Perfectly Parma

I have been to Parma a few times, and always enjoyed it immensely, but oddly this was the last major Emilia Romagna stadium for me. I can now follow the train route through the region headed north from Cesena (5 games, first 1987); Forli (2); Bologna (2); Modena; Reggio Emilia (3), and now Parma. 

Parma is probably my favourite city in the region, not an easy deliberation in a country full of beautiful towns and cities, and more especially in a region choke full of some of the world’s most famous foods and ingredients. However, in a crowded field, Parma (population, just under 200,000) sits above everywhere in Emilia Romagna for me. Yes it is home to half of the Parmesan cheese fame, but shares that distinction with Reggio Emilia along the road with the proper name being Parmigiano/Reggiano, a bit of a mouthful granted, but a fabulous mouthful I am sure most would agree, especially when sprinkled on a fine pasta dish. Parma Ham seems uniquely labelled from the city, and the exquisitely thin cut cured meat is a renowned delicacy that peps up any panini. 

Aside from the food table, Parma is more than a culinary delight. It truly is a wonderful city, full of ambience, colour and dare I say it, prosperity. The streets are full of well dressed people, seen in all its glory during the passeggiata, that great period of any given day when Italians head out for a walk and talk, putting the world to rights and saying hello to friends and neighbours as they go. This tradition is very much alive and well in Parma with its height somewhere around 6-7pm on any given evening. Not only are the streets full of life and chatter, the innumerable street cafe will rarely have a free seat during this period. It is also noticeable that graffiti, which can spoil any street, is almost absent from the centre of Parma, and that’s a good thing.

My first foray to Parma was in 1992, partly of a footballing nature as I took the train across the hills from La Spezia in order to get myself one of those classic old Parma football kits that was predominantly white with the light blue and yellow pin striped sleeves in those days. Back in the day there was no such thing as Internet shopping, and you just had to go somewhere to get what you wanted. In this period of history Parma were riding high, Nevio Scala had seen the club promoted to the top flight in 1989 for the first time, and with the weight of the Parmalat empire behind them the club was on the up. My April appearance in Parma was ahead of the clubs first ever major cup final, when they would beat Juventus 2-1 on aggregate in the Coppa Italia Final the following month for the first of 4 domestic honours that would come to the club during those giddy days of the ‘80’s, as well as 4 European trophies, with one of those at Wembley versus Royal Antwerp, and another seeing Arsenal put to the sword.

They had a great team in those days especially with an exciting attack led by the baby faced Swede Tomas Brolin and the unpredictable genius of Colombian Faustino Asprilla. The last line of defence was perhaps Brazil’s first really talented goalie, Claudio Taffarel, but his place would quickly come under threat as one of the clubs young starlets was about to explode onto the scene three years later. Gianluigi Buffon, who debuted in 1985 was aged just 17, very young for a goalkeeper, but it shows his obvious talent. He was a keeper who arguably was to become Italy’s greatest ever portieri (goalkeeper), although a sizable Italian beer and a lengthy pub chat would be needed comparing and contrasting with Dino Zoff to settle the issue! Buffon is back at Parma these days, and part of my desire to finally get to the Ennio Tardini stadium was to pay homage to the great man. Alas on this particular day, Gianluigi wasn’t even visible on the bench as the reserve keeper, which was a pity. I will just have to content myself having seen him play for the Azzurri, albeit in a controversial ending to a World Cup qualifier at Hampden. 

That amazing period in the history of Parma Calcio started to unwind at the start of the noughties as it was discovered there was a huge hole in the financial accounts of Parmalat. Its collapse would affect a number of clubs, aside from Parma, especially in Brazil and Argentina. The club was declared insolvent in 2004, and they were placed into special administration for three years as attempts were made to keep the club afloat. While the club undoubtedly suffered, perhaps it was now trading as it might otherwise have without the Parmalat backing, but it had left a legacy that still needed to come out. Since then they have dotted between Serie A and B, but achieved three consecutive top ten finishes, with one seeing the club in 6th. Alas, the long awaited return to Europe was denied because of late payment of tax on salaries which denied the club a licence to participate in UEFA competition. It also resulted in a points deduction at the start to the next campaign, and it signalled an even worse chapter with bankruptcy finally declared in 2015 with debts running at €218 million! 

The crash was a big one, all the way down to Serie D, the fourth tier. Nevio Scala was brought back as club president as the club bottomed out and endeavoured to start again. They sold 9,000 season tickets, a record for that level as the journey back started, and very successfully too. They won their Girone (league) with three games to spare, and the very next season came through the expanded and colossal third tier play offs, beating Alessandria in Florence in front of a huge crowd, 2-0. The rehabilitation was complete in 2017/18 when they became the first Italian club to be promoted three seasons in a row from 4th to top tier, a remarkable achievement, one perhaps more worthy than any gong they might have accumulated in the ‘80’s. The rise had perhaps been quicker than expected and while they survived the first season back in Serie A, it was also hamstrung with a 5 point deduction after texts became public from a Parma player allegeding he had elicited “a reduced effort” from some Spezia players in a match they won 2-0 to secure that final promotion back to Serie A. Parma couldn’t stay up the following season, and they have been back in Serie B constantly trying to find the necessary winning formula to propel them back to the top flight. This season was shaping up to be one of the better efforts, and a match versus league leaders Reggina seemed like the perfect encounter to finally make my debut at the Tardini stadium.      

