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What to see in Piacenza in a 10-stage tour

by /// January 17, 2025
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

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While it is true that Piacenza is a borderland and often a place of passage, it is equally true that it knows how to amaze its visitors with its great historical, artistic and cultural heritage.

Founded by the Romans, the city’s destiny was shaped by the rule of the Farnese family (1545-1731) and their Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, of which it was the first capital. The traces of this historical period, as is to be expected, are still visible (and sometimes open to visitors) in Piacenza’s historical centre.

Its sober and elegant palaces also house great masterpieces by artists such as Botticelli, Antonello da Messina and Gustav Klimt, while the churches boast dizzying domes frescoed by masters such as Pordenone and Guercino.

If this brief portrait of the city has succeeded in piquing your interest, you will just have to follow us on a 10- stage walking tour and find out what to see in Piacenza.

 

1. Piazza dei Cavalli

Piacenza (PC), Piazza Cavalli, statue equestri di Ranuccio e Alessandro Farnese
Piacenza, Piazza Cavalli, Statues of Ranuccio and Alessandro Farnese | Ph. Joaquin Ossorio Castillo, via Shutterstock

Our starting point is Piacenza’s main square, whose name speaks for itself. At either end of the square stand the 17th-century equestrian statues of Ranuccio I Farnese and his father Alessandro. Called ‘Cavalli del Mochi’ after the name of their sculptor (Mochi’s horses), they seem to frame the beautiful Gothic Palace.

Piazza dei Cavalli (or simply Piazza Cavalli) has been the political and economic heart of the city since as far back as the 13th century. In addition to the Palazzo Gotico, which we will see shortly, the square is also overlooked by the 18th-century Palazzo del Governatore, now the seat of the Chamber of Commerce.

2. Palazzo Gotico

Piacenza, Palazzo Gotico | Ph. giottodigitaleph
Piacenza, Palazzo Gotico | Ph. giottodigitaleph

The highlight of Piazza Cavalli together with the equestrian statues, the Palazzo Comunale or Gotico owes its name to its distinctive Lombard Gothic style, of which it provides an interesting example. Built at the end of the 13th century, the building stands out for the swallow-tailed merlons framing its upper part, as well as for the contrast between the materials used for the façade (pink marble on the ground floor, terracotta on the first floor).

3. Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e Santa Giustina

Cattedrale di Piacenza, cupola del Guercino | Ph. Kronos – Museo della Cattedrale di Piacenza
Piacenza, Cathedral, Dome with Guercino’s Frescoes | Ph. Kronos – Museo della Cattedrale di Piacenza

Let’s now walk a few hundred metres to get to Piazza Duomo and have a look at Piacenza’s Cathedral. That’s right, the cathedral of the Emilian city is not located on its main square as it often happens in Italy, but a ten-minute walk away.

Surrounded by buildings, the cathedral is certainly not an imposing presence. But don’t be fooled by appearances: after admiring the Romanesque-style gabled façade in marble and sandstone, let us enter the church to discover the remarkable artistic treasures inside.

The room is divided into three naves, with a Latin cross layout. Under the altar we can find a crypt with the remains of Santa Giustina, co-patron saint of Piacenza, while in the apse we can observe the beautiful 17th-century frescoes by Ludovico Carracci and Camillo Procaccini. But the real star of the cathedral of Piacenza is Guercino who painted the dome frescoes between 1626 and 1627. A monumental and unmissable cycle, which includes depictions of prophets, sibyls and episodes from the story of Christ.

You can also book a guided tour and climb up the dome to observe them more closely.

4. Musei di Palazzo Farnese

Piacenza, Musei Palazzo Farnese | Ph. Pagina Facebook Musei Palazzo Farnese
Piacenza, Musei di Palazzo Farnese | Ph. Musei Palazzo Farnese Facebook Page

The most evident trace of the Farnese rule in the city is the majestic palace of the same name which now houses the Civic Museums of Piacenza. A peculiarity of this ancient Farnese residence, designed by the court architect Jacopo Barozzi known as the Vignola, is its unfinished nature. In fact, the original project envisaged a building twice the size of the present, imposing one.

The rooms of Palazzo Farnese now house a large collection, ranging from the Pinacoteca to the Museo Civico, from the Museo delle Carrozze to the Museo del Risorgimento.

Masterpieces not to be missed include Botticelli’s Tondo, depicting a Madonna adoring the Child with St. John the Baptist (c. 1475-1480) housed in the Pinacoteca, and the mysterious Etruscan Liver, a bronze reproduction of a sheep’s liver used by Etruscan haruspices for their prophecies.

