Fiorenzuola

Fiorenzuola stands on the Via Emilia in the valley of the Arda, between Piacenza and Parma. Known as Florentia in Roman itineraries, it was a stopping place on this important northern Roman road. The medieval settlement grew around a monastery and parish church, and its old fortifications included a tower later used as the collegiate church's bell tower.

In 1341 the Visconti added a new fortified enclosure on the side facing Piacenza, joining the older settlement within walls and ditches. Fiorenzuola later formed part of the Pallavicino lands. In 1586 Alessandro Pallavicino ceded his state, including Fiorenzuola, to Alessandro Farnese. The town remained under the Farnese dukes of Parma and Piacenza until the death of the last duke of that family in 1731.