Martina goes to Piacenza: the guide for the perfect Italian road trip.

Hi everyone! I just returned from a road trip with my fiancé, and I collected so much information for you to share as the guide for the perfect Italian road trip. We went just an hour from Milan, but it was ideal to disconnect and spend time together. We stayed in Piacenza for 4 days and in Parma for 3 days. I won't share the guide to Parma because I followed Rockandfiocc's tips. Piacenza is a small town near Milan strategically placed to visit many spectacular villages. That's why we chose Piacenza for our road trip. Everything started with Grazzano Visconti, the fairytale town where you go straight to another dimension. You'll fall in love with it because it's picturesque, with delicious food, friendly people, and a dreamy castle with an extensive park. 

The must-haves during your visit to Grazzano Visconti are: 

• A stroll around the village

• the Old Court

• a guided visit to the Castle and the park 

• looking for Aloisa's statue, the feminine and good ghost of the village

Then, you need to eat ice cream in the first coffee in the Old Court. It's one of the best ones I've ever tried. Another great place to eat is Ristorante Biscione in the village's main square. 

From Grazzano Visconti, you can book an Airbnb in Piacenza, a lovely small town. I love that you can visit it on foot. It's a quiet, clean, accessible small town to relax and spend some chill days. 

Here are my top picks to eat and drink in Piacenza: 

• Barino: great aperitif

• Panfè: excellent sweet breakfast

• Pasticceria Falicetto: the best cakes and brioches ever 

• Tigella Bella: the perfect place for an easy dinner with one of the typical plates. So good! 

• Osteria d'una Volta is the ideal informal and traditional restaurant for authentic food. 

• Charlie Restaurant: a bit more elegant restaurant to eat great food and pizza. 

Then, you'll want to visit the Duomo, Piazza Cavalli, and Palazzo Gotico, and the whole city center is a bijou. I love Piacenza because it's small and slow, exactly what I needed for my vacation. 

The other reason we picked Piacenza for our trip is that it's strategic to visit other small villages. In fact, from Piacenza, you can access many historic small towns that are an excellent alternative for a daily trip. We chose to visit Castell'Arquato and Bobbio. When in Bobbio, I was shocked at the silence I'd experienced. It's so quiet that you can hear your thoughts. I loved the monastery, the historical center, and the Old Bridge that lets you see the whole village. There is also a castle, but it was closed when we went. 

Castell'Arquato reminded me of my road trip to Umbria because it's a hamlet built on a hill. I prefer this village to Bobbio because it's more picturesque. I felt inspired by the buildings and their arrangement of plants and gardens. Also, the view from the main square is spectacular. I wish I could have this view every day of my life. I felt at peace and so happy. Here you can taste delicious ice cream at Baiocc. I'm an ice cream lover, so I taste it everywhere. Then, we had a quick lunch at La Butega with a gourmet sandwich.

That's it, everyone! I'm enjoying these slow trips so much because they give me a real chance to relax and disconnect my brain. Also, I'm glad to visit these picturesque places, taste authentic food, and escape from reality. My fiancé and I started making these slow trips a few years ago, and we love this formula because we can visit our beautiful Country, be together, and chill.