After the summer break, the Migrantour Parma group got back to work with new itineraries and activities. On 28 September 2024, a dress rehearsal was held, open to the public, of San Leonardo: stories beyond the rails, the new proposal for an intercultural walk in the city.
Within the framework of the project Peace: the colours of encounter of the City of Parma, financed by the Emilia-Romagna Region, and following a stimulating process of research and on-site interviews, it was possible to present participants with an itinerary that gives voice to one of Parma’s working-class neighbourhoods.
A choral walk that focuses on the stories of the people who live in San Leonardo every day and through their activities are now a point of reference not only for the residents of the neighbourhood but also for many citizens of Parma.
This is the case of the Cooperativa sociale onlus ‘di mano in mano’ and its second-hand clothing shop, which for more than 17 years has been based in Via Valenti 6, where it is possible to both donate and buy clothes, shoes and accessories for an inexpensive, unique and sustainable wardrobe.
A few steps further on, it is possible to visit Unique Vision, a tailoring workshop that materialises the dream of Terry Effe, originally from Nigeria. After years of training and a troubled search for a business premises, Terry found the space in the San Leonardo district where he could dedicate himself to his passion.
Being in San Leonardo, it is impossible not to dwell on the history of Bormioli Rocco & Figli, a glass factory that, thanks to its activity, represented the birth of the district, becoming the landing place for thousands of men and women.
All in all, a very rich itinerary that, in addition to recovering the working-class origins and the strong migratory imprint of the district that still distinguishes it today, wants to propose a reflection on today’s migration and that which gave birth to San Leonardo.