January in Parma

Kids:
Ice skating every day at Euro Torri.
Teatro delle Briciole, Teatro del Cerchio, EuropaTeatri, Theatro del Vicolo, offer shows for kids.

Activities at Libri e Formiche, RosaLimone (Jan. 14, 21 and 28), Atelier del Borgo.

Music:
Cori in Festa and Cori di Cuore
New Year Concert on Jan. 1st, tickets on sale at Teatro Regio.
Aperitivi alla Casa della Musica until May 2012 and Concerti until April with a season dedicated to Claude Debussy.
Nuove Atmosfere, a series of 13 concerts until May 2012.

Get ready to book your tickets!

Teatro Regio recently announced the 2012 program of the lyric season (Aida and Stiffelio) and of what promises to be a WON-DER-FUL concert season with great composers (Beethoven, Brahms, Bach) and great musicians (Emanuel Ax, Jordi Savall!!).

Estri Armonici 2012 season at Teatro al Parco.
Tutti per uno XL opening on Jan. 30 at Auditorium Paganini.


Art:

Very interesting exhibition: "Parma: immagini della città dal Ducato all’Unità d’Italia" at Fondazione Cariparma until Feb. 19.

Let it snow:

Schia is Parma's nice little ski resort.  Schia ski school can be found on facebook.

Check, or rather, double check weather and road conditions before driving up the mountain!

Out of town:
In Milano, "Brera meets Pushkin" art exhibition. French paintings (Gauguin, Cézanne, Renoir, etc.) in the Russian collections.

From our readers...

Thank you so much to Eline, our first contributor!

Eline is pleased to share the following information:

Any doctors you recommend:

Alessandro Bertaccini is a GREAT English speaking pediatrician! very professional, helpful, attentive and good with kids. Office: 0521 460 077 (call him at this number from 8:00 am to 9:00 am) cell: 347 587 2100 (call him at this number from 2:45 pm - 3:15 pm). Office adress: Via Torelli 18

Any stores you think we should know about:

L'atelier del Borgo is a FANTASTIC shop filled with creative toys for kids (and their parents!). The main focus is on origami, calligraphy, colouring and drawing. They also have a section for scrapbooking. The owner, who speaks Italian and French, is really nice. She arranges workshops where kids can come and learn how to make origami, calligraphy etc. My daughter, who is five, spent an evening learning how to make origami (simple ones, but still....), and she loved it! Join the mailinglist for info.

L'atelier del Borgo, 10/B, bgo Longhi – 43121 Parma - Tel. 0521 208552 - info@atelierdelborgo.it- http://www.atelierdelborgo.it/
Orari di apertura : dal lunedì al sabato dalle 9.30 alle 13.00 e dalle 14.00 alle 19.30

In the same area, you will find "Libri e Formiche" - a wonderful bookstore for kids. They have a fantastic selection of books and high quality toys - and they host different events for children every months. Check out http://www.librieformiche.it/

Libri e Formiche - La libreria dei ragazzi - Strada Cairoli, 13 - 43121 Parma.  Tel./Fax 0521 506668

Eline and her family went to the beautiful Cinque Terre in Liguria, and shares her impressions and good addresses:

Why should you go to... the Cinque Terre.
We had a fantastic weekend trip to a really nice little Inn near Cinque Terre (a 15 minute drive from Monterosso). It is called La Sosta de Ottone III and is located in Chiesanuova on the cliffs between Levanto and Monterosso. The Inn has a great intimate atmosphere with only three or four rooms, which are all beautifully decorated. And the view of the Levanto Bay is amazing! The staff is attentive to your specific needs - for example they put a box with toys for our kids to play with in our room before our arrival, and at breakfast they helped organize our day and gave their recommendations to sights, restaurants etc. The breakfast was simple but good (above the usual Italian standard). We stayed in the biggest room, which is ideal for a family, because it has a seperate sleeping area for the kids. However, you should keep in mind that the Inn is located on a cliff - this means that you have to park about 100 metres from the hotel, and there are stairs, narrow paths etc. This might not seem very child friendly, but overall it worked out fine with our kids of 4 years and 15 months at the time.

What's to see (monuments, museums, natural sites, festival….)
Well... it's Cinque Terre! The five cities, the beach, the trainride, the walks....

