This is a collection that at present cannot be seen. The works of Parma's banking foundation, more than three thousand of them, were shown to the public between 1995 and 2020 in the family palace a woman had given so that it should become a museum; since then the seat has been closed and the collection can be consulted only online.
What to see
The collection takes in paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and ceramics, largely tied to the Parma district and to Emilian art between the sixteenth and the twentieth century. The main core came from the city's savings bank, and over the years purchases and private bequests were added, among them a substantial gift from an opera singer and his wife.
The palace that housed it stands along a filled-in canal, in a central area but off the tourist routes. The collections of banking foundations are an important part of Italy's artistic heritage, usually little known, because they grow out of private bequests and remain halfway between public and private property.
Visiting
The seat is in strada al Ponte Caprazucca, five minutes from the cathedral; the permanent display is not accessible, and the works are seen on the foundation's website or in temporary exhibitions organised elsewhere. To be checked before going.
Our editors' tip
Before putting this stop in your plans, check whether the building has reopened. And bear one thing in mind: a foundation's collection is visible for as long as the foundation decides it should be. It is heritage assembled with the money of a local bank, but nothing guarantees that it stays open to the public.