Westernmost major city of the region of Emilia-Romagna, it has strong relations withLombardy, with which it borders, and in particular withMilan. It was defined byLeonardo da Vinci as a "Land of passage" in hisCodex Atlanticus, by virtue of its crucial geographical location.[5] This strategic location would influence the history of Piacenza significantly at several times.
Piacenza integrates characteristics of the nearbyLigurian andPiedmontese territories added to a prevalent Lombard influence, favored by communications with the nearby metropolis, which attenuate itsEmilian footprint.[6][7][8]
Piacenza is located at a major crossroads at the intersection of Route E35/A1 betweenBologna andMilan, and Route E70/A21 betweenBrescia andTurin. Piacenza is also at the confluence of theTrebbia, draining the northernApennine Mountains, and theRiver Po, draining to the east.
The etymology is long-standing, deriving from the Latin "Placentia" tracing an origin from the verbplacēre, "to please".[9] The name means "pleasant" or (asJames Boswell reported some of the etymologists of his time to have translated it) "comely abode",[10] and it was given as a good omen.[11]
Before its settlement by the Romans, the area was populated by other peoples; specifically, just prior to the Roman settlement, the region on the right bank of the Po River between theTrebbia River and theTaro River had been occupied by the Ananes or Anamari, a tribe ofCisalpine Gauls.[12] Before then, according toPolybius,[13] "These plains were anciently inhabited byEtruscans" before the Gauls took the entirePo Valley from them.
in May 218 BC, Piacenza andCremona were founded as Romanmilitary colonies. The Romans had planned to construct them after the successful conclusion of the latest war with the Gauls ending in 219 BC. In the spring of 218 BC, after declaring war onCarthage, the Senate decided to accelerate the foundation and gave the colonists 30 days to appear on the sites to receive their lands. Each colony was to be settled by 6,000 Roman citizens, but the cities were to receiveLatin Rights;[14] that is, they were to have the same legal status as the many colonies that had been co-founded by Rome and towns ofLatium.
The reaction of the region's Gauls was swift; they drove the colonists off the lands. Taking refuge inMutina, the colonists sent for military assistance. A small force under Lucius Manlius was prevented from reaching the area. The Senate then sent two legions under Gaius Atelius. Collecting Manlius and the colonists, they descended on Piacenza and Cremona and successfully placedcastra there of 480 square metres (0.12 acres) to support the building of the city. Piacenza must have been walled immediately, as the walls were in place when theBattle of the Trebia was fought around the city in December. There is no evidence either textual or archaeological of a prior settlement at that exact location; however, such a site would have been obliterated by construction. Piacenza was the fifty-third colony to be placed by Rome following its foundation.[15] It was the first among the Gauls of the Po valley.
It had to be supplied by boat after the Battle of Trebbia, when Hannibal controlled the countryside, for which purpose a port (Emporium) was constructed. In 209 BC,Hasdrubal Barca crossed the Alps and laid siege to the city, but he was unable to take it, and he withdrew.[16] In 200 BC, the Gauls sacked and burned the city, selling the inhabitants into slavery.[17] Subsequently, the victorious Romans restored the city and managed to recover 2,000 of its citizens. In 198 BC, a combined force of Gauls and Ligurians plundered the whole region. As the people had never recovered from being sold into slavery, in 190 BC, they complained to Senate of underpopulation; in response the Senate sent 3,000 new settlers.[18] Construction of theVia Aemilia in the decade of the 180s made the city easily accessible from the Adriatic ports, which improved trade and the prospects for timely defense.
TheLiver of Piacenza, a bronze model of a sheep's liver for the purposes ofharuspicy was discovered in 1877 atGossolengo just to the south of Piacenza. It bears witness to the survival of thedisciplina Etrusca well after the Roman conquest.
