Founded by the Romans in 218 BC as Placentia at the western end of the Via Aemilia, Piacenza was a key crossing of the River Po for travellers heading south. Its monumental heart is the Piazza Cavalli, named for the two great bronze equestrian statues that flank the Gothic town hall, Il Gotico. The Romanesque cathedral and the city's churches mark Piacenza as one of the most important Po-valley stations on the Via Francigena.
Highlights
- Piazza Cavalli's two baroque bronze horsemen before Il Gotico
- Founded 218 BC as Placentia at the western end of the Via Aemilia
- Legend of St Antoninus, standard-bearer of the Theban Legion
- Pope Urban II's great council of 1095 before the First Crusade
- Timbro at the Duomo and the pilgrim basilica of Sant'Antonino
At a glance
| Period | Roman foundation; medieval centre |
|---|---|
| Stage | 11 — Bapaume to Péronne |
Take care
- City traffic around the piazza
- Summer heat radiating off the open cobbles
History
In 1095 Pope Urban II presided over a great church council at Piacenza, where envoys from Byzantium appealed for aid months before the First Crusade was preached. A free commune from the 12th century and a leading member of the Lombard League, the city passed in 1545 into the new Farnese duchy of Parma and Piacenza; Francesco Mochi cast the two bronze equestrian dukes of Piazza Cavalli in the 1620s. On 10 May 1848 Piacenza voted almost unanimously to join Piedmont, earning the title Primogenita, firstborn of Italian unity.
Myth & legend
Legend makes Piacenza's patron, St Antoninus, a standard-bearer of the fabled Theban Legion, a Roman unit of Christian soldiers, martyred near Travo around 303 AD. His basilica, raised over the relics, stood on the pilgrim road to Rome, and travellers long paused there to seek his protection.
Geology
Piacenza commands the crossing where the Trebbia, descending from the Apennines, spreads its gravels toward the Po, on a plain built wholly of river-laid sediment. The alluvium beneath the city is hundreds of metres thick, with bedrock far out of reach, so Roman and medieval builders alike turned the plain's clay into brick for walls, churches and towers.
Wildlife & nature
Where the Trebbia meets the Po just west of the city, wide gravel bars and braided channels give nesting ground to little ringed plovers and stone curlews and pull in grey herons, night herons and egrets on migration. Poplar and willow galleries line the banks, and bee-eaters dig their tunnels in the sandy cuts.
The view
Piazza Cavalli is the set piece — two great baroque bronze horsemen rearing before the striped brick and marble of Il Gotico, with the Romanesque Duomo rising a few streets away.
Photography
Low evening light suits the equestrian bronzes against Il Gotico's facade; a wide lens from the south side of the piazza takes in both statues, and the Duomo front is best in soft morning light.
When to visit
April to June and September are the comfortable months on the Po plain; August is hot and much of the city goes quiet for the holidays; winter fog is frequent and can linger all day.
Getting there
Piacenza is a main-line rail hub between Milan and Bologna with regional links towards Turin; the walking route crosses the Po nearby and passes through the city centre on foot.
Where to stay
Pilgrim hostels and religious houses in and around the city accept the credential, with booking usually by phone; hotels and B&Bs fill the gaps, and the next stages are well supplied.
Food & water
Public fountains and cafes are easy to find in the centre, as in most Italian towns; fill up before the long, flat farmland stages that follow towards Fiorenzuola.
Safety
City traffic around the piazza and summer heat on the open cobbles — ordinary urban care. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
The historic centre is flat and compact, so walking is easy, though the piazza and older streets are cobbled; the main sights sit within a few level minutes of one another.
Visitor tips
Collect a timbro at the Duomo or your hostel, and look into the Basilica of Sant'Antonino, long associated with passing pilgrims, before setting out across the plain along the old Via Emilia.
The guide, in full
The written guide to this site.
