Attractions and Places To See around Colorno - Top 20

Don Camillo and Peppone are the famous protagonists of a series of stories by the writer Giovannino Guareschi, set in the post-war period in an imaginary small town in the Bassa Padana. They represent the archetype of divided Italy in the 1950s: Don Camillo (the energetic and anti-communist parish priest) and Peppone (Giuseppe Bottazzi, the communist and fiery mayor). Despite their furious ideological disputes, the two characters maintain a deep humanity and always find themselves united for the common good of the community.

"A few blocks from the main square, at Via De Amicis 2, you'll find the signposted Museo Peppone e Don Camillo, opened in 1989 and named in that order because the mayor at the time was a communist (!). In front of it stands the tank from "The Great Battle of Don Camillo," and the locomotive that was supposed to transport Peppone to his exile in Rome is also still preserved. The lovingly curated exhibition about the making of the films features newspaper articles, photos, and many relics from the filming, such as bicycles and Peppone's fiery red motorcycle. Various souvenirs are also available for purchase." (Source: https://www.michael-mueller-verlag.de/de/wussten_sie_dass_don_camillo_und_peppone/ )

The Church of San Pietro Apostolo is a Catholic place of worship with neoclassical architecture, located at Strada Chiesa di Baganzola 15 in Baganzola, a hamlet of Parma, in the province and diocese of Parma. It is the seat of a parish within the pastoral area of the city. HISTORY: The original place of worship serving the village of Baganzola was built in the Middle Ages, but in 1180 it was destroyed, along with the village, by the fury of the waters of the nearby Parma River during a disastrous flood. The temple was completely rebuilt in Romanesque style on a single-nave plan, without an apse, developed on an unusual north-south orientation. In 1230, the Chapel of St. Petri de Bazanzola was mentioned in the Capitulum seu Rotulus Decimarum of the Diocese of Parma among the dependencies of the parish of Castelnovo. In the first half of the 15th century, as a result of the increase in the village's population, the medieval place of worship was profoundly modified, rotating the nave's orientation 90° and enlarging the entire structure. In 1564, the church was elevated to an independent parish and in 1685 it was elevated to the rank of honorary archpriest. In 1881, the place of worship underwent restoration work. In 1911, the church was partially renovated based on a design by engineer Massimo Maffei, with the construction of the apse, two chapels on the right and one on the left, adjacent to the façade, and the raising of the 13th-century neo-Romanesque bell tower. In 1933, the building was completely restored, including the removal of the tombstones inside and outside. Between 1966 and 1971, the side altars were removed and the old masonry high altar was replaced with a wooden altar. Between 1994 and 1998, the church was renovated again, with the floors redone, the plumbing installed, and the apse decorated. SOURCE and further information: https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_San_Pietro_Apostolo_(Parma,_Baganzola)

This is the exit from the Museum of Don Camillo and Peppone. We couldn't find the entrance. Tickets are supposedly available at the tourist information office on the main street near this house.

Museum with memories of the film Don Camillo e Peppone, which was first shown on the screen in 1952. There are probably 5 films now 🧐😀.

Statue of the legendary Don Camillo and Peppone

Inaugurated on 16 April 1989, thanks to the efforts and enthusiasm of a group of passionate volunteers from the town, the “Peppone and Don Camillo” Museum is a space in which you can immerse yourself in the past, letting yourself be guided by the original film posters, photographs in black and white, from the objects of the film sets and from the stories of our young tourist informants. The environments contain numerous memorabilia linked to the filming of the series including: Peppone's motorbike, Don Camillo's cassock, the bicycles of the protagonists used in the final scene of the third film, the sidecar and the projector with which the first film was shown (“Don Camillo”, directed by Julien Duviver, 1952) at the “Cinema Verdi” in Brescello, in the absolute world premiere. Outside the museum it is possible to see the tank that appears in a scene of the third film ("Don Camillo and the Honorable Peppone", directed by Carmine Gallone, 1955) and the train locomotive with which, at the end of the first film, Don Camillo is sent into exile in the mountains by the Bishop following one of his stunts. On the first floor of the Museum you can admire the photographs taken during the making of the films, as well as the reconstructions of some filming environments (such as Peppone's desk). The bookshop then allows the purchase of souvenirs, books, DVDs and typical local products, including the famous Spongata di Brescello.

This museum in the center of Brescello tells the story of some of the best-selling novels (which later became films) in the history of Italian publishing: the adventures of Don Camillo and Peppone, written by Giovannino Guareschi. The novels were set in Brescello: if Don Camillo is the parish priest of the town, the antagonist-friend Peppone is the mayor of the town, belonging to the Italian Communist Party. Many comic moments from films are still part of the Italian cultural imagination.