Although sacked and devastated several times, the city always recovered and by the sixth centuryProcopius was calling it "the principal city in the country of Aemilia".[19]
The first Bishop of Piacenza (322–357), San Vittorio, declaredSaint Antoninus of Piacenza, a soldier of theTheban Legion (and not to be confused with the sixth-centuryAntoninus of Piacenza), the patron saint of Piacenza and had the first basilica constructed to honor the saint in 324. The basilica was restored in 903 and rebuilt in 1101,[20] again in 1562, and is still a church today. The remains of the bishop and thesoldier-saint are in urns under the altar. The theme of Antoninus, protector of Piacenza, is well known in art.
Mosaic of the old coat of arms for the city, bearing a horse with one raised leg
Piacenza was sacked during the course of theGothic War (535–554). After a short period of being reconquered by theRoman emperorJustinian I, it was conquered by theLombards, who made it a duchy seat. After its conquest byFrancia in the ninth century, the city began to recover, aided by its location along theVia Francigena that later connected theHoly Roman Empire withRome. Its population and importance grew further after the year 1000. That period marked a gradual transfer of governing powers from the feudal lords to a new enterprising class, as well to the feudal class of the countryside.
In 1095, the city was the site of theCouncil of Piacenza, in which theFirst Crusade was proclaimed. From 1126, Piacenza was a freecommune and an important member of theLombard League. In this role, it took part in the war againstFrederick I, Holy Roman Emperor and in the subsequentbattle of Legnano (1176). It also successfully fought the neighbouring communes ofCremona,Pavia, andParma, expanding its territory. Piacenza also captured control of the trading routes withGenoa, where the first Piacentini bankers had already settled, from the Malaspina counts and thebishop of Bobbio.
In the thirteenth century, despite unsuccessful wars against Frederick I, Piacenza managed to gain strongholds on theLombardy shore of the Po. The preliminaries of thePeace of Constance were signed in 1183 in the Saint Antoninus church. Agriculture and trade flourished in these centuries and Piacenza became one of the richest cities in Europe. This is reflected in the construction of many important buildings and in the general revision of the urban plan. Struggles for control were commonplace in the second half of the thirteenth century, similarly to the large majority of Medieval Italian communes. TheScotti family,Pallavicini family andAlberto Scoto [it] (1290–1313) in that order, held power during the period. Scoto's government ended when theVisconti of Milan captured Piacenza, which they would hold until 1447. DukeGian Galeazzo Visconti rewrote Piacenza's statutes and relocated theUniversity of Pavia to the city. Piacenza then became a possession of theHouse of Sforza until 1499.
Chiefly due to the expansion ofagriculture in the countryside surrounding Piacenza, the city progressed economically and a coin from the sixteenth century (that is displayed to the right) declares that by featuring the motto:Placentia floret ("Piacenza flourishes") on one of its sides. Also in the course of that century a new city wall was erected. Piacenza, as part of theDuchy of Milan, was ruled, at alternate times, by the Sforza and byFrance until 1521, when, underPope Leo X, it became part of thePapal States. From 1545, following the creation of theDuchy of Parma and Piacenza byPope Paul III to his sonPier Luigi Farnese, the city was ruled by theHouse of Farnese.[21]
Piacenza was the capital city of the duchy untilOttavio Farnese, Duke of Parma (1547–1586), moved the capital to Parma. The city underwent some of its most difficult years during the rule ofOdoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma (1622–1646). Out of the population of 30,000 in the city between 6,000 and 13,000 Piacentini died from famine and plague. The city and its countryside were ravaged by bandits and French soldiers as well.
The French Pass the River Po at Piacenza, by Giuseppe Pietro Bagetti, 1803
Between 1732 and 1859, Parma and Piacenza were ruled by theHouse of Bourbon. In the eighteenth century, several edifices that belonged to noble families such as Scotti,Landi, and Fogliani were built in Piacenza.
In 1802,Napoleon's army annexed Piacenza to the French Empire. Young Piacentini recruits were sent to fight inRussia,Spain, andGermany, while the city was plundered of a great number of artworks that are currently exhibited in many French museums.
