We walked to the center of Parma this morning at 9:00 AM. There we met our city guide.  He took us to Parma’s unique baptistery which is considered one of the most important medieval monuments in Europe.
Next, we spent some time in Fabbriceria Basilica Cathedral Parma to see the ceiling and dome. Â Gorgeous!
We then walked by the river, the palace where royalty lived and ruled, and through upscale shopping areas.
We had lunch at a small wine bar where Alessandro had arranged for us to sit in the back room.  We enjoyed tasting  approximately seven appetizers, cheese, and wine.  The owners encourage people to write and draw all over the walls, so I wrote my name in crayon.  It brought back memories of the wall my parents had in our basement in Denver where people autographed it.
He found a cracked guitar, tuned it as well as he could, and played a couple of minutes of a classical guitar piece. Â He played classical guitar music when he was younger, and he has a very beautiful instrument at his home in the country.
Five of us then walked to the puppet museum, and it was free.
Three of us then continued on to tour the opera and sound museums which were also free! Â This was a very economical afternoon.
This evening we are going to have a very special dinner.