Parma

Of all the cities we visited, the pleasant surprise package was Parma. Lunch was the best food of our entire holiday, including a massive amount of charcuterie. The city had one of the best galleries and museums, and it lacked the crowds. 

Wile Parma is of course associated with the ham, and Parmesan cheese, it is also the home of Giuseppe Verdi with a fine bronze monument on show.

Parma also boasts a lovely Duomo, very strikingly decorated inside.

The neighbouring baptistery is pretty amazing too, and unlike the famous one in Florence, we had this to ourselves

Here was our spectacularly wonderful lunchtime venue - with a musical theme, as well as all the hams.

We crossed the River Parma too to the Parque Ducale

The 

And then returned to the city's main sight really, the huge complex of the Musei della Pilotta, encompassing more than one museum. There is a phenomenal looking library

The remarkable old Farnese theatre, all in wood

A fine archaeological museum

And then into the Galleries, all in the partly reconstructed palace, largely destroyed by allied bombing in 1944

Below is the ultimate centerpiece decoration for a dining table. Although you do have to find a large enough table....

One of the star exhibits, a Da Vinci

 Just a really excellent day