Ideal for: A weekend

Accommodation:
La Sosta di Ottone III
http://www.lasosta.com/default.htm

Restaurant that you liked:

Eat at the Inn! We had a wonderful meal on the terrace overlooking the bay of Levanto - in complete privacy as we were the only guests at the time. You should book the dinner in advance. (when we went there, it was only possible to have dinner at the Inn on Friday evening - Saturday we had a quick pizza in one of the many restaurants in Monterosso - ask the staff for recommended restaurants).

Best season to go: Early spring - as there are fewer tourists than in summer

Is it child-friendly: yes/no - Activities for children:
As described above, the surroundings of the Inn with the stairs and narrow paths are not perfect for children, but on the other hand, the Inn has a nice family room, toys and a calm atmosphere, which seem to "rub off" on the kids. Make sure they burn off energy at the beach during the day, though.

Any negative experiences you'd like to mention:

On the day of our departure it rained heavily - and we were really glad to be leaving, because on a rainy day there would be nothing to do with kids! So check the weather.

Tourist info in English: http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/?id_lingue=2

December in Parma

Christmas time!
Discover the different activities organised by the city of Parma.
The Christmas tree will be inaugurated on Dec. 8 piazza Garibaldi.


Share the joy of Christmas:
December 8 at 4 pm: Benefit concert at Santa Annunziata church in favour of people affected by the recent flash floods in Liguria.
Give used (but still usable) toys to Comunità di Sant'Egidio on December 8 (piazzale Barezzi).
All the initiatives of Parma's non-profit organisations for Christmas are listed here.


Mercati di Natale (Christmas market):
French market, December 4-6 from 9 am to 8 pm, Piazza Ghiaia: cheese, bread, wine and more!
Piazza Garibaldi inside the igloo, Nov. 25-27, Dec. 2-4, Dec. 8-11.
Antiques and vintage, December 1-4 at Fiera di Parma.
Piazza della Steccata, AltroMercato, fair trade handicraft and goodies.
Via d'Azeglio on December 4, Via Garibaldi and strada della Repubblica on December 11.
At Barilla Center from December 16 to 18.
In various cities of the province (Collecchio, Traversetolo, etc) and a live Christmas crib (crèche vivante) in Basilicagoiano with gospel concert.


Kids:

Casa dei Bimbi is back! Piazza Garibaldi from Dec. 13 to Jan. 8.

Workshops, dance, readings, etc, are proposed every day to children aged 3-9. Leave your kids in the hands of the staff and go shopping or relax!






Cinema: Happy Feet 2, Lion King 3 D, Tintin (Sat. 10 at Cinema d'Azeglio).
'Principessa a corte', a guided tour of the castle of Fontanellato with Princess Rapunzel. December 4 at 3:30 pm, upon booking at 0521 82 90 55.
Teatro delle Briciole, Teatro del Cerchio, EuropaTeatri, Teatro del Vicolo offer shows for kids.
Activities at Libri e Formiche and RosaLimone. Workshops at L'atelier del Borgo.
Finalmente Domenica every Sunday until Dec. 18 at Barilla Center.

Ice skating every day! Piazzale Picelli or at Euro Torri.

Thank you to Vanja for sharing this: Brontosaurus weekend Saturday and Sunday!

Music:
New Year Concert on Jan. 1st, tickets on sale at Teatro Regio.
Aperitivi alla Casa della Musica until May 2012
For Regulars Only every Saturday evening until Christmas
Nuove Atmosfere, a series of 13 concerts until May 2012.
Parma Jazz Frontiere until December 4.

Art:
"Dalla matita al pennello", exhibition of drawings and sketchs by Amedeo Bocchi until Dec. 31.

Very interesting exhibition: "Parma: immagini della città dal Ducato all’Unità d’Italia" at Fondazione Cariparma until Feb. 19.

Cinema:

The original ones, movies in original version until Dec. 13.


Out of town:
In Fidenza Festival "for kids only".
Theater and cinema for kids every Sunday in Collecchio until Dec. 18.
Last days to admire Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition at the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca until Dec. 11.

