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.
From the Piazza dei Cavalli in Piacenza, Via XX Settembre (closed to cars) leads southeast to the cathedral, begun in 1122 in Lombard Romanesque style and completed in the mid 13th century under Gothic influence, with three beautiful doorways. The bell-tower dates from 1333. The dome is decorated with frescoes (prophets and sibyls) by Guercino. The crypt has 108 columns. On the left of the cathedral stands the Bishop's Palace.
On the southwest side of the Piazza dei Cavalli is the Palazzo del Comune, called "il Gotico" (Town Hall), built from 1280 onwards, the model for many other Italian town halls. On the ground floor is an arcade with five pointed arches; above this a large hall with round-arched windows richly decorated with terracotta; the attic is crowned with battlements.
From the Piazza dei Cavalli the busy Corso Cavour, Piacenza's main street, runs northeast to the massive Palazzo Farnese, begun in 1558, continued in 1564 by Vignola and finished in 1602.
Near the northwestern edge of Piacenza is the church of the Madonna di Campagna, an Early Renaissance church on a centralized plan (by Alessio Taramello, 1522-28) containing frescoes by Pordenone (1528-31).
The Palazzo Farnese in Piacenza houses the Museo Civico with an archeological section containing Etruscan bronzes, Roman and medieval sculpture, ceramics, glass and much more besides.
Address: Museo Civico, Piazza Cittadella 29, I-29100 Piacenza, Italy
Always closed on: Epiphany (3 Kings' Day ) - Christian (January 6), New Year's Day (January 1), Liberation Day - Italy (April 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Festival of the Tricolor - Italy (May 12), Feast of St John the Baptist - Christian (June 24), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15), Victory Day / National Unity Day - Italy (November 4), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian, Easter Monday - Christian
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Opposite the Palazzo del Comune stands the Neo-Classical Palazzo del Governatore (1781), now the chamber of trade. On the southeast side of the square, set a little way back, is the large brick Gothic church of San Francesco (1278).
The life of Piacenza centers on the picturesque Piazza dei Cavalli, named after the prancing Baroque equestrian statues of dukes Alessandro and Ranuccio Farnese (1587-92, 1592-1622), by the Tuscan sculptor Francesco Mocchi (1612-29).
300m/330yd southwest of the Teatro Verdi in Via S Siro in Piacenza is the Galleria d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi, a fine building (1931) with a collection of pictures by Italian masters of the 19th century.
Address: Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art, Via San Siro 13, I-29100 Piacenza, Italy
Hours:
May 1 to September 30: 10am-12pm, 3pm-6pm; Closed: Mon
October 1 to February 28: 10am-12pm, 2pm-4pm; Closed: Mon, Mon
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), New Year's Eve (December 31), Ascension Thursday - Christian, Easter - Christian
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
A short way east of the cathedral in Piacenza is the church of San Savino (1107), with early ribbed vaulting and a Baroque facade (1721). The choir and crypt have mosaic pavements (12th century).
To the northwest of the Municipal Museum, near the northern edge of Piacenza, is the church of San Sisto (1499-1511), in Early Renaissance style, with a Baroque facade and a fine Ionic colonnade. It was for this church that Raphael painted the "Sistine Madonna" (c. 1515), which was sold to Dresden in 1754 and replaced by a copy (c. 1725). In the north transept is the tombstone (designed in 1593) of Margaret Duchess of Parma, wife of Ottavio Farnese.
Southwest of the Piazza del Duomo in Piacenza, at the end of Via Chiapponi, is the church of Sant'Antonio (11th-12th century, with much later alteration), the former cathedral, with a large Gothic porch of 1350.
In the convent at Bobbio, 44km/27mi southwest of Piacenza, is the tomb of the Irish monk and missionary Columban, who died here in 615. The fine church treasure is housed in the neighboring Museo di Colombano. The town also has sulfur and salt baths.
Castell'Arquato is a town with a number of medieval features. Particularly notable are the Palazzo Pretorio (1293), the collegiate church (12th century; small museum in the cloister) and the remains of the castle.
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Piazza dei Cavalli, Piacenza
Farnese Palace, Piacenza
Piacenza
