Pinterest, you got me…read more After seeing a pretty shot of this library in a Parma top sites to see article on Pinterest, I added it to our hit list. Here's why you should consider visiting Biblioteca Paladins when you're in Parma: 1.) it's free 2.) the ceiling is beautiful both in the main room and adjacent rooms 3.) you're most likely going to pass it anyway as you enter the town on foot from the train station - note that it's somewhat tricky to spot in the sense that it's buried within a building of other museums, etc. at the entrance to Old town 4.) the collection of old books, artifacts and busts on display is impressive 5.) let's face it, you need more cultural activities to add to your hit list with all the face stuffing that goes on in Parma

Dedicated to showcasing Roman and Egyptian antiquities, the Archaeological Museum of Parma has…read moreeverything you want from those eras...beautiful marble statues, mummies, hieroglyphic stone carvings, old Roman coins... Unfortunately, this is also a very small museum and absolutely dwarfed by other larger and more famous museums in Italy with similar artifacts. Still, since admission here is part of the ticket package you get for getting into the much grander National Gallery, consider this location icing on the cake. TIP: You can leave your backpack and other personal belongings here in a personal locker.

Davide (in English pronounced Davi-day) is an amazing tour guide! We went to a parmagiana reggiano…read morefacilty where Davide gave us a private tour and knew so much about the cheese... and knew all the people that worked there. We then had a tasting. We road back to the city to an amazing deli where we had all kinds of cured meats. We ordered (apart from the fee) wines and really had an amazing time talking to Davide. He's an amazing host and a great guy!!!!

Recommend!! We booked our tour just a few days before arriving to Parma and were able to customize…read moreit to our budget, interests, and schedule. We communicated with Davide via email then later FB messenger, and he was very flexible, accommodating, and communicative throughout the process. On the day of, it was supposed to rain but fortunately for us, it didn't! We met with Davide at the Cicleteria right next to the Parma station. Davide got us all set up with bikes and we were on our way! He was great at communicating where we were going and gave turn by turn signals to make sure we didn't get lost. He took us slightly outside the city to our first stop, a parmiagiano-reggiano factory. He had his own equipment so you know he's a regular and knows his stuff! Meanwhile, we got geared up in a protective smock and got to learn about every step of making parmigiano-reggiano cheese (and what goes into make the real stuff)! It was entertaining and a wonderful learning experience! We topped off the experience by getting to try differently aged parmigiano-reggiano cheese and became experts in distinguishing the different flavor profiles ourselves! We also had the chance to buy parmesano reggiano cheese from the cheese factory at a cheaper price. They had other food souvenirs as well. We wanted to try real and local balsamic vinegar, but since the bike ride to a balsamic factory would have taken us too long for our half day tour, Davide scheduled a tasting at Antica Salumeria Alimentaria Rastelli. We got to have a balsamic vinegar tasting, as well as taste some amazing burrata, pickled onions, olives, and Parma ham (prosciutto di Parma). So delicious! I would highly recommend Bike Food Stories and having Davide be your Parma guide! Grazie mille, Davide!!

I did the full tour which included the tour of Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto, and balsamic…read morevinegar and also a lunch. You book this tour through Maestro Travel Experience. They are great and very easy to communicate with. On the day of our tour, our train was delayed due to the snow and rain. We were able to get another train but we would still arrive 10 min late to Parma. I was able to contact Tasty Bus and our guide Silvia. Silvia was able to arrange the bus to pick us up at the station rather than us go to the meeting point. We were so happy we were able to make this tour! Silvia was a great tour guide -- very sweet and knowledgeable. All the places she took us to were wonderful. You got to see all or most of the steps of each process (Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto, traditional balsamic vinegar). If you do the full tour, you have lunch provided. We went to a quaint restaurant called La Tavola del Contado. The food and treats they had was so good.