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Eating, drinking and nightlife
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Parma is not well known for its nightlife, and the locals tend to prefer long sessions in the various (excellent) restaurants, or else dress up and head for the theatre or opera. For
picnic food
, the market by the river on Piazza Ghiaia is the best source both of ingredients and sandwiches and ready-made dishes at a number of
tavole calde
; there's also a small
tavola calda
at Borgo Sant'Ambrogio 2, off the Piazza Garibaldi end of Strada della Repubblica. For more substantial
meals
, also close by Piazza Garibaldi, the
Enoteca Fontana
, Strada Farini 24, is a great authentic old bar, with long wooden tables, a huge choice of different wines and a menu that includes sandwiches, steaming bowls of pasta and hot and cold daily specials - a good bet for lunch.
Trattoria Corrieri
is a popular place, tucked away off the main street at Via Conservatorio 1 (closed Sun), with excellent fare that is not too expensive.
Trattoria San Ambrogio
(closed Mon), at Borgo Piero Torrigiani 4a, is similar with fresh pasta and a meat-dominated menu that leans towards game. The
Lazzaro
hotel, centrally placed
, has a decent restaurant serving a good array of local dishes (closed Sun). Up a bracket in price, opera
apassionati
eat at
Canon d'Oro
, Via N. Sauro 3a (closed Wed) - expensive but entertaining. Top choices for local gourmets are
La Greppia
, Via Garibaldi 39a (tel 0521.233.686, closed Mon & Tues) and
Parizzi
, Via Repubblica 71 (tel 0521.285.952, closed Mon throughout the year, Sun eves in summer), both with a wide range of specialities, including five types of ham. For
later on
in the evening,
Bottiglia Azzurra
, Borgo Felino 63 (closed Sun), serves a good choice of wines and hot snacks and stays open until 2am.
Opera
is big in Parma: the Teatro Regio, at Via Garibaldi 16a (tel 0521.218.678,
www.teatrostabileparma.com
), is renowned for its discerning audiences. It's not unknown for supporters of one singer to gather in cliques during the opera and discuss his or her virtues with supporters of a rival. Viale Basetti, next to the river, is also the home of one of the top
theatre
companies in Europe, the Colletivo di Parma, who perform between October and April at the Teatro Due, Viale Basetti 12a (tel 0521.230.242), and whose shows draw on a tradition of comedy and political theatre - Dario Fo was a founder member and has often returned. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Italy,
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