Grand Little Tours
of the Valleys of Piacenza

Cadeo (65 m. asl)

We leave Piacenza headed South/East by Piazzale Roma where a tall twin-column monument displays the statue of the infants "Romolo and Remo suckling the she-wolf", symbol of the founders of Rome, and this is where the Roman Via Emilia begins or ends if coming from Ravenna.

In 14 Km. we are in Cadeo, whose meaning is "House of God"; a medieval hospice used by the pilgrims, was built here by Ghisulfo in 1122. The parish church has an interesting Romanesque splayed portal crowned by a carved lunette dated 1170. Continuing on the Via Emilia we arrive in Roveleto where the town hall of Cadeo's municipality is situated. In Roveleto we can visit the Baroque Sanctuary built in 1750 and dedicated to the Beata Vergine del Carmelo; it is believed that the church was built on a plan by Bibiena.

Backtracking a short distance from the Sanctuary, We now take the road, on the left, that skirts the cemetery of Roveleto and make our way South/West towards Ciriano where, at the domed church (1600), we turn right to reach Carpaneto (10 Km. from Roveleto).

Not far from Ciriano, crossing the road and 8 Km. further South, we can admire the interesting castle of Magnano (picture to the left) boasting one cylindrical tower and one square, with the walls in pebble-stone and rocks, crowned by Guelph style embattelments.

Several two arched windows and doors, which were restored between 1700 and 1800, are crowned by lancet arches.
Magnano is famous for its exquisite cherries. The "Cherry Festival" is celebrated in June.

Castle of Magnano

Carpaneto (112 m. asl)

And here we are in Carpaneto where Roman tombs have been found in one of the wards and several other Roman artifacts found throughout the municipality.
In the parish church (XV c., but with the façade rebuilt in 1951) we find interesting paintings in the central aisle depicting "The Lives of the Saint Patrons" (Saint Fermo and Rustico) attributed to the school of Bibiena (1681); in the side chapels there are older paintings such as "The Madonna and Saint Anne" (end of the XIV c. or beginning of the XV c.) and also the "Madonna with the Child", "St. Rocco and St. Sebastian" dated in the 1500's; in addition there is a very fine copy of Correggio's "Madonna with a Bowl" (1600).

Also of great value is the chapel of the "Madonna of the Rosary" which displays a statue dated in the 1700.

Presently the old castle, rebuilt many times, is used as the town hall but it has retained a fine portico with columns crowned with sandstone capitals; there is also the Civic Tower built in the Middle Ages.

In the vicinity of Carpaneto we find another interesting castle in Travazzano still displaying two of the original four towers, the square plan keep, a large fireplace with the coat of arms of the Chiapponi family and a paneled ceiling.

Gropparello (550 m. asl)

Just to the West of Carpaneto we find, on our left, the road that takes us to Gropparello which is situated in the Vezzeno Valley, a small but rather fascinating valley; so much so that in the past it has attracted many famous painters: the poet and painter De Pisis (Italian link), Cassinari (whose family was from this area) , Treccani, Armodio, Foppiani and Bertè.

The first village we go through is Cimafava where the parish church, originally dating from 1482 but enlarged with three aisles in 1762 in the Renaissance style, has the interior decorated in the Baroque style. Ravasio, a Bibiena school painter from nearby Piacenza, decorated the choir in 1700.

Also visible are the remains of an ancient wooden altar with carved oak leaves decorations. After Celleri and Sariano, with its interesting Romanesque church built around the year 1000 and famous for its excellent white wines, we arrive in Gropparello, 30 Km. from Piacenza, well known for its picturesque castle perched on a rocky escarpment of red gabbro, just outside the hamlet.

Veleia (469 m. asl)

We leave Gropparello and proceed South towards Veleia (also spelled Velleia or Veleja) where we can visit the Roman ruins.

This site was discovered by chance when, in 1747, the "Tabula Alimentaria Traiana" the largest Roman bronze artifact ever found was brought to light; it has been housed in the Archaeological Museum of Parma since 1760.

It appears that Veleia was originally inhabited since 500 B.C. (2500 years old cinerary artifacts were also unearthed in the vicinity) then by the Ligurians (Celtic tribes) and that by the Ist c. A. D. it had already been transformed into a thriving and prosperous Municipium by the Romans, with its own priests and magistrates.

