Booking choice: The theatre and music walk, from $23 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Music in Parma runs from the Farnese court to the conductor's podium. The Teatro Farnese opened in 1628 to music by Monteverdi; Duchess Maria Luigia built the Teatro Regio in the 1820s; Arturo Toscanini was born across the river in 1867; and Giuseppe Verdi, born in the countryside nearby, is honoured by a monument and a festival.
Below: the Teatro Farnese against the Teatro Regio, how to tour the Regio, Toscanini's birthplace, the Verdi monument, the Casa della Musica and Casa del Suono, the 2026 Festival Verdi, the guided music walk and whether you can hear a performance at the Farnese.
The quick answer
Start at the Teatro Farnese in the Pilotta (EUR 18 ticket). Five minutes away, the Teatro Regio runs 30-minute guided visits every hour, Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 17:00, Sunday 10:00 to 16:00, for EUR 12. Across the river, Toscanini's birthplace costs EUR 4. The Festival Verdi runs from 1 to 25 October 2026 at the Regio and in Busseto. The music walk on GetYourGuide links these places, in Italian.
What is the difference between the Teatro Farnese and the Teatro Regio?
The Farnese is a wooden court theatre of 1618 inside the Pilotta museum, used only eight times. The Teatro Regio is Parma's working opera house, built from 1821 to 1829, with 1,092 seats.
You visit the Farnese on the museum ticket; you visit the Regio on a short guided tour or with a ticket for a performance.
| Teatro Farnese | Teatro Regio | |
|---|---|---|
| Built | 1618, opened 1628 | 1821 to 1829 |
| For | Duke Ranuccio I Farnese | Duchess Maria Luigia |
| Architect | Giovan Battista Aleotti | Nicola Bettoli |
| Material | Wood, once painted as marble | Four tiers of boxes and a gallery |
| Seats | About 3,000 on 14 tiers | 1,092 |
| Visit | Pilotta ticket, EUR 18 | 30-minute tour, EUR 12 |
| Performances | Rare (Stiffelio, 2017) | Opera season and Festival Verdi |
Can you visit the Teatro Regio?
Yes: 30-minute guided visits start every hour, Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 17:00, and Sunday 10:00 to 16:00, with at most 20 people. It is closed on Mondays.
Tickets cost EUR 12, EUR 8 reduced and EUR 3 for under 18s; children under 6 enter free, according to Parma Welcome. Times change with rehearsals and performances, so check on the day. Groups book on +39 0521 203995, and backstage visits are available by reservation. The neoclassical front, with its double order of windows over a portico, is on Strada Garibaldi, a few minutes' walk from the Pilotta.
Theatre, opera house and Toscanini in one walk with a licensed guide, in Italian.
Check dates for the theatre and music walkCan you visit Toscanini's birthplace?
Yes: the house where Arturo Toscanini was born on 25 March 1867, at Borgo Rodolfo Tanzi 13 in the Oltretorrente, is a small museum. A single ticket costs EUR 4.
Parma Welcome lists it open Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30), with different hours in July and August. Inside are memorabilia, objects and documents from the homes where the conductor lived, arranged through his career, plus a section on the tenor Aureliano Pertile. It is one of six civic museums: a ticket for all six costs EUR 15, and they are free for under 18s and on the first Sunday of the month.
The Teatro Farnese and Toscanini's birthplace inside, the Teatro Regio and Verdi's monument outside, with a licensed guide in Italian.
Explore the theatre and music walkWhere is the Verdi monument in Parma?
In Piazzale della Pace, beside the Pilotta: a great altar with a relief of Verdi among the Muses. It is what survives of a larger monument inaugurated on 22 February 1920.
Italian Wikipedia tells the story: the monument by the architect Lamberto Cusani and the sculptor Ettore Ximenes was begun in 1913 and hit by the Allied bombing of 13 May 1944. The damage was not severe, but it was demolished to make room for new buildings. The central altar was saved and moved to Piazzale della Pace; of 28 statues of Verdi's characters, nine survive in a theatre at Roccabianca. The back of the altar shows three scenes of Italian unification.
