Parma Webcam – Piazza Garibaldi and the Governor’s Palace

The Parma Webcam looks north across Piazza Garibaldi, the central square of Parma in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, to the long ochre front of the Palazzo del Governatore and its clock tower. The bronze statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi stands on its pedestal in front of the palace, between cafe terraces shaded by white umbrellas, and the dome of Santa Maria della Steccata rises above the roofs on the left. Across the middle of the frame runs the square’s broad paved roadway, used by delivery vans, cyclists and people on foot, while a street on the right edge leads away north and is often busy with pedestrians. The palace front faces south, so on a clear day it catches the sun through the middle of the day.

About Parma and Piazza Garibaldi

Piazza Garibaldi was laid out over the site of the Roman forum. Parma has about 199,000 inhabitants, lies 55 meters (180 feet) above sea level and is divided in two by the stream that shares its name. Since 2015 it has been a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the first Italian city to hold the title. The conductor Arturo Toscanini was born here, while Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 at Le Roncole, a village near Busseto about 32 kilometers (20 miles) away.

The building that fills the view began as the Palazzo dei Mercanti, the merchants’ hall, built between 1283 and 1285 along the north side of what was then Piazza Nuova. The clock tower was added in 1673 to a design by Gian Battista Barattieri, an engineer from Piacenza. In 1760 the architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot gave the palace its neoclassical front and opened the niche below the clock that holds Jean-Baptiste Boudard’s statue of the Crowned Virgin. The sundials on the facade followed in 1829, made by Lorenzo Ferrari and Luigi Pazzoni to show true and mean time, the months, sunrise and sunset and the signs of the zodiac. Since 2010 the palace has hosted exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.

The Garibaldi monument is the work of the Turin sculptor Davide Calandra and was unveiled on May 28, 1893, replacing an earlier monument, the Ara Amicitiae of 1769. Three bronze reliefs on its pedestal show the defense of the Roman Republic in 1849, the battle of San Fermo in 1859 and the landing of the Thousand at Marsala in 1860.

Weather and Climate in Parma

Parma has hot summers and cold winters. At the university weather station in the city center, July averages highs of 31.6 C (88.9 F) and lows of 19.1 C (66.4 F), while January runs from 6.8 C (44.2 F) by day to -0.4 C (31.3 F) at night, just below freezing. April averages 19.3 C (66.7 F) by day and 8.5 C (47.3 F) at night, and October 18.6 C (65.5 F) and 10.5 C (50.9 F). Around 774 millimeters (30.5 inches) of precipitation falls in an average year.

In summer the noon sun climbs to nearly 69 degrees above the horizon, so the umbrellas throw short, hard shadows and the facade looks almost flat. At the winter solstice it reaches only about 22 degrees, giving the palace front a lower, warmer light and stretching the shadows of the lamp posts far across the roadway. A grey, overcast day dulls the ochre facade and leaves the sky a flat white.

Things to Do Near Piazza Garibaldi in Parma

Most of the old city’s sights are within walking distance of the square. Piazza Duomo, about 300 meters (1,000 feet) to the northeast, holds the cathedral, begun in 1090, whose dome Antonio da Correggio frescoed between 1526 and 1530, and the Baptistery by Benedetto Antelami, begun in 1196 in pink Verona marble. Correggio also frescoed the Camera di San Paolo in 1519 and 1520. The Palazzo della Pilotta, built from 1583, contains the Teatro Farnese of 1618 to 1619 by Giovan Battista Aleotti and the National Gallery. The Teatro Regio, the city’s opera house, went up between 1821 and 1829 to a design by Nicola Bettoli, and the Parco Ducale was laid out in the French style in 1749.

Further out, Torrechiara Castle, near Langhirano, is about 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) south of the city. Verdi’s birthplace at Le Roncole lies close to Busseto, and the ducal palace at Colorno has formal gardens to walk.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Piazza Garibaldi in Parma?

Piazza Garibaldi is the central square of Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It stands on the site of the city’s Roman forum, with the Palazzo del Governatore along its whole north side and Piazza Duomo about 300 meters (1,000 feet) to the northeast.

What can you see on the Parma Webcam?

The camera faces north across the square to the Palazzo del Governatore, its clock tower and the Garibaldi monument in front. The dome of Santa Maria della Steccata shows above the roofs on the left, cafe terraces line the palace front, and vans, bicycles and pedestrians cross the roadway.

Does the Parma Webcam show the Duomo?

No. Parma Cathedral and its pink marble Baptistery stand on Piazza Duomo, about 300 meters (1,000 feet) northeast of the square, out of this camera’s sight. The dome visible behind the palace belongs to Santa Maria della Steccata, a church begun in 1521.

Is this webcam in Parma, Italy or Parma, Ohio?

This camera is in Parma, Italy. Searches for a Parma webcam also turn up Parma, Ohio, a city in the United States, which this page does not show.

What is the building with the clock tower in Piazza Garibaldi?

It is the Palazzo del Governatore, built between 1283 and 1285 as the merchants’ hall. The tower dates from 1673 and the neoclassical front from 1760, and the sundials beside the niche were added in 1829. Today it hosts art exhibitions.

Whose statue stands in Piazza Garibaldi?

The bronze figure in front of the clock tower is Giuseppe Garibaldi, by the sculptor Davide Calandra, unveiled on May 28, 1893. Reliefs on the pedestal show three of his campaigns, from Rome in 1849 to Marsala in 1860.

What is the weather like in Parma?

Summers are hot, with July highs around 31.6 C (88.9 F), and winters are cold, with January lows just below freezing at -0.4 C (31.3 F). Spring and autumn are mild, with April and October highs near 19 C (66 F). The webcam shows whether the square is sunny, wet or grey right now.

What is there to do near Piazza Garibaldi?

The cathedral, the Baptistery, the Teatro Regio, the Palazzo della Pilotta with the Teatro Farnese and the National Gallery, and Correggio’s Camera di San Paolo are all within walking distance. Torrechiara Castle is about 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) south of the city.

Source: SkylineWebcams