You come into Piacenza the way travellers always have, off the plain and over the great river, and the city gathers you into a square that seems built to be arrived at. Stand in the Piazza Cavalli with your pack still on and take its measure. Two enormous bronze horsemen rear in the open space, hooves lifted, cloaks flying, cast by Francesco Mochi in the sixteen twenties to honour the Farnese dukes. Behind them rises the medieval town hall the city fondly calls Il Gotico, banded in red brick and pale marble, with a battlemented crown and an arcade at ground level where the market once spilled through. The horses give the square its name, and the name is simply Horses. This city is old in the way only a road town can be. The Romans founded it in the year two hundred and eighteen before Christ as Placentia, planting a colony at the western end of the Via Aemilia, the great highway that runs dead straight across Emilia towards the Adriatic. It guarded a crossing of the Po, and whoever held the crossing held the way south. A thousand years later that same logic made it one of the essential Po valley stations of the Via Francigena, and the flagstones under your boots have carried merchants, armies, mule trains and pilgrims in more or less continuous procession ever since. Walk a few streets to the Romanesque cathedral and then find the Basilica of Sant'Antonino, because Antoninus is the reason pilgrims paused here. Legend makes him a standard-bearer of the Theban Legion, that fabled Roman unit of Christian soldiers, martyred near Travo around the year three hundred and three. His basilica was raised over the relics beside the pilgrim road, and travellers have stopped there for centuries to ask his protection before setting out across the plain. Ask for a timbro at the Duomo or at your hostel while you are about it. Piacenza has form for large moments. In the year ten ninety-five Pope Urban the Second presided over a great church council here, and envoys from Byzantium stood up and appealed for help against the Turks, months before the First Crusade was preached at Clermont. Whatever you make of what followed, it began as a conversation in this city. Later Piacenza was a proud free commune and a leading member of the Lombard League, and in fifteen forty-five it became half of the new Farnese duchy of Parma and Piacenza. Then, on the tenth of May in eighteen forty-eight, its citizens voted almost unanimously to join Piedmont, and Italy gave the city a title it still wears: Primogenita, the firstborn of Italian unity. Go out west of the town if you have an evening to spare, to where the Trebbia comes down from the Apennines and spreads its gravels into the Po. Wide shingle bars and braided channels give nesting ground to little ringed plovers and stone curlews, herons and egrets drop in on migration, and bee-eaters drill their tunnels into the sandy cuts, flashing turquoise and cinnamon over the water. Everything here, city and river alike, is built of the same material: hundreds of metres of river-laid sediment, with bedrock far out of reach, which is why Roman and medieval builders alike turned the plain's clay into brick. Fill your bottles, watch the traffic on the cobbles, and let the old Via Emilia lead you out south. Rome is a long way yet, but the road is straight. Walk well.
Common questions
How old is Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli?
Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli dates from the Roman foundation; medieval centre period.
How do I get to Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli?
Piacenza is a main-line rail hub between Milan and Bologna with regional links towards Turin; the walking route crosses the Po nearby and passes through the city centre on foot.
Is Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli accessible?
The historic centre is flat and compact, so walking is easy, though the piazza and older streets are cobbled; the main sights sit within a few level minutes of one another.
When is the best time to visit Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli?
April to June and September are the comfortable months on the Po plain; August is hot and much of the city goes quiet for the holidays; winter fog is frequent and can linger all day.
Is there food and water at Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli?
Public fountains and cafes are easy to find in the centre, as in most Italian towns; fill up before the long, flat farmland stages that follow towards Fiorenzuola.
Where can I stay near Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli?
Pilgrim hostels and religious houses in and around the city accept the credential, with booking usually by phone; hotels and B&Bs fill the gaps, and the next stages are well supplied.
What should I know before visiting Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli?
Collect a timbro at the Duomo or your hostel, and look into the Basilica of Sant'Antonino, long associated with passing pilgrims, before setting out across the plain along the old Via Emilia.
Is Piacenza and the Piazza Cavalli safe to visit?
City traffic around the piazza and summer heat on the open cobbles — ordinary urban care. In an emergency dial 112.
Nearby on the route
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