Piacenza

Piacenza
Piaṡëinsa (Emilian)
Comune di Piacenza
Francesco Mochi's 1615 equestrian statue of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma, in the city's main square, Piazza Cavalli
Francesco Mochi's 1615 equestrian statue of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma, in the city's main square, Piazza Cavalli
Flag of Piacenza
Coat of arms of Piacenza
Location of Piacenza
Map
Piacenza is located in Italy
Piacenza
Piacenza
Location of Piacenza in Italy
Piacenza is located in Emilia-Romagna
Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza (Emilia-Romagna)
Coordinates: 45°2′52″N 9°42′2″E / 45.04778°N 9.70056°E / 45.04778; 9.70056
CountryItaly
RegionEmilia-Romagna
ProvincePiacenza (PC)
FrazioniVallera, San Bonico, Pittolo, La Verza, Mucinasso, I Vaccari, Roncaglia, Montale, Borghetto, Le Mose, Mortizza, Gerbido
Government
 • MayorKatia Tarasconi (PD)
Area
 • Total118.46 km2 (45.74 sq mi)
Elevation
61 m (200 ft)
Population
 (31-5-2020)[2]
 • Total103,607
 • Density870/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
DemonymPiacentino
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
29121-29122
Dialing code0523
Patron saintAntonino of Piacenza (4 July),
Giustina
WebsiteOfficial website

Piacenza (Italian: [pjaˈtʃɛntsa] ; Piacentino: Piaṡëinsa [pi.aˈzəi̯sɐ]; Latin: Placentia) is a city and comune (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more than 102,000 inhabitants.[3][4]

Westernmost major city of the region of Emilia-Romagna, it has strong relations with Lombardy, with which it borders, and in particular with Milan. It was defined by Leonardo da Vinci as a "Land of passage" in his Codex Atlanticus, by virtue of its crucial geographical location.[5] This strategic location would influence the history of Piacenza significantly at several times.

Piacenza integrates characteristics of the nearby Ligurian and Piedmontese territories added to a prevalent Lombard influence, favored by communications with the nearby metropolis, which attenuate its Emilian footprint.[6][7][8]

Piacenza is located at a major crossroads at the intersection of Route E35/A1 between Bologna and Milan, and Route E70/A21 between Brescia and Turin. Piacenza is also at the confluence of the Trebbia, draining the northern Apennine Mountains, and the River Po, draining to the east.

Piacenza hosts three universities, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Polytechnic University of Milan and University of Parma.

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Top 10 Cities of Emilia-Romagna by Population". www.top10cities.net. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  4. ^ "Comuni della Provincia di Piacenza per popolazione". Tuttitalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  5. ^ "L'arte della". Visit Emilia - visit the Italian food valley (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  6. ^ "PIACENZA in "Enciclopedia Italiana"". www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  7. ^ Urbano, Andrea (2020-09-14). "PIACENZA, l'eterna sposa mancata di Milano: 5 motivi per farla diventare LOMBARDA". Milano Città Stato (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  8. ^ "Tagli alle province, la secessione di Piacenza: "Meglio Lombardia che Parma"". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2022-10-18.