Becky Dixon introduces Fiorenzuola (007) Blacklemon
Fiorenzuola d’Arda is an italian city, in the province of Piacenza, part of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its name derives from Florentia (“prosperous” in Latin). The “d’Arda” portion refers to the River Arda which flows from the Apennines into the valley where Fiorenzuola is situated. Area: 59 square kilometres Population: 15.000 Province Population: 290.000 The province of Piacenza, dates back to its founding by the Romans in 218 BCE, has a total population of 288.013 inhabitants over an area of 2.585,86 square kilometres.
The city lies within the province of Piacenza, at the very core of Italy’s “food valley”, home to the largest number of protected enogastronomic products in all of Europe. Fiorenzuola d’Arda is one of twelve Italian cities honored with the title of “Città della Gastronomia” (“City of Gastronomy”), thanks to the high quality of its culinary products and its winning efforts in the preservation of traditional cuisine.
The city of Fiorenzuola d’Arda rests next to the main Italian highway and railway, less than an hour away from Milan and Parma, very close to Bologna, Turin, and Genoa. Fiorenzuola and Piacenza’s province both rise upon Italy’s main logistics hub.
Within the city itself, it is possible to admire a number of important architectonic complexes, bearing witness to its rich history: •• The Collegiate Church of San Fiorenzo (Chiesa Collegiata), founded in the 14th Century, rising within Piazza f.lli Carlo e Giovanni Molinari; •• Palazzo Bertamini–Lucca, containing frescos by Francesco Natali and Bartolomeo Rusca, can be found upon Corso Garibaldi along with Palazzo Grossi, built in the Renaissance; •• The City Hall’s monumental building, the construction of which began its first phase in the 15th century by the religious order of Humiliati, and which was brought to its current configuration thanks to the monks of the Cistercian order, who made it into their convent since early 1600 and until the Napoleonic Suppression; •• The Church of Beata Vergine di Caravaggio and the Church of San Francesco, with its cloister; •• The Verdi Theathre, in front of the Church of San Francesco; it was inaugurated in 1853, and recently renovated in order to restore the beauty of its horseshoe- shaped orchestra, also containing three tiers of dais and a gallery. Amongst other events, the Theatre currently hosts a nationally prominent season.
The city is nestled between the landscapes of Busseto, where Giuseppe Verdi once lived, and the beautiful medieval town of Castell’Arquato. Its foundation dates back to Ancient Rome, and its importance as an urban settlement persisted through the Middle Ages. Only a few minutes away from Fiorenzuola, the fortified town of Vigoleno (giving visitors the chance to access a Baptistery from the year 1000) and the ruins of Velleia’s Romanic complex are compelling tourist destinations.