Brief history and description of Piacenza
Piacenza (Piasëinsa in dialect) is an Italian town of 102,871 inhabitants, capital of Emilia-Romagna. The
province of Piacenza in the Po Valley extends south of the river Po, in
the western region of Emilia-Romagna, an area of 2,589 km square. The population is 288,000 inhabitants. It
is bordered to the north and west to Lombardy (province of Lodi,
Cremona province and the province of Pavia), to the west with Piedmont
(province of Alessandria), to the east with the province of Parma, on
the south by Liguria (Genoa Province).
Situated between Emilia and Lombardy, the city and its province suffered severely influence of Milan,
the economic region which belong to many aspects and which have often
linked their destinies. It is called "Firstborn" because it was the first Italian city to vote in a plebiscite for annexation to Piedmont.
Piacenza is situated in the Po Valley at an altitude of 61 meters above sea level and
is located on the right bank of the Po, where the river flowed into it
Trebbia to the west and the river Nure east of the city. For about fifteen miles south, appear on the slopes of the Colli Piacentini, foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. The
geographical location it has always determined the fate of military
strategy and made it an important rail and highway junction.
Agricultural
activities (crops and livestock) finds its best expression in the
valleys that branch off towards the Apennines, from the plains bordering
the river Po, which date back gradually changing the topography and
consequently the type of cultivation.
From the west, there are the main valleys: Tidone Trebbia Nure and Arda. In
turn, each of these includes a number of more or less high
"small valleys", each characterized by geographical features, social and
economic issues.
Tidone
Valley
Secondary valleys: Val Luretta Chiarone Val, Val Tidoncello, Val Morcione
The
valley is located between the Luretta valley to the
east and Staffora valley and Oltrepo Pavese to the west, start at the foot of Mount Penice
(1460 mt.) where the homonimous river born at 1.000 meters above the
sea level and extends in a hills to the plain where it flows into the Po River near the town of Sarmato.
Near
the village of Molato di Nibbiano, a mighty dam (completed in 1928) forms the
Trebecco Lake, a reservoir whose water is used for irrigation and
electricity production.
The first human presence in Val Tidone can be
traced back from the Stone Age, and certainly to the Neolithic age as
evidenced by archaeological finds in the valley (in Pianello you can
visit the archaeological museum of the Rock Hall). The
first historical data we are from the Roman period, along with numerous
archaeological remains found in many locations including: Arcello
Ganaghello, Borgonovo, Trevozzo, Pian di San Martino, and some of its
vicus are cited in the tabula alimentaria traianea.
The first inhabitants of this valley, perhaps the Ligurian tribes in 3000 bC that
gave rise to permanent settlements devoted to agriculture, were
subjected to numerous raids by other people that followed over the
centuries. Before
the rival tribes, which was followed by the Etruscans, the Romans,
later it was the turn of the Visigoths, Vandals, and Huns.
From
the third century to the late first millennium, the Lombard rule and
then was no less a bearer of the Carolingian wars and tribulations, and
characterized by the formation of large landholdings. Property
assigned to the powerful monastery (Monastery of Bobbio in 612),
dioceses, lay or palace officials and notables of the place to keep the
sympathy, but by increasing the stirring envy and greed of the various
successors of the excluded and neighbors. As
a reminder of the strategic importance of the val Tidone had over the
centuries, there remain numerous castles, among which the Coran,
Pianello, Nibbiano, Trebecco, Castelnuovo Val Tidone and Romagnese.
Alternate
captains and nobles in the possession of lands and castles and many of
the names of the families are still common today: Landi, Scoto,
Malvicini, Fontana, Arcelli, Sforza, Dal Verme, Scotti, Cattaneo,
Bonvini etc.
The
second millennium is still marked by new wars, new domains and short
intervals of quiet enough, from the struggles between the Guelphs and
Ghibellines to French rule, the rule of the Farnese family (in 1545 Pope
Paul III created the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza given to the child Pierluigi
Farnese) the rule of the Bourbons, the conquest of the Valley in 1747
by the Austrians to that of Napoleon in 1796 and the capitulation of
these, again to Austria and finally the union, the last act before the
unification of Italy , with Piedmont in 1859.
And during these events and these centuries that arise in Val
Tidone the numerous forts and castles, destroyed and rebuilt in part to
renewed grounds for offense and defense, we can still see and admire in
every town and in almost all fractions.