The visible ruins are situated on several terrace-like planimetry; in addition to various ruins of dwellings we can also admire: the "Thermae" which can be dated from the late Ist c. A.D.; the "Forum" still retaining the sandstone pavement, donated by Lucio Lucilio Prisco, and the water drainage system both almost all intact; the "Basilica" was built on a rectangular plan and only with one aisle; it was in this area that the Tabula Alimentaria Traiana and twelve marble statues of the Julis-Claudia family were found in 1761 and now housed in the Archaeological Museum of Parma with other artifacts from Veleia. There is also a circular building the identification and use of which is still being debated by the experts.

Plinius refers in his "De varietate nascendi" book 7, paragraph 49, that at the time of Vespasianus and Titus census, in Veleia there lived six 110 year old persons, four 120 year old and one 150 year old whose name was Marcus Mutius Marci filius Galerius Felix.

It is believed that the slow decline of the once flourishing community of Veleia was due to a landslide at the beginning of the IV c. A. D.

• Information about the museum
• Area Archeologica di Veleia
• Veleia in 3D [3'08"]

Vernasca (430 m. asl)

We leave Veleia by taking the road towards Morfasso. (631 m. asl) where in the nearby hamlet of Casali, ruins of a Castelliere and a double three-pointed ring from the Iron Age and various other Roman artifacts were found.

In the Middle Ages, and for a long period of time afterwards (VII c. to XII c.), this area was under the jurisdiction of a powerful monastery - Monastery of Tolla Valley - the precise location of which has since been lost.
The parish church was re-built in 1757 but the bell tower, originally built in 1650, is still standing.

From Morfasso we could join the Nure Valley at Bettola.

HIKING: interesting hiking trail to the rocky Mt. Menegosa (1356 m. asl) and to Mt. Lama (1345 m. asl) a high plateau with vast pastures.

We continue down to Mignano lake and towards Lugagnano, but 1.5 Km. after crossing the bridge over the Arda we turn right going up towards the hamlet of Corti and then continue North, on a rather panoramic road, for Vernasca (about 25 Km. from Morfasso).
After the hamlet of Castelletto and before arriving in Bravi, we should take time to drive to the hilltop where the hamlet of Vezzolacca (618 m. asl) is situated and admire the excellent view over Mignano lake and the Arda alley.

Vernasca, 42 K. from Piacenza, is a pleasant and airy town located on a ridge overlooking the Arda valley on the West side and the Ongina valley on the East. In Vernasca we find a rectangular bell tower beautified by four two-arched windows at the top and two additional on a lower level on the wider sides.

The tower stands beside the apses of the Romanesque parish church which was dedicated to St. Columban and was built at the beginning of the XII c. with a nave and two lateral aisles in the basilica style plan; unfortunately the remains of this jewel of a church was incomprehensibly demolished at the beginning of the 1900's.

Before leaving Vernasca one must visit the borough-castle of Vigoleno about 10 Km. East overlooking the Stirone torrent and its Natural Park (Italian link). Vigoleno, one of the most attractive hamlets of Emilia Romagna and designated as one of the most beautiful hamlets of Italy, boasts a castle originally built in the XIIth c. and within its walls the parish church, considered to be one of the major Romanesque monuments in the Province of Piacenza.
The church, dedicated to St. George, was also built around the XIIth c. with the façade reflecting Tuscan style influences and a deep splayed portal crowned with a lunette carved with St. George slaying the dragon. The interior is divided in three aisles supported by large cylindrical columns adorned by capitals carved with flowers and leaves.

Castell'Arquato (224 m. asl)

• One of the Most Charming Hamlets in Italy

We now descend towards Lugagnano Val d'Arda (229 m. asl) by a road that has several switchbacks and therefore must be driven with caution. Every summer this road is used for a popular car and motorcycle race, called "Vernasca Silver Flag" , which starts from Castell'Arquato.

In Lugagnano there is the parish church originally built in 1219 which was rebuilt in the XVIth c. and is dedicated to St. Zenone. Inside, some chapels are in the Baroque style with paintings in the style of Caravaggio.

From Lugagnano we can take a drive up to the Provincial Park just 15 Km. South by taking the panoramic road overlooking the Chiavenna Valley on the West side and the Arda Valley on the East side. The park extends for about 10 square kilometers and includes beech groves, chestnuts groves, conifers and vast pastures; in addition, one can hike up to the Mt. Croce dei Segni (1072 m. asl) where the view from the top offers a very rewarding panorama.

