Discover Piacenza: Art, River Landscapes and Italian Routes

Piacenza combines urban culture with river landscapes, cycle paths, pilgrimage routes and the wines of the Colli Piacentini. If you would like to combine different interests on your individual trip to Italy, you will find significant art, sacred collections, historic architecture and routes through parks and nature within a compact thematic area here.

Art and History in Piacenza’s Museums

A museum tour in Piacenza combines the Musei Civici di Palazzo Farnese, the Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi and the Galleria Alberoni. The Musei Civici di Palazzo Farnese are located in the Visconti citadel and the Farnese building. In the picture gallery there, you can see Sandro Botticelli’s tondo “Madonna adorante il Bambino con S. Giovannino”. The Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi primarily preserves Italian works from the period between 1830 and 1930.

The Collegio Alberoni preserves Antonello da Messina’s “Ecce Homo”, as well as works by Flemish artists and Italian painters of the 17th century. The Nuova Galleria Alberoni houses most of its painting collection and 18 Flemish tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries. The spectrum therefore ranges from individual outstanding paintings to an extensive collection history that makes different eras and European influences visible.

Sacred art is also present in Piacenza. The Kronos – Museo della Cattedrale displays Codice 65, liturgical objects, paintings, sculptures and furnishings from churches in the diocese. Its tour includes a climb to the cathedral dome; from there, you can view Guercino’s 17th-century frescoes up close. The Museo Capitolare of the Basilica di S. Antonino preserves 15th-century dorsals, paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, liturgical objects, as well as choir books from the 14th and 15th centuries. Another museum in Piacenza preserves a collection on 20th-century Italian poetry, as well as works ranging from Dante to contemporary authors.

Cityscape, Parks and the Trebbia Landscape

The Palazzo Gotico shapes the cityscape with its pointed-arch arcades, multi-section windows and battlements. For an open-air walk, Parco Papa Giovanni Paolo II (Galleana) offers numerous paths for walking and mountain biking. In the wooded southern section, well-preserved remains of Austrian fortifications from the 19th century survive. Parco di Montecucco also includes numerous paths, as well as meadows and trees, providing a second green accent in the urban area.

The Parco Regionale Fluviale del Trebbia extends from Rivergaro to the confluence with the Po at the western edge of Piacenza’s urban area. Its landscape combines the Trebbia’s broad gravel and shingle banks, habitats for migratory birds, river terraces, grassland and shrub vegetation. The park includes two Natura 2000 sites with the protection categories of Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area, as well as the Croara regional geosite (ID 2029).

At the Centro Visite del Parco del Trebbia in Borgotrebbia, you can experience the park interactively: videos, sounds and various sensory and emotional elements convey the distinctive features of this natural area. This allows the river landscape to be explored not only while out and about, but also through a specially designed visitor experience.

Cycling and Pilgrimage Routes with Different Distances

The Ciclovia del Trebbia begins at Piacenza railway station and passes through the pedestrian zone of the historic city centre. South of Piacenza, it initially runs along a protected cycle path and then reaches Gossolengo via a combined cycle and footpath separated from road traffic. The route between Piacenza and Rivergaro and back is approximately 50 km long without detours, has 300 m of elevation gain and, depending on conditions, has a low to moderate difficulty level.

The Via Francigena also passes through Piacenza. Via Garibaldi leads to Piazza Cavalli with the monumental Palazzo Gotico and the equestrian statues of the Farnese family. When leaving the city via San Lazzaro, it passes the Collegio Alberoni museum and a pilgrim monastery. On this urban section, architecture, art and the religious tradition of the route therefore meet directly.

Wines of the Colli Piacentini

The Colli Piacentini are among the region’s experiences. In the production areas, you can taste DOC wines; winemakers open their cellars and guide visitors through the vineyards. Together with the museums, the routes along the Trebbia and the historic passages of the Via Francigena, they create a multifaceted picture of Piacenza that appeals both to those interested in culture and to travellers who enjoy movement, landscapes and regional culinary delights.

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To the higher-level travel overview: Emilia-Romagna.