Best Things to Do:
- 1. Introduction
- 2. 1
Introduction
If you are looking for a hotel in Piacenza, we recommend choosing from those offered by Booking.com. There are about 50 hotels with prices, photos, and reviews from those who have stayed before you. Go to Booking.com.
A few hours is enough to fall in love with Piacenza, and even the most distracted traveler will notice the frescoes by Guercino in the dome of the Cathedral and those by Pordenone in Santa Maria di Campagna.
The Tondo by Botticelli and the Etruscan liver alone justify a visit to the Farnese Palace and its Civic Museums, just as Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina is a great reason to visit the Alberoni Gallery.
The works of the Ricci Oddi Modern Art Gallery demonstrate what a single man's love for art can achieve: Boccioni, Mancini, Fattori are just some of the exhibited artists. Piacenza is easily reachable and can be visited in a weekend: in the off-season, you can find accommodation at reasonable prices and enjoy divine food.
After all, we are in Emilia but also a bit in Lombardy and Piedmont, and this is felt at the table, in the climate, and also in the colors. In short, it is a beautiful Italian destination that we invite you to discover the **10 things to do and see absolutely during a weekend or a vacation. **
1
Piazza Cavalli is the heart of Piacenza: it is mandatory to pass through here even if you only stay in the city for a few hours. It takes its name from the two bronze horses that represent Alessandro Farnese and his son Ranuccio.
The horses were cast by the Tuscan sculptor Francesco Mochi around 1612 at the behest of Ranuccio, who wanted to commemorate his father and also gain the favor of the Piacentini, who did not like him much.
The statue of Ranuccio looks to the right, toward the Gothic Palace, and is depicted in Roman costume, while the statue of his father Alessandro stands out for the extraordinary dynamism represented by the cape and drapery blown by the wind.
On the white Carrara marble bases, there are bronze bas-reliefs with the Allegories of Peace and Good Government (Ranuccio) and the meeting in Antwerp between Alessandro and the English ambassadors. The other symbol of the square is the Gothic Palace, with a base made of red marble from Verona and the upper part in terracotta.
It was commissioned in 1281 by the lord of Piacenza, Alberto Scoto, head of the merchants, as a center of political power. It has the typical structure of the municipalities in Northern Italy: the low arcade for public meetings, the balcony from which authority spoke, and the large windows to bring light to the single upper hall where political assemblies gathered.
Over the centuries, the palace has been used as a warehouse and theater. Here, in 1351, Petrarch was hosted.
