It is believed that Sant’Ilario, the patron saint of Parma, is linked to the city by a pair of shoes.
When the once French philosopher was walking through Parma on a freezing cold winter day, a shoemaker immediately noticed his banged-up shoes and handed him a new pair as a gift. When the man woke up the day after, he found outside his shop door a pair of shoes similar to the ones he had given to the future saint, but completely made of gold.
Each 13th of January, the feast day of the patron saint, all children are given a “scarpetta di Sant'Ilario” (shoe of Saint Ilario), which is a cookie; still a quite precious gift!
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