5. Chiesa di San Sisto

Piacenza, Chiesa di San Sisto | Ph. Roberto Dassoni Archivio Comune di Piacenza
Piacenza, Chiesa di San Sisto | Ph. Roberto Dassoni Archivio Comune di Piacenza

Our next stop is the nearby Church of San Sisto. It was for this church – a fine example of Renaissance architecture – that Raphael painted his Sistine Madonna with the famous pensive angels at her feet. After being sold, the work is now on display in Dresden.

However, the interior still preserves remarkable works by artists such as Palma il Giovane and Procaccini.

6. Basilica di Santa Maria di Campagna

Piacenza, Basilica di Santa Maria di Campagna, Cupola affrescata da Pordenone, Archivio Immagini Comune di PIacenza, Licenza CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0
Piacenza, Basilica di Santa Maria di Campagna, Pordenone’s Dome Frescoes | Ph. Archivio Immagini Comune di Piacenza

The work of the same architect as San Sisto (Alessio Tramello), the Basilica di Santa Maria di Campagna is recognised as a true masterpiece of Renaissance architecture.

Inaugurated in 1528, the basilica was the official church of the Farnese dynasty: an important place, with equally significant decorations. In terms of painting, Pordenone’s works undoubtedly stand out from the others. Between 1529 and 1531, the Friulian artist worked both on some altarpieces and on the frescoes in the dome, a whirlwind of figures culminating in the image of the Creator in the central lantern.

As with the dome of the cathedral, in Santa Maria di Campagna it is possible to climb to the top and come face to face with the pictorial cycle.

7. Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi

Piacenza, Galleria-d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi, Ritratto di Signora, Gustav Klimt, Archivio Immagini Comune di Piacenza
Piacenza, Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi, Portrait of a Lady, Gustav Klimt | Ph, Archivio Immagini Comune di Piacenza

The Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art – reached with a walk of about 20 minutes from the basilica – is closely linked to the figure of its founder, the Piacenza collector Giuseppe Ricci Oddi, who created the collection by donating a large group of 19th and 20h-century works.

The largest part of the collection includes paintings by Italian artists such as Boccioni, De Pisis, Carrà, Morandi, but also Boldini, Pellizza da Volpedo and many others, with a special focus on the Macchiaioli. Gustav Klimt’s ‘Portrait of a Lady’, which was stolen from the gallery in the late 1990s and then returned to the collection in 2019 following a fortuitous find, is also not to be missed.

8. Basilica di Sant’Antonino

Piacenza, Basilica di Sant'Antonino | Ph. Archivio Immagini Comune di Piacenza
Piacenza, Basilica di Sant’Antonino | Ph. Archivio Immagini Comune di Piacenza

The Basilica of Sant’Antonino, named after the city’s patron, is located a few steps away from the gallery. This is an early Christian basilica of ancient origins, erected between 350 and 375, and later remodelled to its present form.

The huge portal known as the ‘Gate of Paradise’ immediately strikes the eye, an arch built in the mid 14th century hiding an atrium.

Sant’Antonino also owes its fame to an important historical event that took place here in 1183. We are talking about the meeting between Emperor Barbarossa and representatives of the Lombard League to discuss the Peace of Constance.

9. Basilica di San Savino

Piacenza, Basilica di San Savino, Cripta con ciclo dei mesi Ph. Visit Piacenza
Piacenza, Basilica di San Savino, Crypt | Ph. Visit Piacenza

Another must-see religious buildings in the centre is the Basilica of San Savino, which is full of hidden treasures. Entering this church of early Christian origin, we find ourselves before an example of Romanesque-Lombard architecture from the 12th century.

After pausing to observe the peculiar capitals with anthropomorphic bas-reliefs, let us head for the crypt to see the former of the two splendid mosaic floors recently discovered in the basilica, depicting the months and signs of the zodiac. The latter is located in the presbytery, and is dedicated to the subject of time.

10. Galleria Alberoni

Piacenza, Collegio Alberoni | Ph. comune.piacenza.it
Piacenza, Collegio Alberoni | Ph. comune.piacenza.it

For the last stage of our journey through Piacenza we have to leave the city centre and head towards the outskirts of the city (by bus or car, or even by bike) to get to the Alberoni Gallery.

This short trip outside the walls will certainly be rewarded by the sight of the extensive art collection that belonged to Piacenza’s Cardinal Giulio Alberoni, now exhibited in the College named after him.

The works on display include tapestries, sacred furnishings and many paintings, among which Antonello da Messina’s Ecce Homo from 1473.

Author

Maria Grazia Masotti

An eternal dreamer, but I try to stay grounded. I was raised in the countryside but I love big cities. I’m always ready for a trip, as long as it’s sustainable.

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