Trebbia Valley
Secondary valleys: Perino Valley, Boreca Valley, Curiasca
Valley
Throughout
the Trebbia, between the headwaters of the river to the mouth of the
river Po extends to a length of 118 km opening a path through the
mountains to come down to the plains near Piacenza.
The Trebbia river originates from Prelà mountain at 800
meters above sea level and stretches from south to north in the
direction of collecting a large number of tributaries, the most
important and certainly are Aveto torrent and Brugneto torrent.
The
earliest traces of human presence in Trebbia valley, date back to the Neolithic
period as demonstrated, among other things, the hatchet of flint found
near Rovegno (Ge) at the beginning of the twentieth century, the ax is
not the only artifact found in a territory rich historical traces that highlight the importance of the area which axis linking the coast and inland Po.
Ax
and a dagger from the Bronze Age have been discovered during
excavations in the area Bobbiese, but that date back to Roman times and
the first major finds certain historical data.
Our mountains were inhabited by the ancient Ligurian tribe, who lived with primitive agriculture, hunting and sheep-farming.
The
Roman presence is also demonstrated by the discovery, near Pietranera, of some
axes, pieces of pottery and fragments of bronze tools. There
was no lack Ligurian and Roman settlements were not lacking, as is clear from tombstones and votive objects found during excavations in 1955 on Mount Alfeo. The
most significant historical event is certainly the battle of Trebbia
fought during the Second Punic War to the end of 218 bC among
the soldiers of Hannibal and the Carthaginians led by the Roman consul
Sempronius on the heights on the right side of the river south of
Piacenza.
Passed
away the Roman administration, following a dark period of history which
no traces remain, but in the seventh century thanks to the monastery of
Bobbio, start a new historical era on the development of human
settlements. The
monastery was founded in 614, at the confluence of the Trebbia Bobbio
and Irish monk Columban on the ruins of an ancient temple
dedicated to Saint Peter.
Of
paramount importance is the location of the monastery site in a forward
position to Liguria, still in Byzantine hands, it offers many
possibilities for communication and expansion by the Byzantines, for
which the transition between Liguria and Exarchate, as for Lombards
who, through Trebbia have the opportunity to communicate with the
Tuscia having precluded the roads that pass through the territory of
Liguria.
The
activity of the monks is fundamental to the work of agricultural
colonization of the valley and the impetus given to the cultural
development of Bobbio who made a very important center. The
monastery had a long period of decline that culminated in 1795 when,
suppressed the Abbey, went to the famous library and also lost part of
the very few codes were transferred to Rome and Turin.
Another factor that characterizes the history of Trebbia is the domain of the Marquises Malaspina.
Different
historical events, combined with the excessive subdivision of assets,
with consequent struggles between the branches of the same family,
leading to the disintegration of the possessions.
Malaspina
happen to them and the Fieschi, the Doria, which was resumed with
greater vigor the expansionist policy of Trebbia and already in 1540
endorsed the castle and the estate of Otto in 1583 to Casanova, in 1651
the factory in 1695 and the of Alice.
The
old feudal lords, however, are slowly replaced by the rich families of
the Genoese merchants who aspire, through the acquisition of titles of
nobility, to obtain a new social prestige.
This
situation has, however, short-term, the Congress of Vienna of 1815
abolished the feudal imperial decrees and fallen lords and assigns new
territories to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
During
the Second World War the Alta Val Trebbia was the scene of guerrilla
warfare against the Germans in retreat Musante, Mount Antola, they
organized the first partisan band from 1943 to 1945 and was a supporter
of the command headquarters were born two
divisions, the Bisagno who took the name from its legendary
commander Aldo Gastaldi just said "Bisagno" and the "Scrivia" which took its
name from its commander Aurelio Ferrandi; a leader of partisans who
operated in Fascia was Senator Paolo Emilio Taviani, with the nickname "Pittaluga" and who later became closely tied to Trebbia.
But the war of liberation was fought in other countries, whose isolation for once played for the benefit of rural populations. The
contribution of the population of the valley in the fight against the
nazi-fascists to win freedom, he is remembered by the many monuments
erected in many countries in the Resistance of Trebbia. In
Alta Trebbia there are some places whose names have a significant
parallelism with the Carthaginian names: Cartisegna so, is matched by
Carthage Zerba to the island of Djerba, in the Gulf of Gabes, in front
of the ruins of Carthage; at the Mount Penice the Latin name of the Carthaginians, "phoenices" or phoenicians.
