Parma, city, northern Italy, capital of Parma Province, in Emilia-Romagna Region, on the Parma River. Parma is crossed by the Roman road called the Aemilian Way. The city is a rail junction and a commercial and agricultural marketing center. The best-known local manufacture is Parmesan cheese. Other products are perfume, canning machinery, fertilizer, glass, furniture, leather goods, and pharmaceuticals.
The Romanesque cathedral (mainly 12th century), the interior of which is decorated with frescoes by Correggio, is a major point of interest. The former Farnese palace, or Palazzo della Pilotta, a colossal complex of buildings, most of which were built during the 16th and 17th centuries, contains the National Gallery of Parma. The city's university developed from a school of arts founded here in the 11th century.
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