What are the Casa della Musica and the Casa del Suono?
Two small civic music museums: the Casa della Musica in Palazzo Cusani, with a multimedia museum of opera in Parma, and the Casa del Suono, a museum of sound in a former church.
The Casa della Musica is at Piazzale San Francesco 1, with a concert hall and the museum 'L'opera in scena', a journey through musical theatre in Parma. The Casa del Suono, at Piazzale Salvo D'Acquisto 1, tells the story of sound reproduction from the phonograph to the iPod, with an installation called the Sonic Chandelier. Parma Welcome lists both open Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, for EUR 4, or EUR 3 reduced. One note for music lovers: the Pilotta's own Music Section, in the Palatina library, is closed until 31 December 2027.
Prefer English? A private guide for the Pilotta and the Teatro Farnese, one price for up to 15.
Check dates for the private theatre and Pilotta tourWhen is the Festival Verdi 2026?
From 1 to 25 October 2026, at the Teatro Regio in Parma and the Teatro Verdi in Busseto. The Teatro Farnese is not a venue this year.
The programme reported by OperaWire: Alzira at the Regio, conducted by James Conlon; Nabucco at the Regio; Aida at the Teatro Verdi in Busseto; a Gala Verdiano on 10 October, Verdi's birthday; and the Messa da Requiem on 23 October, conducted by Daniele Rustioni. Book early: the Busseto theatre has only 300 seats. For Busseto itself, read our Verdi country day trip.
What does the musical Parma tour include?
A guided walk in Italian, listed at 1h 30m (the description says 2 hours), with the Teatro Farnese and Toscanini's birthplace inside and the Teatro Regio and Verdi's monument outside, for about $23 per person.
It meets in front of the main staircase of the Pilotta, Piazza della Pilotta 5, and the operator asks you to arrive 10 minutes early. The listing includes the guide only, so budget for the museum tickets; it tells the story of Maria Luigia, who welcomed Niccolo Paganini, and of Verdi and Toscanini. The route is barrier-free. It is new, with no reviews yet, and cancels free up to 24 hours before.
The English-speaking alternative: your own guide for the Pilotta and a full hour in the Teatro Farnese. Museum tickets extra.
Explore the private theatre and Pilotta tourCan you see a performance in the Teatro Farnese?
Only rarely: the Festival Verdi staged Stiffelio here in 2017, and there are occasional concerts. For opera, go to the Teatro Regio.
The Farnese was used only eight times in its first life, and it is mainly a museum today. Watch the Pilotta's and the Festival Verdi's announcements if you hope to hear music in it. For its story, read the history of the Teatro Farnese.
Frequently asked questions
Can you tour the Teatro Regio in Parma?
Yes. Guided visits of about 30 minutes start every hour from Tuesday to Sunday and cost EUR 12; times change with rehearsals.
Where was Toscanini born?
At Borgo Rodolfo Tanzi 13, in Parma's Oltretorrente, on 25 March 1867. The house is now a museum.
When is the Festival Verdi 2026?
From 1 to 25 October 2026, at the Teatro Regio in Parma and the Teatro Verdi in Busseto.
Is the musical Parma tour in English?
No, it is in Italian. For English, choose a private tour.
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Choose your visit
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Musical and Theatrical Parma Tour
- Guided visit in Italian with a licensed local guide
- Teatro Farnese and Toscanini's birthplace (inside), Teatro Regio (outside), Verdi's monument
- Meet at the main staircase of the Pilotta, Piazza della Pilotta 5
Private Teatro Farnese and Pilotta Tour
- Private licensed guide for your group only, up to 15 people
- About 1 hour 30 minutes in the Pilotta, then 1 hour in the Teatro Farnese
- Meet at Piazza della Pilotta 5 and end back there
