The surroundings

Rivalta Castle is one of the few castles in Europe still surrounded by its borough which has been preserved mainly intact. It is still inhabited by the Earl’s family, the Zanardi Landis, a branch of the Landi family which has been the owner the castle since the end of 1200 AD. Every year thousands of people from every Italian region and abroad come to visit this unique place, magical and fascinating. 54 rooms still provided with furniture and carpets of the past ( since 1400 AD onwards ) and made functional over the centuries to welcome the guests and their different needs.  Still today this is a must for kings and Queens, Princes, Nobles and Heads of State from all around the world and it is here that Princess Margareth ( sister to Queen Elisabeth II ) spent her summer holidays for many years.

Visit the castle official website for more info

Placentia, founded in 218 BC, was the first roman colony in Northern Italy together with Cremona, a most important military outpost against Hannibal who was moving from Spain to Italy to devastate and subdue it in the nearby territories of the rivers Ticino and Trebbia. The city resisted the Punic attacks and flourished as a commercial centre along the Via Emilia.  The Christianisation of the city was made by martyrs such as Saint Antoninus, a local centurion killed further to Diocletian’s persecutions.

Click here for more info about Piacenza City Center sightseeing places

Tourist attraction renowned for its past of art and culture, popular with lovers of nature, sport and monuments, Bobbio lies in the centre of the four different cultures of Piacenza, Liguria, Piedmont and Pavia.

The historic centre has preserved intact the features of a medieval borough.

It is the destination of many pilgrims coming here even from Ireland, homeland of the abbot and missionary Columban, a man of action during the conversion of Europe, who built his Abbey here in 614 AD making Bobbio a strategic cultural centre in the centuries to come.

The symbol of the city is the Ponte Gobbo (or the Devil Bridge because of the legend that accompanies it )  which, entirely made of bricks, dates back to the roman times and crosses the river Trebbia with 11 irregular arcades.

The nearby territory inspired Leonardo Da Vinci so much that the landscape behind the Monna Lisa was painted in the 15th century looking out of a window from the Malaspina Dal Verme castle, as many recent technical-scientific studies have proved.  

Many are the monuments and places worth visiting.  

Many events are organized throughout the year, from the “Bobbio Film Festival”, directed by the film director Marco Bellocchio who was born here, to the Palio of the boroughs.

Bobbio has been awarded the title of City of Art and Culture.

In 2006 it was awarded the Orange Flag  by the Italian Touring Club  to acknowledge the city as a high Middle Ages tourist centre which distinguishes itself for its excellence and  hospitality. It has been part of the club named The most beautiful boroughs in Italy since 2008.

The city is also part of the Worldwide Tourism Organization .