A jury “unanimously” picked Parma over nine other Italian cities, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced on Friday.
The city beat Agrigento, Bitonto, Casale Monferrato, Macerata, Merano, Nuoro, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Treviso.
Parma takes over the title from Italy’s 2018 Capital of Culture, Palermo, and the 2019 European Capital of Culture, Matera.
It’s second time lucky for the city, which bid unsuccessfully for the 2017 honour, losing out to Pistoia in Tuscany.
The jury said Parma was “a virtuous and extremely high-quality example of local culture-based planning”.
Mayor of Parma, Federico Pizzarotti, said he was “thrilled” to hear the news, while Emilia-Romagna Governor Stefano Bonaccini noted that the title is “further recognition of the beauty, heritage, and excellence of our land”.
Parma was at the centre of several wars during the 14th and 15th centuries and the French held the city for many years in the early 16th century.
It then became part of the Papal States, only to be detached from them in 1545 by Pope Paul III, who gave it to his illegitimate son; his descendants then ruled it for almost two hundred years.
During the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century, Parma was annexed to France, while prior to and during World War II, it was a hub of partisan resistance to fascists.
Parma boasts one of the oldest universities in the world, and is famous for its ham and parmigiano cheese.
With ANSA
