Ducal Palace of Parma
Throughout its history, the palace was not a single building but a collection of privately acquired properties gradually embellished by the dukes, which never formed a homogeneous ensemble.
Although the loss of the residential core of the Ducal Palace was a tragedy for the city's historical heritage, the presence of the Piazza della Pace symbolizes the post-war rebirth and reconstruction.
Background was the empty ducal treasury, due to economic conditions and the manu wars that ravaged northern Italy in the second half of the 16th century.
In addition, across the Parma river, Ottavio transformed an ancient Visconti fortress into a summer residence surrounded by gardens, the current Palazzo del Giardino.
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545-1592), showed less interest in continuing the works on the ducal palace, as he mostly stayed in Brussels, being Governor of the Spanish Netherlands.
The second campaign started in 1617, with the transformation of the large hall of the west wing into the Farnese Theater, which forced the relocation of various services, such as the stables, which was rebuilt further north.
However, nothing was ultimately achieved, leaving the Palazzo della Pilotta as a large unfinished building, the result of contradictory projects, which was never inhabited by the ducal family and was destined for ancillary services.
[7] The last dukes of the Farnese house also failed to remove the Dominican monks from the monastery of San Pietro Martire, which was supposed to be demolished for the continuation of the works.
[8] Transformations in the Pilotta and the ducal palace, still a heterogeneous mix of several buildings, focused mainly on the interior, adapting the spaces for ceremonial and daily life and to display the magnificent art collection and library of the Farnese.
After an interlude of more than ten years, during which Parma was under the rule of the House of Habsburg, in 1748 the duchy regained its independence with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and Infante Fhilip (1720-1765), another son of Elisabeth Farnese, became the new duke.
[3][11][12] Petitot created a grandiose plan, a new ducal residence (or "Royal Palace" as referenced in the documents) with a grand cour d'honneur and frontal square.
[3] Facing the rococo decoration developed by Petitot inside the palace, the east facade showed a classical severity, especially in the central body, clearly influenced by the Palazzo Chiericati built by Palladio in Vicenza.
[14] However, Petitot's plan first required the demolition of numerous buildings between the Palazzo della Pilotta and the current Garibaldi road, including half of the old ducal palace and the new 1750s facade.
Nothing much happened to the ducal palace, except for the demolition of the Dominican church and convent of San Pietro Martire in 1813, which had been one of the main obstacles to the realization of many architectural projects in the past.
In 1816, upon the arrival of the new Duchess of Parma, Marie Louise (1791–1847), Napoleon's second wife, the old ducal palace still presented a rather labyrinthine and heterogeneous appearance, as depicted in a painting by Giuseppe Alinovi from around 1830.
Just in front of the aforementioned structures, there was a low building, almost an elevated passageway, which housed the guardhouse and connected the Ducal Palace with the Palazzo di Riserva, located on the left (east).
Finally, in 1833, duchess Marie Louise (1791–1847), Napoleon's second wife, engaged the architect Nicola Bettoli to reconstruct the facade in neoclassical style.
[3][16] The neoclassical style and the Ionic columns match the facade of the opposing Palazzo di Riserva, which was connected to the Ducal palace by a corridor.