TheHabsburg government ofMarie Louise, Duchess of Parma (1816–1847), is remembered fondly as one of the best in the history of Piacenza. The duchess drained many lands, built several bridges across the Trebbia and theNure and created educational and artistic activities.
Piacenza railway bridge overPo river in a 19th-century image
Austrian troops occupied Piacenza until, in 1860, a plebiscite marked the entrance of the city into theKingdom of Sardinia. When 37,089 voters out of 37,585 voted for the annexation, Piacenza was declaredPrimogenita dell'Unità di Italia ("First-born of theUnification of Italy") by the monarch. The Piacentini enrolled en masse inGiuseppe Garibaldi's army for theExpedition of the Thousand.
In 1858, the geologist Karl Mayer-Eymar named thePiacenzian Age of thePliocene Epoch based on deposits close to Piacenza.
In June 1865, the first railway bridge over the Po River in northern Italy was inaugurated (in southern Italy a railroad bridge had been built across the river in 1839). In 1891, the first Chamber of Workers was created in Piacenza.[citation needed]
DuringWorld War II, the city was heavily bombed by theAllies because of its strategic elements. The important railway and road bridges across the Trebbia and the Po and the railway yards were destroyed. The historic centre of city suffered collateral damage. In 1944, the bridges over the Po became vital for the supply from Austria of Field MarshalAlbert Kesselring'sGothic Line, which protected the withdrawal of Kesselring's troops from Italy. Foremost among these were the railway and road bridges at Piacenza, along with supply depots and railway yards. In Operation Mallory Major, July 12–15, allied medium bombers fromCorsica flew 300 sorties a day, knocking out 21 bridges east of Piacenza and then continued to the west for a total of 90 by July 20. Fighter-bombers prevented reconstruction and cut roads and rail lines. By August 4, all the cities of northern Italy were isolated and had suffered heavy bombing, especially Piacenza. Transport to Genoa to the south or through Turin to the north was impossible; nevertheless, Kesselring continued to supply his men.[22]
Piazza dei Cavalli: main square, named ("Cavalli" means "horses") for the two bronze equestrian monuments, made by the Mannerist sculptorFrancesco Mochi and depicting two Farnese Dukes of ParmaAlessandro and his son,Ranuccio I. The Piazza is flanked by:
Palazzo Comunale: also known asil Gotico, built in 1281 as the town hall orBroletto. Only the northern facade was completed in the original design, with Ghibellinemerlons, ground arcades made with pink marble, upper floors in brick, and a taller central bell tower. Inside, the frescoed main hall is used for meetings, lectures, and conferences.
Palazzo del Governatore: neoclassic building, and to the east by the church ofSan Francesco. Near the Palazzo dei Mercanti are two fascist era buildings.
Palazzo Farnese: begun in 1568 by Ottavio Farnese and his wife,Margaret of Parma. The initial project was designed by Francesco Paciotto, and construction pursued by Giovanni Bernardo Della Valle, Giovanni Lavezzari, and Bernardo Panizzari (Caramosino). The design was modified in 1568 byGiacomo Barozzi da Vignola, better known as "Vignola". The Civic Museums of Palazzo Farnese contain the town art gallery (Pinacoteca) and Archaeological Museum which houses the pre-Roman bronzeLiver of Piacenza, anEtruscan bronze model of a sheep's liver dating from the end of the 2nd to early 1st century BC. The model was discovered in 1877 in the Piacenza hinterland. Containing writing on its surface delineating the various parts of the liver and their significance, it was likely used as an educational tool for students studyingharuspicy, ordivination.
Palazzo Landi (dei Tribunali): medieval palace rebuilt in its current form in the 15th century by Lombard craftsmen. It has a Renaissance marble portal. It is now seat of the local Tribunal.
