Giardino (outside); Glauco Lombardi Museum (current exhibition); San Paolo monastery (outside); Sant'Alessandro church; Piazza Duomo; Piazza Garibaldi.

Meeting point: Gate of the Ducal Park, Giuseppe Verdi Bridge, 43125 Parma PR, Italy

Tour duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

All our guided tours are led by licensed tour guides.

Please arrive 10 minutes before the start of the tour. Tours start on time.