Outside the province:
In Ferrara exhibition "Gli anni folli" Paris at the time of Dali, Picasso and Modigliani until January 2012.
In Pavia exhibition Degas, Lautrec e Zandò a Pavia: mostra al Castello Visconteo da Settembre a Dicembre 2011 Eventi a Milano
„"Les Folies de Montmartre", Degas, Lautrec e Zandò until December 18.
In Milano "Cézanne, les ateliers du midi" until February 26, 2012.
In Torino "Moda in Italia", 150 years of Italian high fashion until January 8, 2012.

November in Parma

Check La Repubblica every Monday for a comprehensive list of events (appuntamenti della settimana). La Repubblica Parma is also now accessible on facebook.

Halloween:  list of events.

Thanksgiving for kids Saturday Nov. 5 at 4:30 pm.

Thanksgiving Dinner with American embassy.

Kids:
Teatro delle Briciole, Teatro del Cerchio, EuropaTeatri, Teatro del Vicolo offer shows for kids.
Cinema: I Puffi (The Smurfs, Les Schtroumpfs), King Lion 3D. Festival at Cinema d'Azeglio.
Activities at Libri e Formiche. Subscribe to the newsletter to get early information!
Readings: Biblioteca di Alice, Torrile.
Finalmente Domenica every Sunday until Dec. 18 at Barilla Center.
Theater and cinema every Sunday in Collecchio until Dec. 18.


Music:
Aperitivi alla Casa della Musica until May 2012
Parma Jazz Frontiere until Dec. 4.
For Regulars Only every Saturday evening until Christmas
Jazz: Book tickets right now for Gege Telesforo's show on November 23.
Musica al Museo Glauco Lombardi
Nuove Atmosfere, a series of 13 concerts until May 2012.

Art:
Exhibition by Mauro Davoli at Galleria Maison Olivier (via Bodoni 1/d) until Nov. 16
"Dalla matita al pennello", exhibition of drawings and sketchs by Amedeo Bocchi until Dec. 31.
"Parma: immagini della città dal Ducato all’Unità d’Italia" at Fondazione Cariparma until Feb. 19.

Cinema:
The original ones, movies in original version until Dec. 13.

Go green: organic and km zero market piazza Ghiaia on Nov. 27.

Out of town:
Taking advantage of school break, (re)discover forests around Parma to admire beautiful autumn colors. See the 'nature' page for suggestions.
In Fidenza Festival "for kids only".
At Parco Boschi di Carrega workshops on Nov. 5 and Nov. 27.
Tired of Verdi? Try Puccini! La Bohême, November 11 at Teatro Magnani in Fidenza.
November Porc until November 27.
The Festa del Tartufo in Calestano takes place every sunday until November 13.
Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition at the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca until December 11.

Outside the province:
In Reggio Emilia, 2 exhibitions for families: the world of mammals until Nov.6 and the animals of the night (owls, etc) until Nov. 27.
In Albinea (Reggio Emilia), Nov. 5-6, Festa d'autunno, with visit to the acetaia (balsamic vinegar), falconry, making of Parmigiano cheese, etc.
In Bologna "Arte Povera 1968" until Dec. 26.
In Ferrara exhibition "Gli anni folli" Paris at the time of Dali, Picasso and Modigliani until January 2012.
In Pavia exhibition Degas, Lautrec e Zandò a Pavia: mostra al Castello Visconteo da Settembre a Dicembre 2011 Eventi a Milano
„"Les Folies de Montmartre", Degas, Lautrec e Zandò until December 18.
In Milano "Cézanne, les ateliers du midi" until February 26, 2012.
In Torino "Moda in Italia", 150 years of Italian high fashion until January 8, 2012.

Classes for little cooks

I just found out this website that proposes cooking classes for kids aged 3 to 9. They will be coming to Parma in May 2012, the classes are limited to 10 kids and mothers, so if you want to have a chance to attend one of these classes, you'd better enroll now! Scroll down to bottom of page to find the form  "iscriviti per partecipare".

Classes are free but they ask a membership fee of EUR 10.

Sunday in Reggio Emilia

This Sunday at the parco Legnolandia, kids activities: donkey riding, games, book exhibition, readings, etc. We experienced the donkey riding recently, it's fabulous!
Reggio Emilia is only 30 minutes far from Parma with the highway.

Legnolandia is on facebook.

Parma this week (Oct 24-30)

Check La Repubblica for a comprehensive list of events. La Repubblica Parma is also now accessible on facebook.

