48 hours in Piacenza

The best there is.

by Silvia Ugolotti

Where Lombardy ends and Emilia begins is Piacenza, the oldest Latin colony in northern Italy along with Cremona.
It is along the Via Francigena, a “land of step” as Leonardo Da Vinci wrote in the Codex Atlanticus, a symbol of an almost Lombard emilianity.

DAY 1

9 a.m. – Pasticceria Falicetto
Since 1985, it has been a landmark in town for the craftsmanship and care that Aldo Scaglia puts into everything he does.
You can find the typical buslanein, hard and fragrant doughnuts from Rottofreno that used to be dipped in white wine.
It is a must for the piacerino, which has its roots in the croccantini of the 1300s also appreciated by Maria Luigia of Austria.
(www.falicetto.it)

10 a.m. – Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
After a tour through modern installations evoking the church’s history and panoramic overlooks of the city, we reach the apex of the dome frescoed by Guercino, where the depiction of the prophets and, in the lunettes, the infancy of Jesus can be admired.

11:00 a.m. – The Cathedral
Built between 1122 and 1233, it is one of the most important monuments of the Po Valley Romanesque style: pink marble up to the height of the three portals and sandstone at the top.
It has a grandiose eight-and-a-half-foot rose window right in the center of the Romanesque facade.
On the left side rises, however, the bell tower, over seventy meters high.
At the top the statue of the wind-marking angel is made of gilded copper: for the people of Piacenza it is the “Angil dal Dom.”

1 p.m. – Da Renato
Typical cuisine can be tasted in this wine shop behind Piazza Cavalli, Via Roma 24.
Informal, old-fashioned atmosphere, well-stocked cellar and dishes that from the super classics – pisarei e fasò and anolini stuffed with stracotto in broth – also tell of the contemporary, such as guinea fowl stuffed with figs and pistachios.
Tradition is also interesting when it is able to regenerate itself

3 p.m. – Alberoni Gallery
It is inside the college of the same name.
It contains paintings, sacred furnishings and tapestries from the Roman and Piacenza homes of Cardinal Giulia Alberoni.
For all is a masterpiece the painting Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina: alone it is worth the trip.
It is an oil on oak panel with refined technique and extraordinary intensity
(www.collegioalberoni.it)

5 p.m. – Pages and Pages
Fiction, food and wine, travel and a good selection of books dedicated to the city, the Fahrenheit 451 bookstore at 4 Legnano Street (fahrenheit451piacenza.com) has always been a landmark in the city.
At Book Bank, on the other hand, you can find used, rare, antique and first-edition books.
There’s also a small cookie and herbal tea store and tiny tables for a coffee break before lingering among the shelves.
(bookbankpiacenza.com)

7 p.m. – Blue Factory Cafe
Fresh oysters, fish tartare and bubbly are the appetizers at this Turin Square venue: understated interiors and a long bar counter for socializing between drinks.
(bluefactorycafe.it)

9 p.m. – Castiglia Restaurant
Where once stood the temple of Piacenza cuisine (the Antica Osteria del Teatro) today there is the restaurant of Paolo Castiglia, a young chef attentive to Italian ingredients of excellence and balance in the dish.
Case in point: Felicetti spaghetti, arugula and lime pesto, seared squid.

(ristorantecastiglia.com)

DAY 2

10 a.m. – Cavalli Square
There is a street that bisects the historic center and runs straight as a shot arrow.
It is no coincidence that they call it “Strä Drita.”
It used to be via degli Orefici, today it is via XX Settembre.
It joins two squares, the symbol of religious power, that of the Duomo, and Piazza Cavalli, the widening par excellence fulcrum of political power since the 13th century, when the Gothic Palace was built to make it the seat of the Town Hall.
Made of terracotta and white marble, the palace has remained unfinished.
The cornice is decorated by arches with typical Ghibelline battlements and three towers, a central one with a bell and two side ones.
Inside, a 704-square-meter hall is still used to host the city’s most prestigious events.
Built in the 13th century, Piazza Cavalli owes its name to the bronze equestrian statues depicting Alessandro and Ranuccio Farnese.
They are the work of Francesco Mochi da Montevarchi and have been placed to guard the Gothic building for nearly half a century.
The piazza is also overlooked by the Governor’s palace and the church of San Francesco, which bears an inscription on its left side – Primogenita d’Italia” – a reminder that its annexation to Savoyard Piedmont was proclaimed here in 1848.

