Piacenza is a border land, geographically and also gastronomically: located at the crossroad of 4 regions, its cooking is under the influence of Lombardy, Liguria and Piedmont.

The gastronomy of Pc. is not so fat, is simpler and unrefined, compared to the one of the other emilian lands, even though it has fundamental contact points with them. There are also differences between the valleys, all ancient traditions, that are still alive on the family-tables and in the typical "Trattorias.".

Sausages, cheese, pasta , main courses based on meat, sweets and wines are very important in a genuine and tasteful gastronomy, renowned from the ancient roman times.

Among the sausages , made of pork-meat, there is the inimitable "Coppa piacentina" sweet and perfumed; the "Salame" and the delicate "Pancetta" that has to go with the "burtleina" or with the crispy fried cake, or with the tasty salted cakes or with the "Chisola" : flour bread with scraps of pork-fat and the "Pist ad grass": pork-fat pounded with garlic and parsley. The wines of the Piacenza hills, of a sparkling and strong as well as delicate taste, are the right match to those dishes.

The main dish among the "pasta" of the gastronomy of Piacenza is "pisarei e faso' ", typical dish from the peasant tradition, consists in small "gnocchi" made of flour and bread crumbles, cooked with tomato-sauce and "borlotti beans" and other ingredients such as garlic, onion , pounded lard , pepper and Grana Padano!
The first dishes include many stuffed pasta : among those peculiar are the "anvein" ( or anolini) stuffed with stewed - meat; the "Turtei" ( tortelli) stuffed with cheese , ricotta and spinach; most popular are the ones with the twisted dough at its ends, the classical "tail" .

And then the "Grandmother's Chicche" "Canelloni" and "Pasticcio of maccheroni in short pastry" Among the soups we remind you the "passatelli" and the "beans-soup" , but also country and nourishing dishes like "rise and chick-peas".

Among the second courses, "tripe at the piacentina" "stracotto of donkey with polenta" "roasted coppa" "boned duck" "chestnut stuffed turkey" "chalk-guinea-fowl", the traditional "picula ad caval" ( small cut horse-meat) and the "Rustisana con il cavallo" ( horse-meat and red pepper ), as well as the "stracotto" ( stewed meat) and the boiled meat and the wild meat ( wild pork and hare)

In the mountain you can't miss the "micon" the big piece of bread of the characteristic shape and the thick crumb, cooked in a wood heated oven. And don't forget the mushrooms !!!

The areas next to the river Po offer also fish menus, with eel and sturgeon . .

Cheese is represented from the peculiar tasty and renown "Grana Padano" and the "provolone" , a typical tradition of Piacenza.

There are many tasty sweets : the classic "buslan" or bun ,the "turtlitt" pancake stuffed with mustard chocolate and "amaretti" the "patuna" or chestnut cake, and the "standing milk" "crostate" ( cakes) almond or fruit cakes.

Piacenza has 21 D.O.C. wines, every zone and every valley of the Apennine of the province of Piacenza presents a fascinating profile of vineyards , and produces characteristic and renowned wines . Among the most famous : the Gutturnio, the white Monterosso Val d'Arda, the sparkling Ortrugo and Trebbianino and the aromatic Malvasia and the Bonarda, and the red Cabernet, Sauvignon and the Vinsanto (Holy wine) of Vigoleno .

The wines of the hills of Piacenza match easily the different dishes that we mentioned, strong and delicate taste dishes, like the landscape that welcomes the tourist that passes by or that stays.