I'IACENZA (Placentia), a town in the duchy of Parma, is situated about half a mile from the southern bank of the Po, and 2 miles east of the confluence of the Trebhia with that river, in a flue plain bounded on the south by well cultivated hills. The town is surrounded with old walls and ditches, and has a citadel, which, according to a stipulation of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, is garrisoned by Austrian troops. Tbo streets are wide and straight, but many of them are graaragrown ; on the whole the city has a deserted aspect and is much too large for its present population, which is about 30,000. The principal &attar° (Piazza de'Cavalli) In front of the ducal palace is adorned with two eqoestrian bronze statues of dukes Itauuccio and Alessandro Farness. Piseenza abotinde in fine buildings, the principal of which are the ducal palace Palazze Farnoae, built by Margaret of Austria from designee( Vignola ; the podesteria (Palazzo del Comune), or town-honee, erected about. 1281, in a style combining characteristics of the gothic and romanesque; the cathedral, a handsome gothic structere of the 12th century, with fresco paintings by Guercino and Luigi Caracci ; San Sisto, a handsome church, richly adorned ; the flue church of San-Agostiuo; San-Francesco Grande, a noble building in the romanesque-gothic style, erected by the Franciscans in 1278; and the church of Santa Maria di Campagna, erected by Bramante, in the Roman-Dorie style. All these churches are richly embellished with frescoes, paintings, and statuary. The town library contains 30,000 volumes ; the new theatre, and the school of design and archi tecture, are also worthy of notice. Piacenza carries on a considerable trade iu agricultural produce. The establishmeuts for public instruc tion consist of a lyceum, with faculties of arts, law, and medicine ; an episcopal seminary, the college Alberoni for boarders, a school of the fine arts, an institution for the education of young ladies, and several elementary schools. The charitable institutions comprise a large
hospital, orphan asylums, &c. The industrial products are woolleu cloth, serge, fustian, hosiery, and hats.
Placentia is first mentioned as being a Roman colony, in the year 224 ac. In the second Punic war it was besieged unsuccessfully by Ilasdrubal ; it was however taken and destroyed by a baud of Ligu riana and Gauls, beaded by Hamilcar, a Carthaginian officer, after the defeat of Hasdrubal ou the Metaurus. (Livy, xxxi. ]0.) After the defeat of Hamilcar the colony of Placentia was restored. In modern history Piacenza is mentioned as one of the independent Lombard cities. It afterwards had its lords or tyrants of the families of Palla vicino, Scotti. and Landi. It next fell under the dominion of the Visconti of Milan. After the death of Filippo Maria Visconti, 1447, the citizens of Piacenza revolted against the Milanese, and placed themselves under the protection of Venice. But Francesco Sforza, being appointed commander of the Milanese, retook Piacenza, in December, 1447, when the town was given up to pillage. From that time Piacenza never recovered its former prosperity ; it remained subject to the Sfurza of Milan, was taken by the French under Louis XII., and retaken from the French by l'ope Julius 11., after which it remaiued subject to the popes, together with Parma, until 1515, when I'ope Paul III. gave it to his son Pier Luigi Faruese. From that time it has formed part of the duchy of Parma.