Nure Valley
This
valley is situated at the limit of four provinces (Alessandria, Genova,
Pavia, Piacenza), characterized by common customs and traditions and by
a large repertoire of music and dances are very old.
The name originates from the Nure torrent. The
Nure originates from Piacenza Apennines comes from the Black Lake and is a tributary of
the River Po, which flows at Caorso after about 75 Km. The valley is
located between the Trebbia to the west, Aveto valley to the south-west, Ceno Valley of south-east and the Val d'Arda in the east.
The highest common of Val Nure is Ferriere (to be
precise with the fraction of Ciregna which reaches 1135 m a.s.l.), located
on the border with the provinces of Parma and Genoa.
In the upper Valley transited
the Abbots route, the journey between the seventh
century and the year one-thousand by the abbots of the abbey of St.
Columban of Bobbio to go to Rome and that allowed the monastery to
maintain contact and control over the possessions that stretched as well as in northern Italy, to Tuscany. Also
during the eleventh century, the valley was crossed by caravans of
pilgrims who used the trail on the valley floor to move from North to
South and Dealers at the time of transporting goods (oil, salt, spices,
lemon, cedar, flour, and grains) for trade with the Genoese territory.
Around 700 b.C. was a thriving mill near Ferriere (a name derived from the presence of
quarries and iron mills in this mineral) waters of the Nure river moving
the machines from the iron (hammers and bellows).
The history of the valley is linked to the feudal lordship of Anguissola, for the lower and middle, and Nicelli to the top. In addition to the Malaspina Gambaro had the center court and feudal most important. About eighty castles dotted the once Valnure but many are now reduced to ruins.
Many
artists were born in Val Nure in particular between 800 and 900 and
others who "worked" in the valley because they were attracted by the
special beauty of the landscape, it is worthwhile to recall Ghittoni,
Toscani, Sidoli, Richetti, Romagnosi and Soressi.
Remind
that in the thirties came in the Val Nure "Littorina" (a type of locomotive) as a means of
electrical transport on "railroad" that linked the town of Bettola with
the city of Piacenza and the various countries of the valley, and
remained in service until 1967 when was finally replaced by the road.
Arda Valley
Secondary valleys: Val Chero
Arda Valley is the valley's western province of Piacenza, in addition to
other valleys that make up the profile of this hilly and mountainous
province, the Nure, Trebbia and Tidone Valleys. The homonimous rorrente originates at about 1200 mt. of altitude, from north-west
slopes of Mount Lama, in the Ligurian Apennines, in the town of Morfa
and flows into the Po in the town of Parma Polesine after a distance of
about 55 km.It's undoubtedly become the main protagonist in
the story in these places, both the Roman era, with the archaeological
finds of Veleja, both the Middle Ages, castles and hilltop villages
(Castell'Arquato, Vigoleno) , traces of the via Francigena and Pellegrini, mingle with the more recent so-called Verdi's land.
Even
nature can hardly be considered in second place with beautiful scenery
of nature parks, such as the Fluvial Regional Park of Stirone.
And
actually get to merge with the same story as in the case of the Natural
Reserve of Piacenza who occupies a surface of 1800 hectares divided
between the municipalities of Alseno, Vernasca, Salsomaggiore Terme and Fidenza. The whole river ecosystem of the river's natural features intact despite the human presence in the area. The
high sandy shores are home to numerous species of burrowing birds,
while the dense riverine vegetation that grows along the stream consists
mainly of willows, alders, poplars, elms, oaks and maples. The river erosion in some places is so marked as to form veritable canyons with walls up to ten meters.
A lick this park is Vigoleno, a medieval village, surrounded by a sea of vines. In the upper part of the valley lies the valley of the river which takes its name from Borla the nearby inhabited.
The area to the south of this zone is mountainous and typically occupies the right side of the Arda Valley. Immediately
visible are the forests and the largest artificial lake created between
1919 and 1934 in the locality of Mignano, where stands a small chapel
which houses a semicircular apse of the Roman (XII century) decorated
with a fresco of St. James. The
foundation of this structure dedicated to St. Geminiano is closely
connected with the period of pilgrimage along the Via Francigena.
The
residential places on this side are typical rural villages made up
largely of old stone buildings as in the case of Vezzolacca, Castelletto
and Settesorelle. These places have always found in subsistence crops ripped the mountain. Just
the difficulty of living has determined, as indeed in almost all the
most inaccessible areas of the Apennines, strong migration flows that
have nearly depopulated the old countries, which are reborn in the
summer months as a tourist destination.
