Culture

Not far from the castle of Torrechiara, the visitor sees on the bank of the river Parma, the delightful abbey built in 1471 by the Count Pier Maria Rossi for his natural son Ugolino, abbot of the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma.

The visitor is welcomed by monks who still live there and is impressed by the beautiful artistic wealth of the place:
a wonderful monastic complex dating back to the fifteenth century that includes an ancient Romanesque church built around a Renaissance cloister, similar to the castle courtyard.

Under the “portico” of the cloister, there is the ancient bell with dedication by Pier Maria Rossi and the beautiful fifteenth – century terracotta tile with “the Flagellation” which reproduces the marble group of Amadeo in the Cathedral of Cremona.

The others sections focus on the other typical cured meats produced in the Parma area, on gastronomy, on ham processing techniques and on the role of the Prosciutto of Parma Consortium, that guarantees the quality of this extraordinary product, famous and appreciated all over the world. At the end of the exhibition, the visitor can admire a short excursus focus on the rich food production in Parma.

Dulcis in fundo, you can taste ham! In fact,you can enter into a tasting room, a real ‘’ham shop’’ where you will learn to taste the product and to appreciate its quality, to recognise the ham seasoning , the characteristics and the flavour. You can also taste, a wide selection of Colli of Parma wines. The museum also has a book shop with publications, gadgets and a select resale products typical of the territory.

Gastone Biggi, born in Rome in 1925, was an established painter, poet, writer and essayist of the last century, who established himself in the eternal city and then moved to Tordenaso, his ‘’place of adoption’’ where he died in 2014. He initially approached the painting and realism of artists such as Daumier and Goya and then created a working relationship with the group of Portonaccio (Muccini and Vespignani). He also had a dialogue with painters such as Dorazio, Scialoja, Turcato and Perilli. He is considered a multifaceted artist strongly influenced by Realism, by the Art of the Informal and by the American abstract Expressionism of Kline and Pollock. The key to reading Biggi’s works is to be found in the constant dialogue with atonal music through which he had the opportunity to explain the accent of words.

Emanuele Modica, commonly known as the painter of the tent, in 1969, creates in Palermo ‘’the tent’’ an itinerant exhibition that takes him through the squares of Italy with his tent, touching threats, prayers and intimidation. 

Among, its stops, are remembered those in the ‘’difficult’’ squares of Palermo, Sicily and Naples in the 70s, while in Northern Italy those of Aosta, Parma, Biella and Riccione and the last in the gardens of Villa Mussolini, where he received the visit of Vittorio Sgarbi. 

The last stage was that of Bergamo, a few years ago, when due to an illness, he was forced to give up  his ‘’artistic nomadism’’ to move with his wife to Manzano in Langhirano. 

In the rectory of the parish church, he continued his artistic career with the realization of some restorations and works such as the Pietà, the Colomba della Pace and San Vincenzo, a painting dedicated to the Saint patron, located near the façade. 

He received numerous appreciations from art critics, journalists, writers and poets. Hi history and his works have been presented on the main national television network such as RAI and MEDIASET.