Our selection of events for the week:
Festival Verdi is coming to an end, but Aperitivi alla Casa della Musica will start soon!
Every Saturday jazz at Bar Cristallo from 8 pm.
The original ones, the festival of movies in original version, still going on at Cinema d'Azeglio!
Free concert at Chiesa San Sepolcro Sunday at 9 pm: Frescobaldi, Cimarosa, Donizetti.
Science week at Barilla Center with workshops for kids aged 6-11
Halloween: see the post dated October 15. And if you have suggestions, please send them to parmamia@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Saturday morning the ticket office of Teatro al Parco will exceptionally open so you can buy your tickets for the coming season of Teatro delle Briciole.
It's also time to book tickets for Zona Franca, a festival of theatre taking place in November with about 10 shows for kids.
I warmly recommend Teatro delle Briciole: the shows are of excellent, professional quality and are a great entertainment for adults too!

Out of town:
Tired of Verdi? Try Puccini! Book tickets for La Bohême playing on November 11 at Teatro Magnani in Fidenza.
In Fidenza starts the annual festival for kids aged 3-12: drop your kids and husband and go shopping at the outlet!
Sunday at Parco Boschi di Carrega, kids can learn how to recognize animal prints!
The Festa del Tartufo in Calestano takes place every sunday until November 13.
Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition at the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca until December 11.

Outside the province
In Ferrara exhibition "Gli anni folli" Paris at the time of Dali, Picasso and Modigliani until January 2012.
In Pavia exhibition Degas, Lautrec e Zandò a Pavia: mostra al Castello Visconteo da Settembre a Dicembre 2011 Eventi a Milano
„"Les Folies de Montmartre", Degas, Lautrec e Zandò until December 18.
In Milano "Cézanne, les ateliers du midi" until February 26, 2012.
In Torino "Moda in Italia", 150 years of Italian high fashion until January 8, 2012.

Build your own calendar of events: check our 'Time out' page for useful websites.“

Parma this week (Oct 17-23)

Our selection of events for the week:
Festival Verdi is still going on.
The original ones, a festival of movies in original version at Cinema d'Azeglio!
On Wednesday, Dado Moroni Quartet (jazz) at Teatro Regio. 9 pm.
Every Saturday jazz at Bar Cristallo from 8 pm.
Free concert at Chiesa San Vitale on Sunday at 6 pm: Mozart, Bach, Liszt.

Study the programme of Aperitivi alla Casa della Musica, sunday morning concerts from November to May 2012, and book your tickets from November 2. Mozart, Vivaldi, Mahler, Shostakovich and Gershwin are in the programme this season.

Kids:
Starting this Wednesday morning and until November 16, readings for kids aged 18-36 months at Biblioteca Pavese.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: piazza Ghaia, via Cavour and Oltretorrente short puppet shows at 12 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm.
On Saturday the Museo di Storia Naturale, via Farini 90, will exceptionally open its doors to the public (10am-12pm and 3pm-6pm) in the scope of Biodiversamente, the festival of "ecoscience" organized by WWF and the Association of Museums of Science.
Teatro delle Briciole and Teatro del Cerchio: time to book your tickets!

Out of town:
The Festa del Tartufo in Calestano takes place every sunday until November 13.
On Sunday Biodiversamente will move to the Reserve of Ghirardi in Borgotaro with guided tours at 10 am and 3 pm.
Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition at the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca until December 11.

Out of the province:
In Ferrara exhibition "Gli anni folli" Paris at the time of Dali, Picasso and Modigliani until January 2012.
In Pavia exhibition Degas, Lautrec e Zandò a Pavia: mostra al Castello Visconteo da Settembre a Dicembre 2011 Eventi a Milano
„"Les Folies de Montmartre", Degas, Lautrec e Zandò until December 18.“

 

Looking for a Halloween party?

Here are some events found on the web:

For kids aged 5 and up: Fiabe di Halloween the Castle of Fontanellato
For kids aged 7 and up: Festa di Halloween at the bookstore Libri e Formiche
For kids at the Castle of Varano.

Adults:
Halloween Bardi Night  at the Castle of Bardi.
Notte Halloween at the Castle of Compiano
Notte Halloween at the Castle of Varano Melegari

Complete list of events.

Meanwhile, before Ognissanti, you can eat the traditional "ossa dei morti", bone-shaped biscuits (for example at Provinciali, via Cavour).