A guidebook for your stay
Our favorite places to eat
2 min drive. Located in the our little town and only a 10 minute walk down from the house, this restaurant serves typical fare but with a bit more variety than the other local spots.
Great for lunch or dinner, their food is consistently good and it gets quite a bit of atmosphere as its one of the local favourites.
Try the "antipasti misto" for a nice appetizer spread of local cured meats, cheeses and tasty bites. They are closed on Wednesdays. For weekends, we recommend making a reservation a few days in advanced.
Osteria del Sole
15 Piazza Vittorio Veneto2 min drive. Located in the our little town and only a 10 minute walk down from the house, this restaurant serves typical fare but with a bit more variety than the other local spots.
Great for lunch or dinner, their food is consistently good and it gets quite a bit of atmosphere as its one of the local favourites.
Try the "antipasti misto" for a nice appetizer spread of local cured meats, cheeses and tasty bites. They are closed on Wednesdays. For weekends, we recommend making a reservation a few days in advanced.
10 min drive. This is one of our favourite local restaurants with panoramic views and traditional regional Italian food. It is a casual place with a simple menu at honest prices. Highly recommend the pastas (try the tortelli!) which are all hand made and very traditional recipes of this area. They are closed on Thursdays. For weekends, we recommend making a reservation a few days in advanced.
Trattoria Dei Pastori
13 Località Pastori10 min drive. This is one of our favourite local restaurants with panoramic views and traditional regional Italian food. It is a casual place with a simple menu at honest prices. Highly recommend the pastas (try the tortelli!) which are all hand made and very traditional recipes of this area. They are closed on Thursdays. For weekends, we recommend making a reservation a few days in advanced.
Our favorite places to have a drink/ apperitivo
Simo's palate, run by Simona, is a cozy wine bar with a great selection of wine, some popular cocktails and good music. She also serves some tasty snacks and raw fish and oyster dishes on the weekends.
You can sit outside and enjoy people watching in the piazza. It is especially busy on the weekends and there are occasionally live music events happening in the summer evenings.
SIMO'S PALATE
1 Piazza TrentoSimo's palate, run by Simona, is a cozy wine bar with a great selection of wine, some popular cocktails and good music. She also serves some tasty snacks and raw fish and oyster dishes on the weekends.
You can sit outside and enjoy people watching in the piazza. It is especially busy on the weekends and there are occasionally live music events happening in the summer evenings.
Barrio Cafè is THE local bar of Travo. They are the pit stop for locals and visitors alike. Located in the heart of town, it serves the typical Italian breakfast (coffee and brioche), bar fare throughout the day (panino, burger, etc) and cocktails, beer, wine all throughout the day. They have a dj playing good tunes on the weekends in the summer and a TV inside usually showing some sports. This is where the locals meet for a coffee and chat and a good place to people watch and meet some new friends.
Marco, one of the bar tenders, speaks english and is very welcoming and friendly. They also have a "tabbacheria" inside where you can buy cigarettes as well as simple toiletries and miscelalneous items.
Barrio Cafè
4 Piazza Vittorio VenetoBarrio Cafè is THE local bar of Travo. They are the pit stop for locals and visitors alike. Located in the heart of town, it serves the typical Italian breakfast (coffee and brioche), bar fare throughout the day (panino, burger, etc) and cocktails, beer, wine all throughout the day. They have a dj playing good tunes on the weekends in the summer and a TV inside usually showing some sports. This is where the locals meet for a coffee and chat and a good place to people watch and meet some new friends.
Marco, one of the bar tenders, speaks english and is very welcoming and friendly. They also have a "tabbacheria" inside where you can buy cigarettes as well as simple toiletries and miscelalneous items.
City/town information
Located 25 min drive south from us, Bobbio has been known since the Middle Ages as the "Montecassino of the North" for the fame of its Abbey which, founded in 614 by the Irish monk San Colombano, was one of the main spiritual and cultural centers of the Italian peninsula.
In 1014, Bobbio also acquired the title of city, conferred with an imperial bull by Henry II and became a bishopric, remaining an autonomous diocese until the end of the 1980s.
Of the glories of the past, Bobbio preserves the medieval flavor of its village, made up of narrow streets, stone houses and stately buildings, grown around the monastery, which, together with the evocative natural landscapes of the valley, make it one of the main holiday resorts of Piacenza.
All seasons are suggestive to appreciate this medieval village especially from the landscape point of view, characterized by the scenographic background of the Trebbia Valley. However, summer is the season in which it is possible to see Bobbio, in the unusual guise of a seaside resort, teeming with swimmers attracted by the fresh and refreshing waters of the river and by the opportunity to enjoy the sun.
55 locals recommend
Bobbio
Located 25 min drive south from us, Bobbio has been known since the Middle Ages as the "Montecassino of the North" for the fame of its Abbey which, founded in 614 by the Irish monk San Colombano, was one of the main spiritual and cultural centers of the Italian peninsula.
