Ziano Piacentino: Wine, Hills and Culture

Ziano Piacentino combines a winemaking tradition with a landscape shaped by hills and places of cultural and historical interest. Depending on whether you focus on local wines, outdoor activities or architectural and art history, your stay can take on different emphases. Options range from a cycling leg and trails through vineyards to churches and historic sites.

Wine, local produce and festivals

The Ziano Piacentino area lies along the Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori dei Colli Piacentini. Local wine offerings include Cantine Marasi’s typical local DOC wines: the lively Gutturnio, as well as Barbera and Bonarda. This gives you several wine names associated with the local winemaking tradition, rather than just one main focus.

Visits to Cantine Marasi are possible by prior telephone booking. So if a winery visit is part of your travel plans, call ahead to make a reservation. The Festa dell'Uva takes place every year in September. Together with other nearby places, it is part of the Val Tidone Wine Fest. If you want to plan your stay around the festival, it is best to check the specific dates before travelling.

By bike or on foot

On its second day, a two-day cycling tour through the province of Piacenza and the Val Tidone passes through Vicobarone, Montalbo, Seminò and Ziano Piacentino. Ziano is therefore a stop on a leg that links several places. The old Sentiero dei „3 ponti“, in turn, connects Montalbo with Vicomarino. These two details offer guidance for different cycling and excursion plans; they do not describe the same route.

At the Sacello di San Lupo, there is a well-known, pleasantly hilly stretch of trail among the vineyards. It can be travelled by car, motorcycle or bicycle, or on foot. The explicitly listed ways of getting around make this stretch a different option from the cycling tour described above: here, the focus is on a single stretch of trail that can be used in several ways. If you enjoy being outdoors, you can choose between a leg with several stops and a trail through vineyard scenery.

Churches, castle and pilgrimage history

The Chiesa di San Paolo Apostolo, set among the hills, dates from between the 18th and 19th centuries. The year 1373 is documented for an earlier building. Inside are a 19th-century Stations of the Cross by the painter Luigi Achille and paintings by the contemporary artist Ulisse Sartini. The building’s history and its artworks each offer a distinct point of interest.

The Castello di Montalbo was rebuilt in the 16th century on the ruins of an earlier medieval fortification and is privately owned. Its original floor plan was hexagonal. Today, three complete sides and a shorter fourth side remain, topped by an ornate balustrade. The surviving walls and balustrade make the shape of the original floor plan easy to discern.

The Sacello di San Lupo also brings together different historical associations: it was rebuilt during the 19th century and, over the centuries, developed into a well-known Christian pilgrimage destination. Along with the stretch of trail through the surrounding vineyards, it offers both religious history and a landscape described as suitable for outdoor activities.

A view across the hills

Ziano Piacentino has a viewing terrace with three seats and views of the surrounding hills. It adds a specific viewpoint to the places to visit. When choosing your holiday rental, you can consider whether you want to focus your stay mainly on wine and festivals, cycling and trails, or cultural history. These different interests offer different priorities, without requiring a single set itinerary.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Caminata, Ponte Dell'olio, Rodi, Vernasca, Castell'arquato, Vigoleno, Folignano, Bolgheri.

Return to the main travel overview: Piacenza.