Even
nature can hardly be considered in second place with beautiful scenery
of nature parks, such as the River Regional Park Stirone, and actually
get to merge with the same story, such as the Nature Reserve covers an
area of ??Piacenza of 1769 hectares, divided between the municipalities of Alseno, Vernasca, Salsomaggiore Terme and Fidenza.The town of Vernasca, occupies a territory narrow
and elongated in the direction northeast-southwest on the border with
the province of Parma and made up of three parallel valleys of the
rivers Arda, Ongina and Stirone. The
name derives from Vernasca "ver" spring and "nascor" I was born, "where does
the spring", or from the Ligurian dialect and would indicate the alder. Here we are in an area where you feel the hegemony of the monastery of Val Tolla, then Upper Arda Valley. This was a remarkable complex which made its presence felt even in villages in the middle valley seat. Over the centuries, belonged to the Malaspina, the Rossi, the Sforza of Santa Fiora and to the Sforza Cesarini. Of
the original characters of Vernasca remains of the Romanesque church
of St. Columban (XII century), or the bell tower and the apse, which is
currently included in the exquisite setting of a square garden - in the
upper part of the country, which hosts Del and mnifestazioni; the
rest of the temple was demolished at the beginning of the twentieth
century, when it had already been rendered unsafe by a landslide. The
surviving parts of the parish church, originally built on a basilica
with three aisles near the castle of the late Vernasca, are flanked by the
ancient rectory, which now houses the Visitor Center of the Provincial
Via Francigena, a museum and learning in which they collected artworks
and historical artifacts relating to the trafficking of Piacenza path
of pilgrimage to Rome, where they are exposed apse frescoes detached
from the walls of the old parish, including that of Our Lady Crowned,
"dating back to 1474. The
fortified village of Vigoleno is one of the most important historical
monuments of the entire province of Piacenza for the elegance of its
forms is the great integrity of the entire system castrense, showing
uncommon Tuscan influences, perhaps due to ' employment of workers from Lunigiana. The
whole village is surrounded by impressive and intact battlements,
covered entirely by a walkway from which you have the opportunity to
enjoy exceptional views across the valley Stirone. The
only access to the village, at the tower, is preceded by a "barbican":
an elongated fortification that served to protect the port itself and to
facilitate the sorties. The urban structure is dominated by a square tower, with arrow slits, battlements corbels and blackbirds ghibellines.
Vigoleno is also famous for the tradition of wine Vin Santo. Vin Santo di Vigoleno Doc is a sweet wine with a delicate finesse and is produced according to ancient tradition. Its name derives from the fact that in ancient times the grapes took place in the Holy Week before Easter. To
determine its characters contribute very valuable characteristics of
soil, exposure, and vines that are used in the production technique. For
the vines, only white, non-aromatic as ingredients in traditional Vin
Santo Vigoleno (Santa Maria, Melara, Beverdino all from the production
area) have been added more recently Marsanne, Sauvignon, Ortrugo,
Trebbiano. Each of these leads to wine grapes characteristic taste and aroma that are fused into a harmonious balance.
Built
in an eccentric position with respect to the village, near the eastern
wall, is the church of San Giorgio, built as the foundation to the time
of the twelfth century, one of the examples of Romanesque architecture's
most important sacred Piacenza.
Photo courtesy of Castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza
Valli secondarie: Val Chero
La val d'Arda è la valle occidentale della provincia di Piacenza, accanto alle altre vallate che costituiscono il profilo collinare e montuoso di questa provincia, la val Nure, la val Trebbia e la val Tidone. L’omonimo Torrente nasce a circa 1200 m di quota dalle pendici nord-occidentali del Monte Lama, nell'Appennino Ligure, in comune di Morfasso e sfocia nel Po nel comune di Polesine Parmense dopo un percorso di circa 55 Km.

