PIAZZA DE' CAVALLI

Piazza Cavalli, the symbol of Piacenza, with the town hall, also known as il Gotico, is the heart of the city. It stands on the site of the ancient Roman martian camp, the military camp, as the stone inscription "haec est ara Bellonae" attests: in fact, Bellona was the bride and sister of Mars, the god of war. It is named for the two marvelous bronze equestrian monuments ("Cavalli" means "horses") of Alessandro Farnese and his son Ranuccio, commissioned to celebrate the power of the Farnese family.

Stradone Farnese, Cavallerizza

Cavallerizza con parte del parcheggio

CAVALLERIZZA

Located on Stradone Farnese, a major access road to Piacenza’s historical centre, la Cavallerizza is a roofed building that was part of the former “Cantore” barracks. Laid out on a surface of 1250 square meters, it has a large parking lot, set within the barracks walls. The hall, recently restored, is easy to access for everyone.

SANT' ILARIO

The church of Sant’Ilario was probably built in the XIIth Century and since 1930 it was restored several times.
It is a small church, with one aisle only. Of the original structure only the facade, with  the Corinthian capitals and with the decorated architrave, remain.
The architrave, attributed to the sculptor Nicolò, portrays the incredulity of Saint Thomas. The figures it is adorned with proceed out of the architrave, becoming full relief sculptures. The portal is a Romanesque masterpiece, echoing, in a simpler way, the architrave of the Duomo’s right entrance.

BOBBIO - ABBAZIA DI SAN COLOMBANO

The area of Bobbio was already inhabited in the Stone Age and was subsequently settled by settlers from Liguria.
The Galls took over from those settlers and soon afterwards Bobbio started gravitating within the orbit of Rome. The town draws its name from the creek lapping on its Southern shores.
Bobbio’s history mostly overlaps with its Abbey, founded by Saint Columbanus in 614, which in the Middle Ages became a major centre for religious culture in Italy, with its famous scriptorium and its celebrated library. Following the Lombard invasion, the Abbey gathered properties in the whole North of Italy.
After the Italian Unification, Bobbio was annexed to Pavia and only in 1923 it became part of the Province of Piacenza.
Bobbio is the most important village of its valley, it is a holiday resort, thanks to the river that flows through it and to the nearby Monte Penice, with its skying facilities.

CASTEL SAN GIOVANNI

The origins of the town are probably related to an ancient pieve called Olubra (perhaps the ancient name of the creek which is now called Lora) and a fortress called “Castellus Milonus”, which preceded the construction of a new and better fortified castle by Alberto Scoto in 1290 (now disappeared). Settlers rapidly gathered around the castle.
The town went through several dominations and witnessed several battles in the course of history. It took part in Italy’s resistance against the Austrians in 1848. It also is the birthplace of Cardinal A. Casaroli, to whom a museum was dedicated.
Historically and artistically relevant monuments decorate the village: the Collegiate church, the XIIth Century Church of San Giovanni Battista, appointed national monument, and the XVIIIth Century Villa Braghieri-Albesani.

CASTELL'ARQUATO

When you get to Castell’Arquato, its authentic Medieval outlook is an immediate surprise. After a while, the town’s fabric of history, nature and charm surfaces.
It is so unique that it was included in Italy’s Nicest Villages list, obtaining the Italian Touring Club Orange Flag and being featured on the circuit of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza’s Castles and of the Road of Piacenza’s Wines and Foods. It is also a Town for Peace.
Today, in the third millennium, an authentic Medieval atmosphere still characterizes Castell’Arquato’s historical center. The village developed on the left bank of the Arda creek, on a hill crest which dominates the plain. Its strategic position immediately meets the eye.
Ligurians, Galls, Romans, popes, knights and lords of the Renaissance molded the history of Castell'Arquato, which is a paradise not only for those who are keen on the Middle Ages and on cultural tourism. In fact, the flourishing surrounding territory offers mountain bike tours, horse riding experiences or simple hikes. The surrounding area is rich with fossils and geological sites, which are well exemplified in the local Geological Museum (Museo Geologico Cortesi). An era was dubbed after this very area: Piacentian.
That is why the Piacentian Reservation, which – along with other such wildlife refuges as the Santa Franca forest – is worth discovering, was created.

FIORENZUOLA D'ARDA

Its name derives from Florentia (prosperous), and only later it was linked with Saint Fiorenzo’s name. Fiorenzuola has very ancient origins. In fact, it was originally built in prehistory. In the Middle Ages it was one of the main centers of the Province of Piacenza and at the time of the communes and of the city-states it represented a frontier land for different alliances. The most important monument in town is the Collegiata church of S. Fiorenzo, built in 1300 and remade by the end of 1400. It was build from the preexisting church of S. Bonifacio. Other historic landmarks are the church of Caravaggio’s Beata Vergine, the Beata Vergine chapel, the Verdi Theater and the church of St Francis.