Parma is a great place for ever-hungry cyclists to replenish the calorie stores!Last night ‘s meal was billed as typical Parma fare: lots of ham, cheese and salad to start, followed by Tortelli pasta stuffed with more cheese, then Foccaccio and more cheese!

A slight snag in the otherwise meticulous planning sees us in Parma on a Monday – when many of the key museums are shut! So we missed the Parma theatre and, overcoming our disappointment, we had a more ecclesiastical day than planned.

But first we needed coffee in the very grand Piazza Garibaldi.

Parma Cathedral is known for a very early painting of the assumption on the ceiling of its central dome. But Helen spotted a more interesting memorial to Giambattista Bodoni – an 18th century Parmesan printer with an international business, and his own typeface. A digital version is still in use. But the cathedral’s baptistry (next door) is the star of the show.

This dates from the 11th century and is full of frescos. I don’t think I have ever seen anything of that age looking quite so intact.

Parma is a great mix of new and old, chic shops and old churches, cheek by jowl. Bits of it were damaged by allied bombing – including the Farnese-built Palazzo Pilotta, which may account for some of the modern buildings. A thriving place, but somehow not as coherent as Cremona.

Helen’s track of the day:
Take Me To Church by Hozier,
Not altogether in keeping with our easy going moods of the moment but it came to mind during the ecclesiastical tour.