Anche la natura non può certo considerarsi in secondo piano con i suggestivi scenari dei parchi naturali, come il Parco Regionale Fluviale dello Stirone. Anzi, addirittura arriva a fondersi direttamente con la stessa storia, come nel caso della Riserva Naturale del Piacenziano che occupa una superficie di 1800 ettari circa suddivisi tra i comuni di Alseno, Vernasca, Salsomaggiore Terme e Fidenza. L'intero ecosistema fluviale del torrente ha caratteristiche naturali integre nonostante l'antropizzazione del territorio. Le alte sponde sabbiose costituiscono l'habitat di numerose specie di uccelli scavatori, mentre la fitta vegetazione fluviale che cresce lungo il corso d'acqua è costituita in prevalenza da salici, ontani, pioppi, olmi, farnie ed aceri. L'erosione fluviale in alcuni tratti è talmente accentuata da formare veri e propri "canyons" con pareti alte fino a dieci metri.
A lambire questo parco si trova Vigoleno, un borgo medievale fortificato circondato da una distesa di vigneti. Nella parte alta della vallata si trova la valle laterale del torrente Borla da cui prende il nome anche il vicino nucleo abitato.
La zona più a sud di questo territorio è tipicamente montuosa ed occupa il versante destro della Val d'Arda. Immediatamente visibili sono i boschi e il grande lago artificiale realizzato tra il 1919 ed il 1934 in località Mignano, dove si erge un piccolo oratorio che conserva un'abside semicircolare dell'età romanica (secolo XII) decorato con un affresco raffigurante S.Giacomo. La fondazione di questa struttura dedicata a S.Geminiano è strettamente connessa con il periodo dei pellegrinaggi lungo la Via Francigena.
I nuclei abitativi posti su questo versante sono tipici borghi rurali costituiti in gran parte da antichi edifici in pietra come nel caso di Vezzolacca, Castelletto e Settesorelle. Queste località hanno da sempre trovato sussistenza nelle coltivazioni agricole strappate alla montagna. Proprio la difficoltà delle condizioni di vita ha determinato, come del resto in quasi tutte le zone più impervie dell'Appennino, forti flussi migratori che hanno quasi spopolato i vecchi paesi, che rinascono nei mesi estivi come meta di villeggiatura.
Anche la natura non può certo considerarsi in secondo piano con i suggestivi scenari dei parchi naturali, come il Parco Regionale Fluviale dello Stirone, anzi, addirittura arriva a fondersi direttamente con la stessa storia, come nel caso della Riserva Naturale del Piacenziano che occupa una superficie di 1769 ettari suddivisi tra i comuni di Alseno, Vernasca, Salsomaggiore Terme e Fidenza

Il borgo fortificato di Vigoleno è sicuramente uno dei monumenti storici più importanti dell'intera Provincia di Piacenza sia per l'eleganza delle sue forme sia per l'eccezionale integrità dell'intero impianto castrense, che mostra non comuni influenze toscane, forse dovute all'impiego di maestranze provenienti dalla Lunigiana. L'intero borgo, è racchiuso da imponenti ed integre mura merlate, percorse interamente da un camminamento di ronda dal quale si ha l'opportunità di ammirare un'eccezionale panoramica su tutta la Val Stirone. L'unico accesso al borgo, in corrispondenza del mastio, è preceduto da un "rivellino": una fortificazione di forma allungata che serviva a proteggere la porta vera e propria ed a facilitare le sortite. La struttura urbana è invece dominata dal mastio quadrangolare, dotato di feritoie, beccatelli e merli ghibellini.
Vigoleno è famoso anche per la tradizione enologica del Vin Santo. Il Vin Santo di Vigoleno d.o.c. è un vino passito di delicata finezza e viene prodotto secondo un'antica tradizione. La sua denominazione deriva dal fatto che in epoca remota la pigiatura delle uve avveniva nella settimana Santa che precede la Pasqua. A determinare i suoi pregevolissimi caratteri concorrono le caratteristiche del terreno, dell'esposizione, dei vitigni che vengono impiegati e della tecnica di produzione. Ai vitigni, esclusivamente bianchi, non aromatici che entrano nella composizione tradizionale del Vin Santo di Vigoleno (Santa Maria, Melara, Beverdino tutti originari della zona di produzione) si sono aggiunti in tempi più recenti Marsanne, Sauvignon, Ortrugo, Trebbiano. Ognuna di queste uve porta al vino particolari caratteristiche di gusto e di aroma che vengono fuse in un armonico equilibrio.
Edificata in posizione eccentrica rispetto al borgo, in prossimità delle mura orientali, è la Pieve di San Giorgio, risalente come epoca di fondazione al secolo XII, uno degli esempi di architettura romanica sacra più importanti del piacentino.
Foto per gentile concessione dell'Associazione Castelli del Ducato di Parma e Piacenza