The former UEFA Cup winners beat Alessandria 2-0 in the playoff final of Lega Pro, the third tier of Italian football.
"We fought tooth and nail to win this promotion," said Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli, who played for the team when they were in Serie A.
"Only we in the dressing-room know what we have been through."
Parma finished bottom of Serie A in 2014-15 after a chaotic season during which the club twice changed hands.
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Parma were forced to postpone two games because they could not pay for stewards or security, while the players had to do their own laundry. They were only able to complete the season after Serie A set up a special fund.
Parma lifted the UEFA Cup in 1995 and 1999, the 1993 European Cup Winners' Cup and three Italian Cups, although they never won Serie A.
(Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Ed Osmond)
