MUSEUM AND GALLERIES

Musei civici in Palazzo Farnese

In Piazza Cittadella there is Palazzo Farnese; to its side there are still the remains of a large fortress erected in 1373 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti from Milan. At that time he controlled Piacenza and defended the city with its surrounding lands from the attacks of opposing masters. Of the Visconti's fortress - which gave the name to the square where it stands - survive the fortified tower, two corner towers and defending walls. The palace, which today plays a pivotal role in the life of the city housing the Civic Museums (Medieval Frescoes, Archaeological Museum, Arms Museum, Carriage Museum, the Fasti Farnesiani, Art Gallery, Risorgimento, Glasses and ceramics) was built in mid-16th century. Don't miss the Tondo by Botticelli and the Fegato Etrusco (Etruscan Divinatory Liver). ...read on

Museo Civico di Storia Naturale (Civic Museum of Natural History)

Located in the Fabbrica del Ghiaccio in the former municipal abattoir (1912), in its rooms you can see finds from the world of plants, animals, stones, minerals, fossils. Downstairs there are also some themed showcases on the environment of the Apennines dedicated to birds, animals, flowers and plants. ...read on

Galleria Ricci Oddi (Ricci Oddi Art Gallery)

Opened with the private collection of Giuseppe Ricci Oddi from Piacenza, the Gallery is one of the most important collections of artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, and of art movements from this period. Together with well-known artists such as Fontanesi, Signorini, Boldini, Fattori, Pellizza da Volpedo, Hayez, Segantini, De Chirico, De Pisis, Casorati, Carrà, there are also valuable works by regional painters and remarkable sculptures (Rosso, Wildt, Messina, Cassinari, etc.). The building housing the Gallery is itself prestigious; it was designed by architect Giulio Ulisse Arata from Piacenza. Works are distributed over 20 rooms. ...read on

Galleria e Collegio Alberoni

Collegio Alberoni was founded by Cardinal Giulio Alberoni (1664-1752) and it has maintained its original function as a school preparing for ecclesiastic life, but also as an active centre to discuss theological issues, philosophy and science. The complex includes the precious Library with 130,000 volumes, the Gabinetto di Fisica (Physics Laboratory), the Natural Science laboratory, the Seismic and Meteorological Observatory (1802), the Specola astronomica (astronomical observatory, 1870), and the Art Gallery. Eighteen superb tapestries by the Flemish school (16th-17th centuries) are the treasure of the gallery, together with the Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina. ...read on

CHURCHES AND MONUMENTS

Palazzo Gotico

The unaccomplished building (the façade we see today is believed to have been only a side of the entire palace) now dominates the main area of the city centre, Piazza Cavalli, with the equestrian statues of Ranuccio and Alessandro Farnese. The palace was built in 1278 by Alberto Scoto, chief of the merchants and Ghibelline master of the city. It was designed by local workers (and probably also by workers from Como). ...read on

Piazza Cavalli

The historical and political centre of the city lies in the scenographic Piazza dei Cavalli, so called because of the two splendid equestrian monuments that decorate it. Once called "Piazza Grande", the square was opened in around 1280 when also Palazzo Gotico was being built, in the same period of the overlooking S. Francesco church. ...read on

Duomo di Piacenza

The building was begun in 1122 on the foundations of the pre-existing church of S. Giustina, only to be terminated in 1233. The façade is divided by two buttresses, with pink marble in the lower part, and sandstone in the upper part. The three entrances are surmounted by small two-column porticoes. The figures that sustain the small porches are masterpieces from a local Romanesque workshop in the style of Wiligelmo and Nicolò. ...read on

Basilica di Sant'Antonino

Sant'Antonino church, dedicated to the patron saint of the city, preserves his remains and was founded in the fourth century AD. The church was an important reference point for the pilgrims on Via Francigena, which stretches along the building and which is overlooked by the so-called Portico del Paradiso. This Portico was built on a design by Pietro Vago in 1350, and under its vaults in July 1998 found shelter a large statue of Gregorio X, the only Pope from Piacenza, sculpted by Giorgio Groppi. ...read on

Basilica di Santa Maria di Campagna

Built at the beginning of the 16th century (1522-1528) upon the initiative of several citizens forming a group of artisans, the church lies on the area once occupied by another sacred building (the sanctuary of Santa Maria di Campagnola). Here there was a much venerated wooden image of a Virgin with Child which dated back to the 14th century. According to tradition, in 1095 Pope Urbano II announced from here that he wanted to launch the first Crusade to the Holy Land. ...read on

Piazza S. Antonino

This is one of the most important squares in Piacenza. In the Early Middle Ages it was the centre of the political, religious, and economic life of the city. The square linked Via Postumia (towards Pavia) and Via Emilia, which also constitutes a stretch of the pilgrim route towards Rome (Via Francigena). Between 350 and 375 Vittore, the first bishop of Piacenza, had the first core of Sant'Antonino church built here, outside the Roman walls. ...read on

MUSIC AND THEATRE

Teatro Municipale

Opened in 1804 after only a year of building works, the theatre represents the most important and large theatrical building in the city, with its 1124 seats. A group of noblemen in Piacenza wanted to have a theatre, so they commissioned to the architect Lotario Tomba to build it; he chose the site of a pre-existing noble palace. The theatre façade, successively revisited by the architect and scenographer Sanquirico from Milan, reflects the famous Lombard model. From the portico, which sheltered the public as well as coaches from rain, you enter the elegant foyer, a fundamental space in the theatre, not only in the 19th century, as this is where the audience met before the beginning of the show. The theatre has maintained its natural features as a Teatro Lirico di Tradizione representing, mostly, operas by Verdi. ...read on

Auditorium Sala dei Teatini

Important restoration works of the church of the Theatines dedicated to San Vincenzo led to the opening in 2009 of a modern concert hall with an astounding acoustic quality, with about 150 seats. The original church was built in the 18th century by Pietro Caracciolo from Naples. Important people contributed to the decoration of the building which included canvases, altarpieces, and an imposing fresco extending on walls, vaults, and domes. Sala dei Teatini is a privileged spot for all kinds of concert music. The auditorium hosts, among others, the rehearsals of Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini directed by Maestro Riccardo Muti. ...read on