Valserena Abbey
Valserena Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in combined Gothic and Baroque style, founded in 1298. From the 15th century onwards, the complex was extended and modified several times. In 1551, during the Parma War (part of the Italian War of 1551-59), the complex was occupied for a time by the troops of the governor of Milan Ferrante I Gonzaga, an ally of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Habsburg. Between the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, the abbey church was given a new monumental façade in Baroque style to replace the previous one in Gothic style. Deconsecrated in 1810, the abbey has been since 2007 the seat of the Centre for Communication Studies and Archives of the University of Parma.
