The Palazzo della Pilotta is a complex of edifices located between Piazzale della Pace and the Lungoparma in the historical centre of
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...
, region of
Emilia Romagna
Emilia-Romagna (, , both also ; ; egl, Emégglia-Rumâgna or ''Emîlia-Rumâgna''; rgn, Emélia-Rumâgna) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy, situated in the north of the country, comprising the historical regions ...
, Italy. Its name derives from the game of
pelota Pelota (Spanish for ''ball'') can refer to the popular and shortened names for a number of ball games:
* Basque pelota
* Chaza
* Jai alai
* Mesoamerican ballgame
* Palla
* Pelota mixteca
* Valencian pilota
* Frontenis
* Pétanque
Pétanqu ...
played at one time by Spanish soldiers stationed in Parma.
History
Built around 1583, during the last years of reign of Duke
Ottavio Farnese
Ottavio Farnese (9 October 1524 – 18 September 1586) reigned as Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1547 until his death and Duke of Castro from 1545 to 1547 and from 1553 until his death.
Biography
Born in Valentano, Ottavio was the seco ...
, it developed around the corridor (''Corridore'') which connected the keep (''Rocchetta'', traces of which can be seen next the river Parma) to the Ducal Palace: the latter, begun in 1622 under Duke
Ranuccio I, was never completed. the façade on the ''Piazza della Ghiaia'' is missing and the annexed
Dominican church of St. Peter was demolished only in recent times.
The existing complex includes three courts: the ''Cortile di San Pietro Martire'' (now best known as ''Cortile della Pilotta''), ''Cortile del Guazzatoio'' (originally ''della pelota'') and the ''Cortile della Racchetta''. The Pilotta was to house a large hall, later turned into the
Teatro Farnese
Teatro Farnese is a Renaissance theatre in the Palazzo della Pilotta, Parma, Italy. It was built in 1618 by Giovanni Battista Aleotti. The idea of creating this grand theater came from the Duke of Parma and Piacenza Ranuccio I Farnese. The thea ...
, the stables and the grooms' residences, the Academy Hall and other rooms.
After the end of the Farnese family rule of Parma, much of the movable assets of the palace were removed by then
Duke Charles I, later King of Spain, and taken to
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
in the 1730s. The
Biblioteca Palatina
The Biblioteca Palatina or Palatina Library was established in 1761 in the city of Parma by Philip Bourbon, Duke of Parma. It is one of the cultural institutions located in the Palazzo della Pilotta complex in the center of Parma. The Palatina ...
was established here by 1769.
Elizabeth Farnese
Elisabeth Farnese (Italian: ''Elisabetta Farnese'', Spanish: ''Isabel Farnesio''; 25 October 169211 July 1766) was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She exerted great influence over Spain's foreign policy and was the ''de facto'' rule ...
, Queen of Spain, was born here in 1692.
By 2015, the building spaces had been taken up by a number of cultural institutions and museums, including
in addition to the library:
* National Archaeological Museum
*
Liceo artistico statale Paolo Toschi (
it), an art school named after
Paolo Toschi
* Museo Bodoniano (
it), a museum dedicated to
Giambattista Bodoni
Giambattista Bodoni (, ; 16 February 1740 – 30 November 1813) was an Italian typographer, type-designer, compositor, printer, and publisher in Parma.
He first took the type-designs of Pierre Simon Fournier as his exemplars, but afterwards be ...
*
Teatro Farnese
Teatro Farnese is a Renaissance theatre in the Palazzo della Pilotta, Parma, Italy. It was built in 1618 by Giovanni Battista Aleotti. The idea of creating this grand theater came from the Duke of Parma and Piacenza Ranuccio I Farnese. The thea ...
*
Galleria Nazionale di Parma
See also
*
Ball of wind
*
Valencian pilota
Valencian pilota ( ca-valencia, pilota valenciana "Valencian ball") is a traditional handball sport played in the Valencian Community. Its origins are not known.
Rules variations within the generic ''Pilota Valenciana'' category are frequent fr ...
References
External links
Amici della Pilottafriends' association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palazzo Della Pilotta
Houses completed in 1583
Buildings and structures in Parma
Pilotta
Pilotta (in Greek ) is a trick-taking 32-card game derived from Belote. It is played primarily in Cyprus, being very popular among the Cypriot population, especially the youngsters, who usually arrange “pilotta meetings” in places such as caf ...
Museums in Parma
National museums of Italy
Farnese residences
Duchy of Parma