The Path of Art is a relaxing walk through nature, art, history and cuisine in the hilly area between Torrechiara and Langhirano, along ancient vineyards and the Canale di San Michele.
The length of the entire itinerary is about 7 km and can be covered either on foot or by bike (in Torrechiara there is an e-bike rental ).
The Path of Art is so called because along the path there are some works of strong intellectual and poetic value which, respecting their specific environmental situation, interpret their lights and atmospheres.
The Art Path between Torrechiara and Langhirano.
The project therefore intends to enhance the Langhirano territory through a double historical-landscape axis , which winds along the Canale San Michele and the vineyards of ancient Torcularia. The contemporary artists selected for the project are Oscar Accorsi, Mirta Carroli, Danilo Cassano, Graziano Pompili, Giovanni Sala, Candida Ferrari, Lorella Salvagni, Alberto Vettori and Alberto Timossi.
First stage.
The first stop is in Torrechiara, a small village between hills and vineyards made famous by the beautiful Castle, which also includes in its territory the delightful Renaissance Abbey of Santa Maria della Neve , from which the Path begins.
The Abbey, built in 1471 at the behest of Pier Maria Rossi near the Parma stream, is still today a splendid place of religious and artistic interest, still little known, which preserves a small church with Baroque frescoes, the Renaissance cloister, the refectory and the eighteenth-century belvedere. Thus we begin to go to the discovery of works of art.
Second stage.
Moving towards the heart of the village you find yourself on the slopes of the hill where the famous Castle of Torrechiara stands , built by Pier Maria Rossi between 1448 and 1460.
Among the frescoed rooms inside, the Castle is known for its splendid Camera d'oro attributed to Benedetto Bembo which celebrates the triumph of the love of the two young lords of the place, but also the prestige of the Rossi family in the Parma area.
At the foot of the Renaissance fortress, the Path of the Artists is grafted and at the second kilometer there are the works of art by Danilo Cassano "Synoptic of Spring" and Mirta Carroli "Following the flight of the rotors".
At the third km, crossing and skirting the canal, you reach the work of Graziano Pompili "Il Borgo" and Giovanni Sala "Presenze" and, further on, those of Candida Ferrari "Nido d'aurora", Alberto Vettori "Nature sembiante ”and Alberto Timossi“ Altro bosco ”.
Third stage.
In the last two kilometers, after having met the works of Lorella Salvagni "Cèntina", Oscar Accorsi "Voronoi" and another work by Danilo Cassano "Genesi", walking through fields, vineyards and green vegetation, you arrive at the gates of Langhirano.
Here you can visit one of the many local producers, open by appointment, and the Ham Museum, which is part of the Food Museums circuit.
The Museum, which is located in the ex foro boario, allows to know the production process of the precious local salami, through photos, historical documents, tools, machinery and videos.
We are in fact in the heart of the production area of the delicious Parma Ham: here, since the beginning of the twentieth century, there are many sausage factories, arranged perpendicular to the stream in order to better exploit, through the typical tall and narrow windows, the air necessary for the curing of the hams.
And what could be better to conclude the itinerary of a delicious Parma Ham-based tasting right in the place where it was born?
Enjoy your meal.
