Italienisches Essen und Lebensfreude - Parma & Florenz

About the destination: "Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its prosciutto ,cheese, architecture, music and surrounding countryside. It is home to the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world. Parma is divided into two parts by the stream of the same name. The district on the far side of the river is Oltretorrente. MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS • Museo Glauco Lombardi is a particularly interesting and well done museum documenting the life of Maria Luigia, second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duchess of Parma. • Piazza Duomo is where you'll find the city's cathedral and the baptistry, both built in the late 12th century. The baptistry was designed by Benedetto Antelami and is constructed from a pink marble called rosso di Verona. • Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi is where the original Roman Colony, founded in 183 BC. Today the modern square contains shops and restaurants, as well as the Palazzo del Governatore with a facade dating to 1760 and an astronomical clock. • Palazzo de la Pilotta is a sixteenth century complex of buildings constructed as court to the famed Renaissance Farnese family."

About the destination: Florence is as vital and beautiful today as when its wool and silk merchants and bankers revolutionized the economy of 13th century Tuscany, and the art of Dante and Michelangelo stunned the world. Florence was the centre of the Italian Renaissance. The fruits of the city’s rebirth are still evident in its seemingly endless array of museums, churches and palazzi. With its historic centre classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Duomo, the elegant and beautiful cathedral, dominates the city and is an unmistakable reference point in your wanderings. The River Arno, which cuts through the oldest part of the city, is crowned with the Ponte Vecchio bridge lined with shops and held up by stilts. Dating back to the 14th century, it is the only bridge that survived attacks during WWII. Standing by the river at night, when the city is illuminated with a myriad twinkling lights, is unforgettable. But more remains of Florence’s incomparable heritage than stones and paint, the city’s indomitable spirit has also survived the centuries, ensuring Florentine life today its liveliness and sophistication.