PARMA AND MARIE LOUISE OF AUSTRIA
Parma, the petite capitale, still bears the traces of one of its most illustrious characters, Marie Louise of Austria, who with her arrival in 1816 marked forever the history of the town.
Enlightened sovereign, Maria Luigia laudably ruled the dukedom and became its benefactor, promoting culture and the arts and beginning the construction of large public works, from the Cemetery of the Villetta, to the bridges over the Taro and the Trebbia and the Teatro Regio (Parma Opera House).
Not only the monuments and the bounties recall her memory but also a deep-rooted tradition that exalts her human qualities.
Even today the Parmesans love the Violet, the fragrance preferred by Marie Louise, the flower is one of the symbols of the town and violet flowers still adorn her grave in Vienna.
The life and works of the “Good Duchess” of Parma can be retraced by visiting the Glauco Lombardi Museum, the Teatro Regio, the National Gallery, the Palatine Library, the Church of Santa Maria della Steccata and the Constantinian Order of St. George Museum in Parma.
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