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Piacenza
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Emilia-Romagna
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Piacenza (PC)
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118
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December 31 , 2004
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99,150
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806
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San Bonico, Pittolo, La Verza, Mucinasso, I Vaccari, Montale, Borghetto, Le Mose, Mortizza, Gerbido
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0523
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29100
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Piacentini
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Sant'Antonino
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July 4
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wwwcomunepiacenzait
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('''Placentia''' in
Latin and old-fashioned
English , '''Piasëinsa''' in the local
Dialect of
Emiliano-Romagnolo ) is a
City in the
Emilia-Romagna region of northern
Italy . It is the capital of the
Province Of Piacenza .
Before its settlement by the Romans, the area was populated by
Celtic and
Ligurian tribes. Piacenza was founded in
218 BC (according to the tradition, on
May 31 ), the first of the
Roman Military Colonies , and was formerly called in both
Latin and
English .
In Placentia and the nearby colony,
Cremona , 6,000 Latin colonists were sent, in particular members of the Equestrian class of Rome. In the same year as the city's founding,
Hannibal won the
Battle Of Trebbia in Piacenza's area, but the city resisted the
Punic forces. In the following years the city's territory was drained and a port was constructed onto the
Po River . Placentia flourished as a production centre for grain, barley, millet, and wool. Although sacked and devastated several times, the city always recovered and as late as the
6th Century Procopius called it ''Urbs Aemilia Princeps'', namely the "Princess of the cities across the
Via Aemilia ", meaning "first city across the Via Aemilia".
The era of
Late Antiquity in Piacenza (c. 300-700/800 AD) was marked by the expansion of
Christianity , with the presence of several martyrs. The current patron saint, Antoninus, was a former
Legionnaire who Christianized the area and was killed during the reign of
Diocletianus .
Piacenza was sacked in the course of the
Gothic War s (535–552). After a short period as a
Byzantine Empire city, it was conquered by the
Lombards , who made it a duchy seat. After the
Frank conquest (
9th Century ) the city began to recover, being sited across the
Via Francigena who lead from the
Holy Roman Empire to
Rome . Its population and importance grew further after the year
1000 . In that period the government began to shift from the feudal lords in the hands of a new enterprising class, as well as those of the feudal class of the countryside.
In
1095 it was the site of the
Council Of Piacenza , in which the
First Crusade was proclaimed. From
1126 Piacenza was a free
Commune and an important member of the
Lombard League . In this role it took part to the war against the emperor
Frederick Barbarossa an d the subsequent
Battle Of Legnano (
1176 ). It also fought with success the neighbouring communes of
Cremona ,
Pavia and
Parma , expanding its possession. Piacenza snatched from the Malaspina counts and the bishop of
Bobbio the control of the trading routes towards
Genoa , where the first Piacentini bankers had already settled.
In the and
Alberto Scoto (1290-1313) held in sequence the power in the city. The latter's government ended with the conquest by the
Visconti of
Milan , which held Piacenza until
1447 . Duke
Gian Galeazzo rewrote the city's statues and moved there the
University Of Pavia . Piacenza was a
Sforza possession until
1499 .
A coin from the until
1521 , and later, with
Leo X , became briefly part of the
Papal States . In
1545 , finally, it was included in the new-born
Duchy Of Parma And Piacenza , led by the
Farnese family.
Piacenza was the capital city of the duchy until
Ottavio Farnese (1547-
1586 ) moved it to Parma. The city lived its most grievous years under duke
Odoardo (
1622 -
1646 ): 6,000 and 13,000 Piacentini out of 30,000 died of famine and plague, respectively. The city and its countryside were also ravaged by bandits and French soldiers.
From
1732 to
1859 Parma and Piacenza were ruled by
House Of Bourbon . In the
18th Century , being the duke family living in Parma, in Piacenza several edifices were built which belonged to noble families such as Scotti, Landi and Fogliani.
In
1802 Napoleon 's army annexed Piacenza to the French Empire. The young Piacentini recruits were sent to fight in Russia,
Spain and
Germany , while the city was spoiled of a great number of artworks which are currently exhibited in many French museums.
The
Habsburg government of
Maria Luisa 1816 -
1847 is remembered as one of the best ever seen in Piacenza; the duchess drained many lands, built several bridges across the
Trebbia river and the
Nure stream, and created educational and artistic activities.
