Situation
The provincial capital of Piacenza lies in the north Italian plain near the right bank of the Po, some 50km/31mi southeast of Milan.
The town has a well-preserved circuit of mid-16th century walls 6.5km/4mi long.
History
Piacenza was
founded by the Romans in 219 B.C., under the name of Colonia Placentia, to defend the Po crossing against the Gauls. During the Middle Ages it was a member of the Lombard League, and thereafter belonged to the Viscontis, the Sforzas and (from 1521) the States of the Church. From 1545 onwards the Farnese duchy of Piacenza together with the duchy of Parma formed an independent principality, which was incorporated in the Kingdom of Italy in 1859.