Fontanelle: Guareschi, San Martino and Regional Specialties

Guareschi and the history of the Parma plain

The Museo Il Mondo piccolo is located in the Fontanelle district, the birthplace of Giovannino Guareschi, and is housed in the former Fontanelle schools. Through the biographies of Giovannino Guareschi and Giovanni Faraboli, it conveys the historical and social development of the Parma plain from the late 19th century to the 1960s.

Places of remembrance and San Martino

Giovannino Guareschi was born in Fontanelle on 1 May 1908. Piazza Balestrieri commemorates Giovanni Faraboli (1876–1953), a trade unionist and pioneer of the cooperative movement. The Faraboli monument is also located in Fontanelle.

The Church of San Martino di Tour in Fontanelle was built in the 16th century and later extended in the 18th century. The sacristy houses a large cabinet that belonged to the church of Stagno. At the same time, the Church of San Martino in Fontanelle was regarded as one of the most important models for the church of Don Camillo conceived by Giovannino Guareschi. Thus, one place of worship brings together architectural history, a preserved furnishing and the literary vision of Don Camillo’s church.

Documentation on Giovannino Guareschi

The “Gruppo amici di Giovannino Guareschi” association preserves part of the documentation about the writer and his birthplace, Fontanelle. This includes photographs and books, as well as an exhibition of former calendars.

Linden avenue, the Stirone and regional products

Fontanelle stretches along a shady avenue of linden trees leading to the Church of San Martino.

The culinary culture is also connected with specific businesses and products. Azienda Agricola Bré del Gallo produces and matures cured meats, including Culatello di Zibello D.O.P. from the protection consortium. In centuries-old cellars, Azienda Agricola Bré del Gallo makes wine from Fortana and Malvasia grapes. A path from the Stirone embankment leads to Azienda Agricola Bré del Gallo. In Fontanelle, local history, a connection to the route and regional products therefore complement one another as three different approaches to travel planning.

The various focal points can be weighted differently when planning your trip. If you are looking for a hotel or other accommodation for a stay with Fontanelle as your destination, the biographies of Guareschi and Faraboli, San Martino, the association’s documentation and Bré del Gallo’s products offer concrete themes for making your own choice. The cultural focus is on the museum, piazza, monument and church; those who prefer regional specialties can turn their attention to cured meats, Fortana and Malvasia. The linden avenue and the path from the Stirone add two spatial points of reference to this orientation. This allows the accommodation decision to be guided by your own interests without reducing Fontanelle to just one facet.

Further destinations for orientation: Busseto, Case Vecchie, Monticelli Terme, Fontevivo, Polesine Parmense, Formiano, Neviano Degli Arduini, Terenzo.

For the main travel overview: Parma.