Parma

A portrait of the city through spectacular images and descriptions, one for each significant monument or quaint, little-known corner. The medieval splendour of the Baptistery, Parmigianino’s great Mannerist painting, the movement and softness of Correggio’s frescoes, the buildings and churches in the historic centre, the magnificence of the Farnese family, the grandeur pervading the monuments dating back to the time of the Duchess Marie Louise and the new 20th-century languages unfold, page after page, before the reader’s very eyes. The shape of the volume imitates that of the city itself, with the division between the two banks of the river. Accompanying readers along this promenade through images are detailed descriptions and two introductory essays on time and space, respectively. The former, by Gianni Guadalupi, describes the vicissitudes of our city in the manner of a novel, while the latter, by Marzio Dall’Acqua, describes its shape.