Last day of touristing

 Today was our last day of touristing in Italy.  We went to the Galleria Nazionale Parma and the Teatro Farnese.  I thought the Teatro was particularly interesting, because it was the first theater to ever have machinery (of sorts) so that the sets weren't fixed/permanent.  Sorry -- no photos at e National Gallery (or the theater).

 Our next stop was the Giordano Ferrari museum.  Sorry, dad: not cars -- puppets (and marionettes).

 I took this picture specifically for our neighbor, Jack.  This puppet is "Diavolo."

Trattoria del Tribunale

 Tom had the rabbit for dinner, which came with a side of onions that had been poached in red wine.  Excellent.

I gat the carpaccio.  The peppery flavor of the arugula + the salt from the parm + the carpaccio made for a PERFECT plate.

Fabulous mushrooms

 Last night, we had another outta this world dinner.  Which I thought was going to begin with mushrooms.... But as you can see, my Italian has not advanced very much in the last 3 weeks!

 This wine is definitely worth mentioning.  It was FAaNTASTIC, and only €16 (so I presume far less in the store).

We tried another offering of pumpkin ravioli (since its a local special) and were equally impressed.  I'm still wondering, though, if it's butternut squash (it was SO sweet), and maybe they use a generic term for "pumpkin"?

The Cathedral

 As it turns out, our little apartment is about 20 yards from some of the most famous sites in town, including the Cathedral.  Its construction started in the 2nd half of the 11th century, and was finished in 1106.
Of course, the ceilings, frescoes, floors, woodwork, walls & sculptures are all amazing.

Church of St. Mary of the Steccata

 More impressive churches, domes, sculptures....

Dinner - good, but not as great as the wine

 Tom and I shared a ravioli (stuffed with sausage?) and a duck salad.  Both were ok.  But Tom really liked the red wine with dinner: a blend of Cabernet, cab franc, and merlot.

 The dessert wine was also typical of the area: a sparkling red.  Tom really liked it.  I thought it had a Martinelli's quality to it.

Bistrot Billicine

 Parma is known for their sparkling wines.  We decided last night to try eating, more or less, at a wine bar.  This way, we could try lots of different things.

 The most stellar course (both food and wine) was the appetizer.  The cheeses were out of this world, and the sparkling white wine was delicious.  In fact, we bought a bottle to take home.

Cruising around town

 Can you believe these are the walls in Parma's post office?

These turtles were cruising around the pond in a local public park.  Cool.

The Diocesan Museum of Parma

 These statues (of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba) were originally housed in the baptistery, but we're moved to the museum for safe keeping.  They are nearly 1,000 years old!

 Likewise, the two prophets (David and Nathan) were moved in order to keep them safe.

I liked this -- because it looked like a face to me, when, in fact, it's an oil lamp.  The wick went in the "mouth," and the "eyes" were for air and refilling oil.  This little gem is also nearly 1,000 years old.

The Baptistery

 Inside the baptistery, there is (of course) a dome that is covered in beautiful frescoes, depicting such stories as the life of John the Baptist.  But what I found even more interesting were the statues of the months and seasons (beginning with March, which was considered the first month of the year).
These statues (from left to right) represent Spring, June & July.

The outside of the Baptistery is also impressive.  There are 4 sets of doors (called "portals").  This is the west portal, which has the Redeemer on Throne in the center/top "lunette." 

 In the left door jamb, there is a sculpture of the six works of Mercy, "leading to redemption."

Gallo d'Oro (yes, that's the golden chicken)

 We did a quick Trip Advisor review before selecting our dinner location.  Their specialties included "fried bread" (which reminded us of sopapillas)

 And Pumpkin ravioli (AWESOME).

 We also got the pork cheeks (which appeared to be slow roasted all day, and fell apart with the approach of a fork)

And lamb (done with olives & artichokes).

Antipasti

 Since we are in Parma, of course we started with the prosciutto & parm.  Couldn't be beat.

Travel day

 Today was a travel day: from Florence to Parma.  The first part of the trip was fine -- a high speed train (from Florence to Bologna) with A/C and free Wifi.
The 2nd part of the trip was not as rosie.  Only "local" trains go to Parma -- slow, and hot.  Ugh.
But we lucked out: when we got here (to the Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati) we were "upgraded." Our apartment includes two bedrooms, a kitchen, a washing machine, and A/C.  We were also greeted with a welcome-plate of chocolates and strawberries!  We are living large.

So we set out to explore our new neighborhood.  One of our first stops was a wine shop.  We quickly learned that Parma is known for sparkling wines, both reds &whites.  The wine shop proprietor recommended this local wine for €5.50.  Not the very best sparkling wine I've ever had, but definitely the best sparkling wine I've ever had for €5.50.

Museo di Palazzo Vecchio

 Tom and I have decided it's good to be king, or, at least -- a Medici.  This was the Medici palace.

 the frescoes (and all manner of art) were amazing.  My favorite room (actually, not pictured here) was the room of the 4 elements.  Each wall was dedicated to either fire, water, earth, or wind.  Everyone should have that kind of room on their house, yes?

 there were these cabinets/chests of drawers all over the palace.  I loved each individual drawer -- in and of themselves they were works of art.  And, of course, each one is ~500 years old.  Crazy.

Bargello museum

 These are some of the coats of arms that are in the courtyard of the Borgello museum.  When we get home (and I have a real keyboard!) I'll share some more info about them.

 This canon, done in bronze, was (of course) commissioned by a Medici.  As far as I can tell, the Medici family was wealthier than even Warren Buffett.

This bronze is called "The Fisher Boy." I call it "Tom's statue."

Kitchen setup in a tent

 These volunteers were really churning out the food.

 we went to thank them after our fantastic meal: Mille grazie.

Bevande

 The wine (which was great) was €7.50

I took the water bottle photo for Sarah.  In all meals in Italy one orders bottled water.  But no two bottles, in any of the thousands of restaurants, ever appears to be the same.


Ok, I can't seem to add text past ~3 photos.
So on that last entry, I have no way of describing the religious experience that was the Tartufo Pizze.
It was prefect: like no other pizza... Tom says it took pizza to a whole new level.  The only word I can think of is "unctuous."

Truffle everything

 Our opener: crostini al tartufo (tartufo is truffle).  And it was €1.50

 First course: lasagne bianche con tartufo.  I've noticed that lasagne here is not made with red sauce.  That must be an American adaptation.  Oh, and so must the mozzarella cheese -- because here, it's ricotta and Parmesan.

 this was salsiccie (sausage) con tartufo.  We think the sausage was veal or lamb rather than pork.

Fagioli (beans) con tartufo.  Getting the theme?