II Act –
Sui passi
di Maria Luigia

II Act – Sui passi di Maria Luigia

A fascinating tour of the 19th-century ducal court where the beloved Duchess of Parma, Napoleon’s wife, once lived, following an unusual and secret route inspired by her and dedicated to her.

STOPS

• Teatro Regio
• Basilica di Santa Maria della Steccata
• Museo Glauco Lombardi

A tour of the Teatro Regio, following the intimate and secluded route taken by Marie Louise, which allowed her to reach the theatre’s magnificent Ducal Box (now the Royal Box) directly from her apartments, without having to go out onto the street, spotting the Duchess’s monogram engraved on the door knobs of the boxes and other surprising decorations in the Teatro Regio that she had commissioned, along with anecdotes from court life, ceremonial customs and theatrical life, including the establishment of the ‘palchettisti’, who have remained in the annals ever since.

Leaving the theatre, a short distance away, one can visit the interior of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata, built in the 16th century around the devotion to a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, which is still preserved on the high altar, and which later became the church of the Constantinian Order of St George, the Constantinian Order of St George, to admire the monument to Count Neipperg, whom the Duchess married in her second marriage and who effectively governed the duchy, and the frescoes by Parmigianino, one of the most important painters of Italian Mannerism.

A visit to the Glauco Lombardi Museum in the Palazzo della Riserva, redesigned by Petitot, where the rooms that once served as the ducal court’s apartments now house artefacts and mementoes that belonged to Napoleon and his consort Marie Louise, including her sumptuous gowns, jewellery, and her fortepiano bearing the score of the opera *I Lombardi alla prima Crociata*, which Giuseppe Verdi dedicated to her, Borghesi’s preparatory sketch for the painted curtain of the Teatro Regio, as well as a rich collection of figurative art from Parma during the Neoclassical period and the flourishing of the Academy of Fine Arts. Return to the Teatro Regio via Piazza della Pilotta, a refined example of 19th-century urban planning, now redesigned by the architect Mario Botta.

FINAL AT THE GRAN CAFFÈ OF THE TEATRO REGIO

For an exclusive and comfortable break at the end of your ‘Dal Regio Al Regio’ tour, or to recharge your batteries before your visit, we invite you to book a special social gathering in the Gran Caffè del Teatro Regio: breakfast, afternoon tea or an aperitif, with menus inspired by the tour itineraries and featuring outstanding PDO products from the Parma food and wine tradition.

INFO AND PRICES

For information on prices, please contact:
phone 0521 203995
e.tedeschi@teatroregioparma.it
visitareilregio@teatroregioparma.it

Free for children under 5 and for people with disabilities.

ERIKA TEDESCHI, A SPECIAL GUIDE

I was born and raised in Parma and feel a deep connection to my city because of its dynamic and dual nature: that of a refined ducal city and a lively working-class neighbourhood. Having always been passionate about art, I attended the Conservatoire of Music and graduated from the University of Bologna with a degree in Music and Performing Arts. For years I have worked on the stage of the Teatro Regio as a stagehand and set designer, an engaging, exclusive and ‘secret’ profession, as it still holds ancient and hidden knowledge, revealing only its marvellous side to the public. The world of theatre has certainly enhanced my artistic sensibility, allowing me to embark on a new and exciting path: that of a tour guide, a role I have been fulfilling since 2015. The significance of this new professional development lies in being able to convey passion and knowledge to people within a context that is both light-hearted and profound—a quality that only music, theatre and art can offer.