Piacenza and Piazza Cavalli
The equestrian monuments of the Farnese
At the westernmost tip of Emilia, on the banks of the Po, on the border with Lombardy, Piacenza is a discreet, elegant city, founded by the Romans in 218 BC and later part of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza of the Farnese. Its heart is Piazza dei Cavalli, which takes its name from two magnificent bronze equestrian statues of the dukes Alessandro and Ranuccio I Farnese, masterpieces of baroque sculpture by Francesco Mochi, cast between 1612 and 1625, with the horses captured in full movement and the dukes' cloaks swollen by the wind.
The square is dominated by the Palazzo Gotico, the old town hall, begun in 1281, a splendid example of Lombard Gothic, with a ground floor of white marble arcades and an upper floor in brick with large windows and battlements. The city also has a beautiful Romanesque cathedral, whose dome, frescoed by Guercino, can be visited along a walkway at a great height; the enormous Palazzo Farnese, an unfinished ducal palace that houses the civic museums, including the famous "Liver of Piacenza", an Etruscan bronze model of a sheep's liver, inscribed with the names of the gods, used by the haruspices for divination; and the Galleria d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi, which preserves a Portrait of a Lady by Gustav Klimt, stolen in 1997 and found, as if by magic, in a cavity in the gallery's garden wall in 2019. Typical of Piacenza are the pisarei e fasò, small bread gnocchi with beans, and the coppa, salame and pancetta DOP.
Tip: book the climb to the dome of the cathedral, a unique experience; taste the cured meats with a glass of Gutturnio, the local red.
Where it is
More things to see in Emilia-Romagna
Where to stay near Piacenza
Tours and activities nearby
Offers from GetYourGuide. Some links are affiliate links: if you book we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.