Collegio Alberoni: Roman Catholic seminary founded by CardinalGiulio Alberoni in the eighteenth century. The seminary maintains an art gallery that displays Alberoni's personal collection of fine tapestries and Renaissance and Baroque paintings by notable artists such asGiordano,Antonello da Messina, andReni.
Piacenza Cathedral: main church of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio, built from 1122 to 1233 in northern-ItalianRomanesque style. The façade, inVeronese pink marble and gilted stone, is parted horizontally by a gallery that dominates the three gates, and is decorated with Romanesque capitals and statues. Tripartite nave is supported by 25 large pillars. Frescoes byCamillo Procaccini andLudovico Carracci cover the nave, while dome was decorated byMorazzone andGuercino. The presbytery as a wooden sculpture from 1479, a wooden choir by Giangiacomo da Genova (1471), and statues of Lombard school from the 15th century. The crypt, built on the Greek cross plan, has 108 Romanesque small columns and is home to the relics of St Justine, to which the first cathedral (that crumbled down in the1117 Verona earthquake) was dedicated.
San Francesco: 12th-century Romanesque-Gothic church in Piazza Cavalli. The building assumed the role of civic sanctuary in the Middle Ages. Part of the medieval cloisters remains. Lunette in main portal has a 15th-century relief depicts theEcstasy of St. Francis. Nave and two aisles, are divided by low and sturdy brick pillars that support high gothic arches. The church has a Latin cross layout and pentahedric apse in which the aisle apses meet; decorations include 15th-16th century frescoes. In 1848, annexion of Piacenza to theKingdom of Sardinia was announced from this church.
Basilica of Sant'Antonino: Romanesque style church, with a large octagonal bell-tower. It was commissioned by St. Victor, first bishop of the city, in 350 CE, and completed in 375. It contains the relics of the eponymous saint, martyred nearTravo, in theVal Trebbia. In 1183, delegates of Frederick Barbarossa and of the Lombard League met in the basilica for the preliminaries ofpeace of Constance. The church was refurbished after damage during barbarian invasions. It has a 15th-century cloister. In the interior, the main artworks are the frescoes byCamillo Gervasetti (1622).
San Savino: Basilica church dedicated to St. Victor's successor, begun in 903 but consecrated only in 1107. The façade and the portico are from the 17th-18th centuries. The presbytery and the crypts contain 12th century polychrome mosaics. The interior is in Lombard-Gothic style, with anthropomorphic capitals of the columns. Over the high altar is a 12th-century wooden crucifix by an unknown artist.
Santa Maria in Campagna: Renaissance basilica church facing Piazzale delle Crociate ("Crusades Square"), so called becausePope Urban II summoned the First Crusade here in 1095. The church was built in 1522–1528 to house a miraculous wooden sculpture of the Madonna. Layout was originally in a central Greek-cross plan, but later altered into a Latin cross type.Il Pordenone frescoed the dome and in two chapels on the left side.
San Sisto: Renaissance church begun in the 15th century atop a temple built in 874 by Empress Angilberga. The choir designed by Gio Pietro Pambianco daColorno and Bartolomeo da Busseto (1512–1514). In 1513, the monks commissionedRaphael to paint theSistine Madonna altarpiece; in 1754, the sold this masterpiece toAugustus III of Poland. It is now on display inDresden.
Santo Sepolcro: Church of the Holy Sepulchre is byAlessio Tramello.
Santa Margherita, Piacenza: A now de-consecrated church used for cultural events by Fondazione di Piacenza e Vigevano.
Many inhabitants of Piacenza and the surrounding province still use Piacentino, which is avariety of theEmilian dialect theEmilian-Romagnol language. Emilian-Romagnol is a member of a different Romance subfamily (Gallo-Italic) than Standard Italian (which is anItalo-Dalmatian language) and its distinct grammar and phonology make it mutually unintelligible with that language.
Although there have been a number of notable poets and writers using Piacentino, the language has experienced a steady decline during the twentieth century due to the growing standardization of the Italian language in the national educational system.