That said, I nearly didn’t get to Parma for the game! I was using Pistoia in Tuscany as a base, and a 2pm ko meant I could easily enjoy time in Parma on both sides of the game and be back in my Tuscan bolthole at a reasonable time too. The journey time was just over three hours, on three separate trains. It started to unravel when the second train was merely one stop out of Prato when it came to a halt at Viano, the next station en route to Bologna. I should have suspected something was wrong as a train from Bologna had pulled into Prato Centrale 70 minutes late. We sat and we sat, then we walked and we walked, pacing the quiet platform in Viano for a good hour. The conductor had no idea when we could continue, and so, like many others, when a train headed back to Prato appeared, I aborted my original plan by jumping on it. 

I started to research what options were available, and a fast train from Firenze to Bologna might just about get me there in time. I bought a ticket while on the train to the Tuscan capital, but one was imminently leaving and wasn’t available to purchase, so I bought for the next one. However a morsel of luck went my way, the earlier train was on the other side of the platform and was just about to leave. I explained to the conductor, he suggested it was okay but it would cost €10 to travel on a different train. The woosh through tunnels to Bologna is just over 30 minutes on this route but they never checked tickets in the carriage where I found a seat, so I dodged that additional expense at least. I was doing ok, the train to Parma however started falling behind and I arrived just 35 minutes before the game, nothing a taxi wouldn’t sort, but there were none! The stadium is a good walk, 20 minutes at full pelt as I discovered, and this being Parma, queues were at a minimum, so I had bought a beer, found my seat and started to relax before the teams even set foot on the grass for the game! I was quite chuffed with myself, yes Empoli had been contemplated as plan B, but I already had my €40 ticket for Parma so I was loath to give up, and it paid dividends. Finally 35 years of travel in Italy had helped and I had dodged the issues, albeit at considerable expense as these fast trains are not cheap at short notice booking.   

The Emilio Tardini Stadio, more commonly referred to as il Tardini (capacity 22,352, although in the Parmalat days it was just above 29,000) is an impressive stadium. It has been a venue in the city since 1922, and has its very own monumental “arco” (arch) gate entrance adding a degree of grandeur before you even step inside. The yellow colour of this small piece of history somehow gives it an Indian feel, or that was my immediate thought when I saw it. Hardly a Taj Mahal, but then again, for an ardent Parma fan it will have its own special place in there heart.                    

Having enjoyed watching many games here over the years on TV it felt very special to finally be enjoying the interior of the Tardini. A bit like the rest of Parma, it is very well appointed, and seemingly a graffiti free zone, highly unusual for a football stadium, but do bear in mind that I had treated myself to a Gradinata ticket, and I didn’t get the opportunity to check out the Curva, where the considerable, and passionate Parma fans gather and create a fabulous atmosphere. Through thick and thin, the tifosi (fans) have stayed very loyal to the team.

The opposition were from the deep south of Italy, right at the tip of the boot and the city of Reggio Calabria. I am sure they have a loyal support base from the north, as many have migrated north over the decades, but I am also sure a good number will have undertaken, as they do regularly, the considerable trek. The volume of Reggina support was incredible, and with the Parma fans in jaunty mood too, the atmosphere throughout was mesmerising.  

Reggina started this encounter looking worthy of the tag, league leaders. They struggled to fashion any clear cut chances from almost total control in a frantic first half, but they restricted Parma to merely an occasional fruitless raid. The second period was a much more even and lively affair, but in truth Parma could have only improved. They had been truly insipid in the first period, and they were still struggling to repel a more cohesive opponent. However, we all know that football is a funny game, and from defending a Reggina corner, Parma countered at lightning speed to score a terrific breakaway goal. Wounded, but not fatally, Reggina kept knocking on the door, but confidence was beginning to pulse through the home side and the fans were loving it. A second goal would seal the victory and send Reggina back the consider distance south to make plans for the next game, with a morsel of “if only” attached to their effort, but then again, they rarely fashioned any effort that would have constituted a glaring opportunity, and Buffon’s young, and smallish protege had a relatively sedate afternoon in the sun, a bit like me!

Post match, if time allows for any potential visit here, make sure you take a walk through sumptuous Parma. The “arco” is at a roundabout, and if you take the tree lined straight road in front of it, you are headed towards the edge of the city centre. If you are on the right hand pavement going along this road, as soon as a building appears (quite far along) at a crossroad, this is where you want to turn right, and little by little you’ll be in amongst the busy streets of the city. It is almost a straight line through Parma with just a slight deviation if you are eventually heading back to the railway station. An amble through this zone will almost guarantee you a sight of almost all the magnificent buildings and churches that Parma has to offer. It is a city that won’t disappoint, even staying over could be a fantastic option. It is well worth giving it a whirl even for a day from the larger tourist hubs of Bologna and Milan are within easy reach.