
The Casinetto Petitot, known simply as Petitot, is a small building with neoclassical shapes, located in the center of piazzale Risorgimento in Parma. It is considered one of the first Italian coffee. In 1759 the ducal prime minister Guillaume du Tillot commissioned the court architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot to design a large tree-lined avenue south of the city center, with the aim of creating an elegant boulevard for public strolling, modeled on the great European capitals.
The Casinetto Petitot, known simply as Petitot, is a small building with neoclassical shapes, located in the center of piazzale Risorgimento in Parma. It is considered one of the first Italian coffee. In 1759 the ducal prime minister Guillaume du Tillot commissioned the court architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot to design a large tree-lined avenue south of the city center, with the aim of creating an elegant boulevard for public strolling, modeled on the great European capitals.

At the eastern end, on a corner of the then existing walls, the Stradone should have ended with a refined café, scenically located in a raised position with respect to the avenue. The small building was to be a meeting place not only for the nobles and the high bourgeois, but also for the intellectuals of the time, just at the moment when the first Enlightenment ideals began to spread in Europe. Thanks to its elevated position, moreover, it was to serve as a belvedere, since from the terrace at the top you could enjoy the panorama of both the city and the surrounding countryside.Its construction, entirely financed by Duke Filippo di Borbone, began on October 22 1762 when the tracing of the great avenue had already begun, which was inaugurated together with the little house in the presence of the Duke on 24 June 1766, during the night of San Giovanni.
At the eastern end, on a corner of the then existing walls, the Stradone should have ended with a refined café, scenically located in a raised position with respect to the avenue. The small building was to be a meeting place not only for the nobles and the high bourgeois, but also for the intellectuals of the time, just at the moment when the first Enlightenment ideals began to spread in Europe. Thanks to its elevated position, moreover, it was to serve as a belvedere, since from the terrace at the top you could enjoy the panorama of both the city and the surrounding countryside.Its construction, entirely financed by Duke Filippo di Borbone, began on October 22 1762 when the tracing of the great avenue had already begun, which was inaugurated together with the little house in the presence of the Duke on 24 June 1766, during the night of San Giovanni.

Headquarters of the Mind for Music association, it is known by the people of Parma and not as a symbolic place, it has been used for many cultural activities.
Casino Petitot, Piazzale Risorgimento, 43100 Parma PR