Sorbolo Mezzani
The route starts from the Parma Morta Nature Reserve, created in 1990. It is a valuable testimony to the ancient river dynamics of the Po valley. The protected area - situated in the Municipality of Mezzani, between the mouths of the Parma and Enza streams - extends over 66 ha in the ancient riverbed, where until the late 1800s the Parma stream flowed, before flowing into the Enza stream. In 1870, the deviation of the Parma Stream led this water course to directly flow into the Po river, leaving the last stretch of the stream out of the direct water flow, originating the Parma Morta. The abandoned branch of the river is now an important wetland where plants and animals gather.
The Tourist Port – located near the Reserve – is a wide green area, which makes it possible for tourists to enjoy the atmosphere of the Great river and the surrounding area. Tourists will find a variety of services and activities, including fishing on the river, a jetty equipped with berths and a free car park. Visitors may also take walks along the river Po or in the “Parma Morta” Nature Reserve, reachable through the “Food Valley Bike” or the “Via Alzaia” - the ancient road used to move boats along the river against the current (the term “alzaia” refers to the rope involved in the process).
The tour continues with a stop at the Ethnographic Museum “Casa delle Contadinerie”, set up in a 19th-century rural house and located along the “FOOD VALLEY BIKE” cycle path. The Museum preserves ethnographic material that gives evidence of the life in the lowland between the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. The “Casa delle Contadinerie” – established by the Parish of S. Siro and the ANSPI Club of Coenzo, with the contribution of the “Cariparma” Foundation – is a place dedicated to the traditional rural culture.
Finally, the itinerary ends with a visit to “Piazza della Libertà”. The Town Hall, the Church dedicated to Saints Jovita and Faustinus, the Palace of the “Arma dei Carabinieri” overlook the main square. The Council Hall preserves some of the most significant statues by sculptor Luigi Froni (Alseno 1901 – Parma 1965), donated to the Municipality of Sorbolo by Renata Fornelli Froni. The sculptor – who worked in Parma between the 20s and the 60s – spent the last years of his life in Sorbolo.
On the opposite side of the square, the Church dedicated to Saints Jovita and Faustinus houses a number of paintings, such as the altarpiece depicting the martyrdom of Saints Jovita and Faustinus, by Giuseppe Peroni (1748) and others dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as valuable stuccoes by Matteo Rusca (first half of the 19th century) and the 19th-century organ, recently restored. The Palace of the “Arma dei Carabinieri” is located between the Town Hall and the Church. It was built in the late 30s as the seat of the “Casa del fascio”, however, in the post-war period it was transformed into the “Casa del Popolo” and later into the “Camera del Lavoro” (trade union centre). Since the 50s, it is the seat of the “Arma dei Carabinieri”.