Northward, on the left just outside Lugagnano, overlooking the road, we notice the Calanques or cliffs, where back in 1934 the fossil remains of a whale more than 20 meters long were found; these remains are now in the Geological Museum of Parma.

Continuing on the same road, on the left bank of the Arda torrent, we arrive, in 5 Km., in the famous town of Castell'Arquato.

With its historic centre proudly situated on top of the hill and with the rest of the old medieval dwellings built on the slopes almost all the way down to the river bank, Castell' Arquato is without any doubt one of the major attractions of the region.

It is recommended to visit the old town on foot in order to appreciate its medieval flavour.
We start by passing under an arch which takes us into the Monteguzzo quarters with its low dwellings attached to each other and built with bricks and tufo in narrow streets paved with pebble-stones.
On the left we notice the Farnese castle-keep built in bricks at the end of the XVIth century. Further on we pass under the archway of the romantic Stradivari castle, built in Neo-Gothic style; along this itinerary we walk by three or four old churches and the ex hospital of St. Spirit, built at the end of the XVI c., and presently housing the Geological Museum in which are displayed many fossils found in the area and belonging to the Piacenzian stratus .

We then arrive in the beautiful piazza (described by some as one of the most beautiful medieval piazzas of Italy) crowned by the Pretorio Palace, built in 1293 and now housing the town Hall offices; at the opposite end we find the castle or Rocca, a stronghold built in 1343 with the wall and the main keep-gate still standing, and in between stands the apses of the Romanesque parish church rebuilt in 1122, after the earthquake of 1117, and renovated in 1911. In the interior, divided in three aisles, we find paintings dated 1170, a wooden cross over the main altar dated to the end of the 1300's , and a baptismal font from the VIIIth c. (some experts believe to be from the VI-VIIth c.); in the nearby presbytery we can visit the museum of the Collegiata . On the West side of the church we can admire the XIVth century addition of a raised prostyle portico.

Luigi Illica , "librettista", wrote the lyrics of many operas such as Puccinis' Madame Butterfly, was born in Castell' Arquato.

An interesting detour is to Vigolo Marchese , 8 Km. West of Castell'Arquato, in order to visit two important Medieval monuments: the rather unusual circular Battistero, by some  thought to have been originally built as temple dedicated to pagan deities at the Roman Time. It subsequently became a chapel dedicated to St. Stephen and finally a baptistry; the baptistry present structure and  the adjacent parish church were built in bricks in the XI c. as part of a monastic centre.

Check note no. 1 in "Brick in the Middle Ages".

Fiorenzuola d'Arda (80 m. asl)

We leave Castell'Arquato by crossing over to the right bank of the Arda and, after 10 Km., arrive in Fiorenzuola d'Arda (21 Km. from Piacenza). The construction of the vast parish church, dedicated to San Fiorenzo, started in 1303 but it was terminated only between 1485 and 1493.

The façade, with a portal in Renaissance style, is divided in three by pilasters and crowned by five pinnacles; the main nave and the two lateral aisles are divided by cylindrical brick columns supporting lancet arches. We can observe frescoes dating from the XVI c. and XVII c. and paintings by Pietro Galli from Piacenza in addition to decorations in plaster from the 1700; splendid is the main altar built on a design by Gian Paolo Pannini, and in a frame carved by Guglielmo Menegazzi (1513), we can admire a fine painting by Marco Bonifaci (XVII c.); the 47 m. high bell tower, built on a pre-roman structure, stands across the piazza, far from the church.

Nearby we find the oratory of the Good Death with an ovoidal cupola built in the 1600; in the Baroque style we find the churches of St. Francis and the Madonna of Caravaggio.

Chiaravalle della Colomba Abbey founded by Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux in 1135. Like others Cirstercian churches, this one was also built with three aisles divided by cross-shaped pillars supporting semicircular arches; the main marble altar dates from 1771; the visible fragments of frescoes can be dated from the XIV and XV c.

The main attraction of the abbey is the magnificent Cloister measuring 40 meters on each side and displaying 130 small red marble columns that are twinned to form several four-arched openings; of particular interest are the angular columns tied together by a Gothic style knot. The bell tower was built in 1570. The whole structure is almost totally built with a warm red brick.