::
Duchy Of Parma And Piacenza ''
Austria n and
Croatia n milices occupied Piacenza until, in
1848 , a plebiscite marked the entrance of the city in the
Kingdom Of Sardinia . 37,089 voters out of 37,585 voted for the annexation. Piacenza was therefore declared ''Primogenita dell'Unità di Italia'' ("First-born of Unification of Italy") by the monarch. The Piacentini enrolled in mass in the
Giuseppe Garibaldi 's army which went in southern Italy to fight for independence.
In the June of
1865 the first railway bridge was inaugurated. In
1891 the first Chamber of Workers was created in Piacenza.
During
World War 2 the city was heavily bombed by the
Allies . The important railway bridge across the Po River, the railway station, as well as the historical centre, were destroyed. On the hills and the
Appenine mountains,
Partisan bands were active. In
1996 president
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro honoured Piacenza with the Gold Medal for Valour in Battle.
Piacenza is one of the most renowned art cities of Italy. It is called the "Palaces City" for the great numbers of historical palaces, often characterized by splendid gardens.
- Palazzo Farnese , began in 1568 by Ottavio Farnese and his wife, Margaret Of Austria . The initial project was devised by Francesco Paciotto, from Urbino , and works were entrusted to Giovanni Bernardo Della Valle, Giovanni Lavezzari and Bernardo Panizzari (Caramosino). The design was modified in 1568 by Jacopo Barozzi , better known as Vignola.
The most famous relic of the region's pre-Roman civilization is the Bronze Liver of Piacenza (''Il Fegato Etrusco di Piacenza'' in Italian), an
Etruscan bronze model of a sheep's liver dating from the end of the second century to the beginning of the first century B.C. It was discovered in
1877 in Ciavernasco di Settima, near
Gossolengo , near Piacenza, and is housed in Piacenza's Archaeological Museum, part of the Musei Civici di Palazzo Farnese. Containing writing on its surface delineating the various parts of the liver and their significance, it was likely used as an educational tool for students studying
Haruspicy , or
Divination .
Many inhabitants of Piacenza and the surrounding region still use the Piacentine (or Piacentino)
Dialect , which is quite different from standard (Florentine) Italian as it is a
Variety of
Emiliano-Romagnolo minority language. The different grammar rules and the dissimilar pronunciation of even similar words make the dialect largely mutually unintelligible with standard Italian, with many regular vowels being replaced with
Umlaut s or eliminated altogether. Although there have been a number of notable poets and writers using the dialect, it has experienced a steady decline during the 20th century due to the growing standardization of the Italian language in the national educational system.
''See also:''
List Of Languages Of Italy
Among the culinary specialties of the Piacenza region (although also enjoyed in nearby
Cremona ) is ''mostarda di frutta'', consisting of preserved fruits in a sugary syrup strongly flavored with mustard. ''Turtlìt'' (''tortelli dolci'' in standard Italian), or fruit dumplings, are filled with ''mostarda di frutta'', mashed
Chestnut s, and other ingredients, and are served at Easter. Turtlìt are also popular in the
Ferrara area. ''Turtéi'', a similarly named Piacentine specialty, is a kind of pasta filled with
Ricotta cheese.
Even more famous are ''chisolini'' (''torta fritta'' in Standard Italian); they are made with flour, milk and animal fats mixed together and then fried in hot ''strutto'' (clarified pork fat); and ''pisarei e fasö'' (an exquisite mixture of
Pasta and beans).
Piacentine staple foods include corn (generally cooked as
Polenta ) and rice (usually cooked as
Risotto ), very common across Northern Italy regions. Pasta is also eaten, though it is not as popular as in southern Italy. There are also locally produced cheeses, such as
Grana Padano , though nearby
Parma is more famous for its dairy products.
Pradello, a village near Bettola, in the neighbourhood of Piacenza, claims to be the birthplace of
Christopher Columbus .
The
Guadagnini family of
Luthier s (makers of violins and other string instruments), beginning in the 18th century, were among the most renowned residents of Piacenza. Of these, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (G. B. Guadagnini) (
1711 -
1786 ) is the most famous, considered to have been one of the greatest violin makers in history.
The soccer players
Simone and
Filippo Inzaghi were both born in Piacenza, as well as the worldwide famous fashion designer
Giorgio Armani .
The Italian American chef
Hector Boiardi (1897-1985), better known as "Chef Boyardee," was born in Piacenza and immigrated to the
United States in
1915 , eventually acquiring fame for his eponymous franchise of food products.
Plasencia (province of
Cáceres ,
Extremadura ),
Spain
Erfurt ,
Germany
