Home to such global favourites as Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and prosciutto, Parma is a food lover’s paradise, the heart of Italy’s “Food Valley” and officially recognised by Unesco as a city of gastronomy. And there’s plenty to entice beyond the dinner table – this cultured city of art and music has an innate elegance and authentic atmosphere.

Curiously, however, it gets just a fraction of the tourists that flock to the likes of Florence and Venice. Head there in 2025, before the secret gets out. Central Parma is compact, and its streets and piazzas are easily explored on foot. Its numerous delis, with enticing displays and aromas, are dotted throughout the city, interspersed with churches, theatres and other eye-catching monuments.