The food valley

Parma is located in the Po River Valley at the heart of the Italian Food Valley, in the Emilia-Romagna region, the European region with the highest number of PDO and PGI products, which Forbes magazine described as “Italy’s greatest gastronomic treasure”.

Parma and its surrounding area are universally known for their ability to preserve an unrivalled gastronomic heritage that delivers worldwide products such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Parma Ham.

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The special combination of this land and its culture have created over the centuries not only excellent typical products, but have also allowed the development of industrial knowledge and technologies for the preservation of food. A real culture of food.

The entire food chain sector is represented in Parma and its province: typical products and their protection Consortia, renowned and starred restaurants and famous chefs, Italian cuisine teachers, food museums, agro-food industries, cultural projects and educational events, exhibitions and international, national and local fair events.

A strong cultural component has always been associated with the food tradition. The succession of European dynasties such the Farnese (1545-1731), the Bourbon (1732-1808) and the enlightened management of the Duchy by Marie Louise of Austria (1815-1847), favoured the culinary and cultural attitudes of opening towards the contaminations and innovations from abroad, transforming Parma, over time, into an integrated and synergistic system of food, culture, art and music. 

Parma was designated by UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in December 2015.

The appointment of Parma as City of Gastronomy responds to the UNESCO call through the idea of an integrated development strategy in which the skill set present in this area plays a key role in the formation of an open and accessible city system.

Parma actively participates in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network believing that sharing know-how and comparing different perspectives and models creates the most solid foundation on which to build sustainable and far-sighted urban development.