11 a.m. – Montanari
Coppa, pancetta and salami open the dances at meals.
To sample the finest cured meats, the go-to name is Montanari, a delicatessen opened in 1950.
Behind the counter, Mr. Eugenio has been serving quality products for years.
Raw materials are selected and the salumi are left to rest in the family cellar, where they mature unhurriedly, with the proper temperature and humidity.
But that’s not all.
“Tables in the store” is the Montanari family’s latest project, which seats its guests in the salumeria to taste the specialties of the kitchen.
(salumeriamontanari.it)

1 p.m. – Dispensa dei Balocchi
Meat and fish cuisine, slow and calibrated cooking.
In the heart of the city, light-filled, artful interiors open onto an outdoor patio for warm weather.
Captained by Elisa and Michele, the dishes are colorful and fresh.
For lunch, excellent fish poke.
(ladispensadeibalocchi.it)

3 p.m. – Ricci Oddi Gallery
Connected to one of the XNL spaces on San Siro Street is the Ricci Oddi Gallery.
It houses about four hundred works dated between 1830 and 1930 (from Casorati to De Pisis, Bocchi and Fattori, to name a few) collected by Piacenza entrepreneur and collector Giuseppe Ricci Oddi.
It is a gallery with a geometric, almost metaphysical essentiality, which is outlined along an organic path illuminated from above: there are twenty-two rooms (plus a hall of honor) dedicated to regional schools and artistic movements, such as the Italian Novecento, Symbolism and Lombard Scapigliatura.
Also on display in the gallery is Gustav Klimt’s famous oil on canvas, which mysteriously disappeared in 1997 and was equally mysteriously found after two decades.
The Austrian painter’s masterpiece, Portrait of a Lady, is in the Hall of Honor, finally visible to the public.
(riccioddi.it)

4 p.m. – The quadrilateral of the arts
Art, design, hybrid places: the Emilian city sets course for the contemporary and, thanks to the synergy between public and private, expands its exhibition spaces, recovering churches and palaces.
For example, XNL Piacenza(xnlpiacenza.it>), a multipurpose container returned to the city to tell the present.
In the former Enel headquarters of the early 20th century, it is a center in the making that changes over time.
Here music, theater, visual arts dialogue with each other.
It is within a cultural quadrilateral, a district of contemporary art.
It includes the Teatro Municipale, the Teatro dei Filodrammatici, the Nicolini Conservatory and the Ricci Oddi Gallery.
On the south side is the Santa Chiara Complex, a former convent, now a student citadel with temporary residences and a calendar of events open to the public.
On the facade, the mural by artist Tony Cuboliquido intrigues and draws the eye.
To top it off, the deconsecrated church of St. Augustine that has become Volumnia(volumnia.space/en), an elegant exhibition space.
Also inside is the restaurant Io(ioristorante.it), captained by chef Luigi Taglieti: atmospheric between design and ancient stones, the restaurant’s proposal includes a menu that follows the pace of the seasons: tradition, modernity and lightness are the real ingredients.

5 p.m. – Churches of St. Savino and St. Sixtus
The church of St. Sixtus has medieval origins: it was founded in 874 by Queen Angilberga, wife of Emperor Lodovic the Pious, who flanked it with a monastery of Benedictine nuns, of which she became abbess in 882.
For this church Raphael painted the “Sistine Madonna.”
In San Savino, on the other hand, the crypt with mosaics from 1100 AD depicting the months and signs of the zodiac on a sea-wave background is worth a visit.

8 p.m. – Suggestions
Contemporary interiors, soft lighting and a daily changing, creative and surprise menu: improvise chef
(suggerimentipiacenza.it).