Andiamo Places
Piacenza and Bobbio day trip from Milan or Parma or Cremona
A day trip to Bobbio and Piacenza from Milan, Parma or Cremona: the abbey of San Colombano, the old town and cathedral of Bobbio and the humpbacked Ponte Gobbo over the Trebbia in the morning, then Piazza dei Cavalli and the Palazzo Gotico, Santa Maria di Campagna and the cathedral in Piacenza. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 1 day
Piacenza and Bobbio in 1 day
Day 1
Abbey of San Colombano, Bobbio
Abbey founded by the Irish monk Saint Columbanus in 614, once a great centre of learning, with a basilica, crypt and museum.
Historic centre of Bobbio and the Cathedral
Walk the stone lanes of a medieval valley town to its cathedral, with a Romanesque core and frescoes inside.
Ponte Gobbo, Bobbio
Long humpbacked stone bridge over the Trebbia, with uneven arches of different sizes and a legend that the devil built it.
Piacenza Cathedral
Romanesque cathedral of sandstone and brick, with a dome decorated by Guercino and Morazzone and a tall bell tower.
Piazza dei Cavalli and the Palazzo Gotico
Piacenza's main square, with Francesco Mochi's bronze horsemen of the Farnese dukes and the brick Palazzo Gotico, the town hall of 1281.
Santa Maria di Campagna, Piacenza
Renaissance church built for a miraculous wooden Madonna, with its dome and chapels frescoed by Pordenone.
Watch: Piacenza and Bobbio
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
Getting there
Trains reach Piacenza in about 40 minutes to an hour from Milan and about 35-45 minutes from Parma; from Cremona it is about 40 minutes by car. Bobbio is about an hour's drive up the Trebbia valley from Piacenza, with buses too, so a car is easiest for seeing both in one day.
Staying in Milan or Parma or Cremona? This day fits into those city plans, and in the Trip Builder it is one click under each of them.
When to go to Piacenza and Bobbio
Spring and autumn are the best seasons, mild in the city and green in the Trebbia valley. Summer is hot on the Po plain but fresher in Bobbio, where people swim in the river. Winters on the plain are cold and often foggy.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Piacenza and Bobbio on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Piacenza and Bobbio on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Piacenza and Bobbio on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Italy from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Piacenza and Bobbio
- Drive up the Trebbia valley early: the road is winding and the morning light on the river and the Ponte Gobbo is lovely.
- The basilica of San Colombano is free to visit; the abbey museum keeps shorter, seasonal hours, so check before you go.
- Piacenza's churches close at lunchtime; plan the city stops for the afternoon reopening.
- Try the Piacenza cured meats, coppa, pancetta and salame, with a glass of Gutturnio from the nearby hills.
- In summer, bring a swimsuit: the pebbly banks of the Trebbia below Bobbio are a popular place to swim.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to hello@andiamoplaces.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Abbey of San Colombano, Bobbio: Torsolo (uploader at en.wiki: Attilios), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Historic centre of Bobbio and the Cathedral: Davide Papalini, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Piacenza Cathedral: No machine-readable author provided. Idéfix~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ponte Gobbo, Bobbio: Vid Pogacnik, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Santa Maria di Campagna, Piacenza: Mongolo1984, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.