Piazza Garibaldi is Parma's main square, the place where the city's two oldest streets cross and where people still meet, argue and drink their aperitivo. It stands on the site of the Roman forum, at the junction of the Via Emilia and the old north–south street, and the buildings around it record almost every period of the city's history since.
Piazza Garibaldi at a glance
- Where: in the centre of Parma, where Strada della Repubblica and Strada Mazzini (the old Via Emilia) meet Strada Farini and Strada Cavour.
- Created: as the forum of Roman Parma; the medieval Piazza Grande grew up on the same spot, and the square took its present shape in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- By: the French architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot redesigned the square for the Bourbon dukes in the 1750s and 1760s.
- What it is today: the city's civic square, with the town hall, the Palazzo del Governatore, the church of San Pietro and a statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes to look around, longer if you stop at a café or visit an exhibition.
From Roman forum to Piazza Grande
Parma was founded as a Roman colony on the Via Emilia, and its forum lay where the main east–west road crossed the north–south cardo. The Goths and Lombards changed little of the street plan, and in the Middle Ages the old forum became the Piazza Grande, the seat of the free commune. The communal palaces went up on its south side in the 13th century, and the merchants' palace on the north side followed in the 1280s. In January 1606 the tall civic tower on the south side collapsed, and the Palazzo del Comune you see today was built afterwards, to a design by Giovanni Battista Magnani, and finished by 1673.
In the 18th century the Bourbon duke Philip brought Petitot to Parma, and the architect gave the square a more regular, classical look. He refaced the Palazzo del Governatore, turned the facade of San Pietro towards the square and in 1769 added a monument called the Ara Amicitiae, the Altar of Friendship. In 1893 that monument was replaced by Davide Calandra's statue of Garibaldi, and the square took the hero's name.
What to look for
- The Palazzo del Governatore on the north side, a long brick palace with a central clock tower built in 1673 by the engineer Giovanni Battista Barattieri.
- The sundials on the same tower, commissioned in 1829 under Duchess Marie Louise; they surround a niche with a statue of the Virgin crowned by the Christ Child by the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Boudard.
- The statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi by Davide Calandra, standing in front of the Palazzo del Governatore.
- The plain brick facade of the Palazzo del Comune on the south side, with its portico at street level and plaques on its pilasters.
- The neoclassical facade of the church of San Pietro, on the west side of the square, completed around 1760 as part of Petitot's plan.
Three palaces, three powers
Reading the square is easier if you remember who sat where. The Palazzo del Comune and the older Palazzo del Podestà on the south side were the seat of the city government. The Palazzo del Governatore opposite began as the merchants' palace and later became the residence of the governor who ruled in the duke's name. Today the town council still meets in the Palazzo del Comune, while the Palazzo del Governatore is used for exhibitions and cultural events, so it is often worth checking what is on inside.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the early evening, when the square fills with people walking and having an aperitivo under the porticoes.
- For the best view of the clock tower and sundials, stand near the Garibaldi statue and look north; the light is best in the afternoon.
- Use the square as a starting point: all four of Parma's historic main streets begin here, so it is easy to plan a walk in any direction.
- Look out for temporary exhibitions in the Palazzo del Governatore; they often take you inside the building.
Nearby
- Santa Maria della Steccata: a Renaissance church just a couple of minutes' walk from the square, famous for Parmigianino's frescoes.
- Parma Cathedral and Baptistery: the Romanesque cathedral with Correggio's dome fresco and the pink marble baptistery by Benedetto Antelami, a short walk north.
- Palazzo della Pilotta: the vast Farnese palace with the wooden Teatro Farnese and the National Gallery.
- Teatro Regio: Parma's opera house, opened in 1829, closely tied to the music of Giuseppe Verdi.
See Parma with World City Trail
Our Parma scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route takes around 2 hours, with about 26 minutes of walking, and leads you through the historic centre. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, Parma also has a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game.
Play the Parma scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Parma →
Play the outdoor escape game in Parma →
Facts checked in October 2026.