[April 2025] On that day, we entered Emilia-Romagna from Cremona in Lombardy, Northern Italy, and stayed overnight in Parma.
On the way, we stopped off in Fontanellato, where there is a castle called Rocca San Vitale in the middle of the city.
There are many large carp in the moat.
We arrived at about 4:30, but the castle was already closed, so we were unable to see the inside, which I had wanted to see for a while.
So we just walked around the area, took some photos, and left, then entered Parma.
In Parma, we stayed at a three-star hotel called Button Hotel.
We chose it because of its good location in the middle of town, but it is in an area where general cars cannot enter, so be careful because you need to get a permit from the hotel.
The lobby of this hotel was kitschy and elaborate, but the rooms were drab.
Our room was oddly long and narrow, but spacious enough.
The smaller towels were made of cloth like a dish towel, which was a bit of a problem for me.
I hadn’t seen towels like that recently in Italy.
After a short rest at the hotel, we walked around the town.
We had planned to see the sights properly the next day, so after walking aimlessly, we went to an enoteca recommended by the hotel staff.
This place is called Enoteca Tabarro.
We were shown to a room on the first floor, and there was a long table with an interesting system where you could pull out a thin board depending on the number of guests to create a slightly private partition.
We had snacks of cicchetti and anchovies here, and drank white wine and a completely unsweetened sparkling white wine.
The food was delicious, the staff were all friendly, and the cluttered atmosphere was very nice.
I’ll definitely go again next time.