In 1014, Bobbio also acquired the title of city, conferred with an imperial bull by Henry II and became a bishopric, remaining an autonomous diocese until the end of the 1980s.
Of the glories of the past, Bobbio preserves the medieval flavor of its village, made up of narrow streets, stone houses and stately buildings, grown around the monastery, which, together with the evocative natural landscapes of the valley, make it one of the main holiday resorts of Piacenza.
All seasons are suggestive to appreciate this medieval village especially from the landscape point of view, characterized by the scenographic background of the Trebbia Valley. However, summer is the season in which it is possible to see Bobbio, in the unusual guise of a seaside resort, teeming with swimmers attracted by the fresh and refreshing waters of the river and by the opportunity to enjoy the sun.
Travo is the small town in which we live! Although it is a small and relatively quiet town, we are strategically situated close to many great places to visit and surrounded by beautiful nature and panoramic views.
In Travo there are various possibilities to practice sports in dedicated structures or in the open air. In fact, not far from the center, it has a sports center that groups football fields, tennis and swimming pool for the summer season.
The area around Travo is full of hiking trails and sees the two peaks that dominate the valley as essential stops: Pietra Perduca (659 m) and Pietra Parcellara (836 m), characterized by the presence of ophiolithic rocks, traditionally called del Diavolo .
In the locality of Cernusca (4.6 km) there is a riding school that offers riding courses and horseback riding for children and adults.
The ideal period to visit Travo is the summer, when the village comes alive with the many daily vacationers; pleasant to walk along the Trebbia river along the 'path of the gods', so called because according to a legend it led to the ancient temple of Minerva Medica.
10 locals recommend
Travo
Travo is the small town in which we live! Although it is a small and relatively quiet town, we are strategically situated close to many great places to visit and surrounded by beautiful nature and panoramic views.
In Travo there are various possibilities to practice sports in dedicated structures or in the open air. In fact, not far from the center, it has a sports center that groups football fields, tennis and swimming pool for the summer season.
The area around Travo is full of hiking trails and sees the two peaks that dominate the valley as essential stops: Pietra Perduca (659 m) and Pietra Parcellara (836 m), characterized by the presence of ophiolithic rocks, traditionally called del Diavolo .
In the locality of Cernusca (4.6 km) there is a riding school that offers riding courses and horseback riding for children and adults.
The ideal period to visit Travo is the summer, when the village comes alive with the many daily vacationers; pleasant to walk along the Trebbia river along the 'path of the gods', so called because according to a legend it led to the ancient temple of Minerva Medica.
Driving 15 minutes north from Travo is Rivergaro. The best time to spend free time in Rivergaro is summer, when the village offers shelter from the summer heat to numerous day tourists thanks to the equipped area along the river and the many initiatives organized by the various local associations.
You cannot leave Rivergaro without first taking a stroll through the streets of the historic center, with its winding streets, stone houses and a splendid stately villa.
For those looking for recreation and refreshment, the River Park water park offers games and water slides for all ages.
8 locals recommend
Rivergaro
Driving 15 minutes north from Travo is Rivergaro. The best time to spend free time in Rivergaro is summer, when the village offers shelter from the summer heat to numerous day tourists thanks to the equipped area along the river and the many initiatives organized by the various local associations.
You cannot leave Rivergaro without first taking a stroll through the streets of the historic center, with its winding streets, stone houses and a splendid stately villa.
For those looking for recreation and refreshment, the River Park water park offers games and water slides for all ages.
Neighborhoods
Continue your journey through Val Trebbia with a stop at a small village just a few minutes’ drive from Bobbio: Brugnello, better known as “The Artists’ Village”.
This tiny cluster of stone houses is perched on the top of a 464-metre rocky spur jutting above the Trebbia River.
The origins of this hamlet date back to 560 A.D. Today it’s inhabited by artists restoring its houses and streets, hand-carving each home’s shutters and using local stone to decorate the lanes and make chairs and benches.
The best is yet to come, though. The terrace running round the church provides brilliant views of the looping Trebbia River, a most unique panorama.
9 locals recommend
Brugnello
Continue your journey through Val Trebbia with a stop at a small village just a few minutes’ drive from Bobbio: Brugnello, better known as “The Artists’ Village”.
This tiny cluster of stone houses is perched on the top of a 464-metre rocky spur jutting above the Trebbia River.
The origins of this hamlet date back to 560 A.D. Today it’s inhabited by artists restoring its houses and streets, hand-carving each home’s shutters and using local stone to decorate the lanes and make chairs and benches.
The best is yet to come, though. The terrace running round the church provides brilliant views of the looping Trebbia River, a most unique panorama.
Sightseeing
30 min drive. The Castle of Momeliano or Castel Basini, from the name of the owners, would go back, according to some historical sources, to 1300. Over the years it has often passed in the hands of several owners. Its current state of preservation is good and is open to tourists.
