Santa Maria Nascente

Valserena Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in combined Gothic and Baroque style, founded in 1298. From the 15th century onwards, the complex was extended and modified several times. In 1551, during the Parma War (part of the Italian War of 1551-59), the complex was occupied for a time by the troops of the governor of Milan Ferrante I Gonzaga, an ally of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Habsburg. Between the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, the abbey church was given a new monumental façade in Baroque style to replace the previous one in Gothic style. Deconsecrated in 1810, the abbey has been since 2007 the seat of the Centre for Communication Studies and Archives of the University of Parma.

The Abbey of San Giovanni Evangelista is a Benedictine complex built between 1510 and 1607. The marble facade of the abbey church was designed by Simone Moschino in late Mannerist style in 1604 and completed in 1607. The bell tower was added in 1613. With a height of 75 metres it is the highest in Parma.

The Cathedral of Parma was built from 1074 to 1178 on a previous church destroyed by fire in the 9th century. Mainly Romanesque on the outside, the interior of the cathedral underwent several interventions in Renaissance style. The Gothic bell tower was rebuilt by the Obizzo Sanvitale between 1284 and 1291.