The city's other club,Pro Piacenza 1919, declared bankruptcy in 2019.
Volley Piacenza is the main men's volleyball team and currently plays in serie A1; its palmares entails a championship, a national cup, a national supercup, and two European cups. River Volley is the main women's volleyball team and won the national championship twice.
Rugby is relatively popular compared with Italian standards and Piacenza has a number of rugby teams: Piacenza Rugby Club andRugby Lyons Piacenza are the most important.
Piacenza and its province are known for the production of seasoned and salted pork products. The main specialities arepancetta (rolled seasoned pork belly, salted and spiced),coppa (seasoned pork neck, containing less fat thanpancetta, matured at least for six months), andsalame (chopped pork meat flavoured with spices and wine, and made intosausages).
Bortellina (salted pancakes made with flour, salt, and water or milk) andchisulén (torta fritta in Standard Italian; made with flour, milk, and animal fats mixed together and then fried in hotstrutto, or clarified pork fat) are considered the perfect coupling ofpancetta,coppa, andsalame, but they are also considered good with cheeses, particularlyGorgonzola andRobiola.
Pisarei e faśö is a mixture of handmadepasta and borlotti beans. This is served with a sauce made of tomato puree, extra virgin olive oil, onion, salt, and pepper. The dish typically is consumed with gratedParmigiano on top.
Among the culinary specialties of the Piacenza region (although also enjoyed in nearbyCremona) ismostarda di frutta, consisting of preserved fruits in a sugary syrup that is strongly flavored with mustard.Turtlìt (tortelli dolci in standard Italian), or fruit dumplings, are filled withmostarda di frutta, mashedchestnuts, and other ingredients, and they are served at Easter.Turtlìt are popular in theFerrara area as well.Turtéi, a similarly named Piacentine specialty, is a kind of pasta filled with spinaches andricotta cheese, or filled with calabash. A similar Piacentine dish is the Panzerotti al Forno, which is made with pasta, ricotta cheese, and spinach.
Piacentine staple foods include corn (generally cooked aspolenta) and rice (usually cooked asrisotto), both of which are very common across northern Italy. Cheeses, such asGrana Padano, are produced in Piacenza although nearbyParma is more famous for its dairy products.
The hills surrounding Piacenza are known for their vineyards. The wine produced in the area is qualified with adenominazione di origine controllata called "Colli Piacentini" ("Hills of Piacenza"). The main wines areGutturnio (red wines, both sparkling and still),Bonarda (a red wine, often sparkling and foamy, made fromCroatina grapes),Ortrugo (a dry white wine), andMalvasia (a sweet white wine).[32]
Mario Arcelli (1935–2004), economist and once minister for budget of the Italian Government (1996)
Giorgio Armani (1934–2025), fashion designer, entrepreneur, and founder of Armani
Mario Biaggi (1917–2015) whose parents came from Piacenza; policeman and a U.S. Congressman[35]
Ettore Boiardi (1897–1985), also known as Hector Boyardee, Italian-American chef, famous for his eponymous brand of food products, named Chef Boyardee.
^Pottle, Marion S.; Claude Colleer Abbott; Frederick A. Pottle (1993).Catalogue of the Papers of James Boswell at Yale University. Vol. I (Research ed.). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 272.ISBN978-0-7486-0399-2.
^Taylor, Isaac (1882).Words and Places: Or, Etymological Illustrations of History, Ethnology and Geography. London: Macmillan and Co. p. 322.
^Smith, William (1854)."Ananes".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, illustrated by numerous engravings on wood. London: Walton and Maberly; John Murray. Smith citesPolybius,Histories, Book II, sections 17 and 32.
^ProcopiusHistory of the Wars Book VII chapter XIII.
^Townsend, George Henry (1877).The manual of dates: a dictionary of reference to all the most important events in the history of mankind to be found in authentic records (5 ed.). London: Frederick Warne. p. 752.
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