The French Room

According to the restoration work of the mid XIX century, this room was to be the bedroom of Duke Charles III; it now hosts memories of his ancestors, the Bourbon Parma, a dynasty which originated in the XVIII century with Elisabetta Farnese and her husband King Philip V of Spain. Their son Philip, who inherited the Duchy of Parma from his mother, married a daughter of Louis XV of France: the young couple and their French minister Guillame Du Tillot made Parma a significant centre of culture.

In 1752 the Duke founded the local Academy of Fine Arts: along with portraits of the Ducal family, there are sketches by Callani and Bresciani, terracotta statues by Guiard and Sbravati, paintings and drawings by Baldrighi, Ferrari, Nattier, Boucher and other French-oriented artists, such as Hubert Robert and his remarkable views of Rome.

A showcase contains notebooks, ball programmes, cases and a handsome writing set belonging to Maria Luigia; the piano by Berzioli is a rare example of the local musical instrument manufacture of the XIX century.