(The) Viscontean Citadel of Piacenza

Piacenza, April 20^th, 2008

What: medieval citadel (fortification).
Where: Piacenza.
How: thematic itinerary.
When: April 20^th, 2008.

Piacenza (Italy).
New Citadel [Cittadela Nuova] (Viscontean Citadel [Cittadella Viscontea]).
South-West gate.
2007.
Digital filing (2007-00726).

The territory of Piacenza’s particularly rich in ancient fortifications: towers, castles, rocche and rocchette. Maybe one of the richest of Italy, in this way.

Just so, a ‘castle’ in the centre of Piacenza has been the theme of the undertaking proposed on April 20^th, 2008 by the Associazione Culturale Nebbie del Drago of Castiglione d’Adda (Lodi): it was entitled (The) Viscontean Citadel of Piacenza [(La) Cittadella viscontea di Piacenza] and was a thematic itinerary turned to all interested people wish to know the citadel made built in the XIV Century by the seignior of Milan Galeazzo II Visconti in the area of the present Farnese Palace.

More known as Viscontean Citadel (or Rocca), it was between late Middle Ages and Renaissance the town defensive ‘pivot’, and is now the best kept evidence of the imposing fortifying work undertaken by the Visconti for the defence of Piacenza, fundamental stronghold for the connections between Lombardy and peninsular Italy.

But the importance of the Citadel exceeds the local ambit: besides having provided an architectonic model for various fortalices built in the Piacentino, it represents one of the first ‘prototypes’ of Renaissance rocca, kind of fortification developed in Italy between the XV and the beginning of the XVI Century.

Since the Viscontean Age the Citadel witnessed the foremost events of the history of Piacenza: among its walls, for example, in 1447, there it consumed the extreme Venetian resistance to the siege led by Francis Sforza Visconti’s troops; or, in 1547, the conspiracy against the first Duke of Piacenza and Parma Peter Louis Farnese, ended up with his brutal murder.

During the second half of the XVI Century the fortalice was deeply restructured, when on its area the Farnese family undertook the construction of the homonymous palace. Still, the stoppage of the Farnesian yard permitted to keep great part of the Citadel, even if with various transformations worked during the decades.

Transformations which yet didn’t spoil the historic-architectonical value of the building. Step by step, it has been possible to ‘discover’ this important monument: the exterior of the walls and of the towers, the courtyard, the vaults.

And not only architecture, but also society, culture, events and ‘curiosities’. To illustrate this articulate and fascinating context he has provided – with the results of his own researches – the expert at fortified architecture and territory historian Davide Tansini.

Piacenza (Italy).
New Citadel [Cittadela Nuova] (Viscontean Citadel [Cittadella Viscontea]).
North-West gate.
2009.
Digital filing (2009-02019).

• Organization: Associazione Culturale Nebbie del Drago of Castiglione d’Adda (Lodi).

• Leading: Davide Tansini, historian and studious of fortified and military architecture, associated of the Istituto Italiano dei Castelli and of the Istituto per la Storia dell’Arte Lombarda.
  

Download the release (PDF format)

(The) Viscontean Citadel of Piacenza [(La) Cittadella viscontea di Piacenza].
Thematic itinerary.
2008.
Release.

Davide Tansini’s contacts:

• mobile (+39) 349 2203693;

• e-mail davide@tansini.it.