THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020
www.italoamericano.org
28
L'Italo-Americano
sible, COVID or no COVID,
no matter the distance. One
f u n e x a m p l e i s F e s t i v a l
Verdi Immersive 360°, a
T e a t r o R e g i o P a r m a
interactive website featuring
innovatively recorded Verdi
(Parma's beloved hometown
c o m p o s e r ) c o n c e r t s a n d
operas. The viewer is virtu-
ally positioned center stage
as if awaiting a turn to belt
out the next aria. With the
handy "click and drag" fea-
ture, it's just as easy to see
what the conductor is up to
or take a peek at the stage
lights overhead. Although
not virtual reality Oculus-
s t y l e , i t ' s a g r a n d w a y t o
h a v e a f r o n t r o w s e a t … a t
least for now.
The Welcome Parma
website (parmawelcome.it)
incorporates a number of
other virtual opportunities,
including a Google-powered
t o u r o f t h e M u s e i d e l
Cibo's (Food Museums)
various halls, each dedicated
to a specific item. Food is
central to Parma's identity,
and these peeks inside the
various sectors of the muse-
um are nice, even if a bit
capacity. (*true at the time
of this writing, but subject
to change).
Innovation, cooperation,
and camaraderie are key ele-
ments in getting through
t o u g h t i m e s . T h e c i t y o f
Parma gets high marks for
seeking ways to make the
best of the sacco di sfor-
t u n a ( a l o t o f b a d l u c k )
brought during 2020. There
e x i s t s g r e a t s i m i l a r i t y
between Parma's inherent
cultural blessings and the
p r e s e n c e o f h e r c r e a t i v e ,
clunky to navigate.
Not all museums, histori-
cal locations, theaters, and
tours are completely shut
d o w n , h o w e v e r . I f o n e i s
l u c k y e n o u g h t o b e o n
Italian soil, many entities
still offer limited hours and
proud community uniting to
r i s e f r o m p o t e n t i a l r u i n ;
both are of great wealth and
offer an example of hope to
a struggling world.
"…in 2021 we will return
even stronger." ~ Mayor
Federico Pizzarotti
Colorful houses in Parma (Photo: Iryna1/Dreamstime)
Continued from page 26
LA VITA ITALIANA
TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE
Parmigiano Reggiano, one of Parma's most famous products (Photo: Fedecandoniphoto/Dreamstime)
