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, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, region of

Emilia Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

, 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 second ...

, 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 theatre ...

, 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 Paolo Toschi (1788 – 30 July 1854) was an Italian draughtsman and engraver. He was born in Parma. Biography He trained in Paris under Charles Clément Balvay (Bervic), and first made a reputation by a fine etching of ''Henry IV'', after Gérard ...

* 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 bec ...

* Galleria Nazionale di Parma

References

External links

Amici della Pilotta
friends' 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

History

See also

References

External links