Castello di Momeliano
Castello di Momeliano30 min drive. The Castle of Momeliano or Castel Basini, from the name of the owners, would go back, according to some historical sources, to 1300. Over the years it has often passed in the hands of several owners. Its current state of preservation is good and is open to tourists.
25 min drive. The fortified borough surrounds the castle, and still has its original medieval structure. The watchtower dating back to the 11th century welcomes visitors, who can can find cafes and restaurants here, and interesting places to visit such as the parish church of S. Martin of the 15th century and the castle built in the Middle Ages.
Strolling through the small streets of the town you can have a glance at the castle tower, crowned by an unusual roof, which dominated the river.
The castles of Rivalta, Statto, and the castles placed on the opposite bank of the river Trebbia, Montechiaro and Rivergaro, were located here in fact to watch over the entrance into the Trebbia Valley of the ancient Caminus Ianuae, an important road of communication going towards Genova and the sea.
The fort dates back to the 11th century; it belonged to Malaspina's family and in the 14th century became a Landi property and then it passed in the late 19th century to the Earls Zanardi Landi. The rich manor, still a private property, is surrounded by a magnificent park, and has had among its usual guests the British royal family. The castle is open to visitors. It's associated with the Castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza.
In the restaurants of Rivalta, the wooden framed roofs and the ancient chimneys create the right atmosphere for visitors to taste traditional meals such as: tortelli con la coda, pasta wrapped round ricotta and spinach and twisted at the ends, pissarei e fasö, small pasta with beans, anolini, pasta stuffed with meat, cured meats with a secret name, salame, coppa and pancetta piacentina PDO. roasted pork and beef, all washed down by the wines of the Colli piacentini, especially the celebrated Gutturnio Doc.
Rivalta is located along the road Gourmet Food and Wine Trail of Colli Piacentini.
13 locals recommend
Rivalta Castle
di Strada Comunale25 min drive. The fortified borough surrounds the castle, and still has its original medieval structure. The watchtower dating back to the 11th century welcomes visitors, who can can find cafes and restaurants here, and interesting places to visit such as the parish church of S. Martin of the 15th century and the castle built in the Middle Ages.
Strolling through the small streets of the town you can have a glance at the castle tower, crowned by an unusual roof, which dominated the river.
The castles of Rivalta, Statto, and the castles placed on the opposite bank of the river Trebbia, Montechiaro and Rivergaro, were located here in fact to watch over the entrance into the Trebbia Valley of the ancient Caminus Ianuae, an important road of communication going towards Genova and the sea.
The fort dates back to the 11th century; it belonged to Malaspina's family and in the 14th century became a Landi property and then it passed in the late 19th century to the Earls Zanardi Landi. The rich manor, still a private property, is surrounded by a magnificent park, and has had among its usual guests the British royal family. The castle is open to visitors. It's associated with the Castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza.
In the restaurants of Rivalta, the wooden framed roofs and the ancient chimneys create the right atmosphere for visitors to taste traditional meals such as: tortelli con la coda, pasta wrapped round ricotta and spinach and twisted at the ends, pissarei e fasö, small pasta with beans, anolini, pasta stuffed with meat, cured meats with a secret name, salame, coppa and pancetta piacentina PDO. roasted pork and beef, all washed down by the wines of the Colli piacentini, especially the celebrated Gutturnio Doc.
Rivalta is located along the road Gourmet Food and Wine Trail of Colli Piacentini.
27 min.The history of Grazzano is linked for centuries to that of the Anguissola family, but it is Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone, a brilliant and cultured Milanese nobleman, who at the beginning of the 1900s decided to create a picturesque village with a medieval appearance. A rare example of revivalist architecture (in vogue in Europe between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries), combined with a passion for scenography and costumes and a love for traditions is what allows the visitor still today to feel catapulted back in time by at least 700 years.
32 locals recommend
Grazzano Visconti
27 min.The history of Grazzano is linked for centuries to that of the Anguissola family, but it is Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone, a brilliant and cultured Milanese nobleman, who at the beginning of the 1900s decided to create a picturesque village with a medieval appearance. A rare example of revivalist architecture (in vogue in Europe between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries), combined with a passion for scenography and costumes and a love for traditions is what allows the visitor still today to feel catapulted back in time by at least 700 years.
Traveler advice
Don't miss
Traveling through Lands and Landscapes of wine
Taste and discover the territory for a real food & wine experience.
https://www.stradadeicollipiacentini.it/
Don't miss
Val Trebbia- The river and its surroundings
https://emiliaromagnaturismo.it/en/itineraries/hemingways-val-trebbia
It is said that Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel Prize winning writer with a passion for safaris, boxing and bullfighting, called Val Trebbia “the most beautiful valley in the world”.
The sources of this legend are uncertain, lost through years of retellings.
What is certain is that Hemingway did actually cross this valley in 1945 as a journalist following a motorcade of liberation troops and was struck by the beauty of the river furrowing its way down the green slopes and flowing off into the distance towards the sea.