Today Gus and I toured the communal palace, which is a series of palaces put together and serving as municipal buildings now. But, they still have impressive chandeliers, tapestried halls, and an impressive art gallery. For lunch, we went to a place that serves variations of the local specialty: polpette, or meatballs. Gus had his in a tomato sauce with peas. Mine were fried, like croquettes. Both were excellent, but the highlight was the cheese board we ordered for an antipasto. The parmesan is fantastic, as Parma is about 30 minutes away. It was hot today–almost 90, so we had a respite in our apartment until time for a little grocery shopping to stock up on essentials. Gus was on a mission for gnocchi tonight, so we found a place with gnocchi in a parmesan sauce with a balsamic vinegar glaze. The home of balsamic vinegar, Modena, is also about 30 minutes away. The consistency here is more syrupy, and it is outstanding. This is the best food town in Italy that I’ve encountered. Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Siena.