Piacenza

The city

Is the first Roman settlement in the Po valley, a defensive post on the Po river surrounded by the Apennines. A place where princes and pilgrims, Crusaders and Templars, traders and artists left their mark. Its millennial history still pervades the historic city centre, which is laid out on a grid from the ancient Roman times. There are also numerous remains from the Middle Ages when the city flourished thanks to the activity of bankers: Palazzo Gotico, the Romanesque Duomo, Piazza Grande called “dei Cavalli”, where the fascinating and realistic equestrian monuments of Alessandro and Ranuccio Farnese stand out as jewels of the Baroque style. The splendid modern art collection exhibited at Galleria Ricci Oddi is among the most important in Italy.