Borgo Val di Taro is a town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 and comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

in Emilia

Emilia-Romagna

Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, in the Province of Parma

Province of Parma

The Province of Parma is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Parma.It has an area of 3,449 km², and a total population of 413,198...

, 63 km from the city of Parma

Parma

Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....

.

Borgo Val di Taro is an important centre for cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

 husbandry in Emilia and it's one of the zones where Parmigiano-Reggiano is produced.

It is also commonly known as Borgotaro.

The area is well known for its Boletus edulis

Boletus edulis

Boletus edulis, commonly known as penny bun, porcino or cep, is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus Boletus. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere across Europe, Asia, and North America, it does not occur naturally in the Southern Hemisphere, although it has been...

 or Porcini mushrooms, and the 'Fungo di Borgotaro' (Mushroom of Borgotaro) has IGP (English: PGI)

Protected designation of origin

Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...

 Status.

History

Here M. Lucullus

Lucullus

Lucius Licinius Lucullus , was an optimate politician of the late Roman Republic, closely connected with Sulla Felix...

 defeated the democrats under Carbo

Gnaeus Papirius Carbo

Gnaeus Papirius Carbo was a three-time consul of ancient Rome.A member of the Carbones of the plebeian gens Papiria, and nephew of Gaius Papirius Carbo , he was a strong supporter of the Marian party, and took part in the blockade of Rome...

 in 82 BC. It was independent under Vespasian

Vespasian

Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...

, but seems soon to have become a village dependent on Parma.

James Gandolfini Sr., father of Italian-American actor James Gandolfini

James Gandolfini

James J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...

 Jr., was born in Borgo Val di Taro.

Main sights

Not far from the town is the small church of S. Antonio del Viennese, a 13th-century structure in brick. The city hall (palazzo comunale), in the Lombard Gothic style, is a work of the 14th century.

Tourism and gastronomic tours are important factors of the modern economy. The town is a member of the Cittaslow

Cittaslow

Cittaslow is a movement founded in Italy in October 1999. The inspiration of Cittaslow was the Slow Food organization. Cittaslow's goals include improving the quality of life in towns by slowing down its overall pace, especially in a city's use of spaces and the flow of life and traffic through them...

 (slow city) movement.

Frazioni

Banca, Barca, Barzana di Sotto, Baselica, Belforte,Bissaio, Boceto, Bozzi, Brattesini, Brunelli, Ca' Valesi, Cafaraccia, Caprendino, Case Maroni, Case Scodellino, Case Vighen, Casembola, Casoni, Cavanna, Cianica, Corriago, Costadasi, Frasso, Galla, Ghiare, Giacopazzi, Grifola, Il Mulino, Il Poggio, Laghina, Lavacchielli, Le Spiagge, Magrano, Meda, Monticelli, Ostia Parmense, Poggio, Pontolo, Porcigatone, Pozzo, Roccamurata, Rovinaglia

Rovinaglia

Rovinaglia is a frazione in the comune of Borgo Val di Taro in the province of Parma, Italy. It is located about 6 km away from the town square. Rovinaglia is 892m above sea level...

, San Martino, San Pietro, San Vincenzo, Tiedoli, Tombone, Valdena, Valleto

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Borgo Val di Taro is twinned with:

Charenton-le-Pont Charenton-le-Pont Charenton-le-Pont is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...  Vila de Cruces Vila de Cruces Vila de Cruces is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra.... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...