Il pellegrinaggio in Emilia occidentale tra tarda antichità e medioevo: Piacenza e Bobbio (IV-XI secolo)

The paper examines the complex role of Piacenza and its territory in relation to the pilgrimage. This relationship, favoured by a pivotal position along important communication routes between the Po Valley and central Italy, implies various aspects: 1) the attestations of Piacenza’s citizens undertaking pilgrimage, which also prompts to consider hagiographic accounts; 2) the evaluation of Piacenza as a pilgrimage destination, with particular reference to the two main religious centres, lying outside city walls, that, between the Late Antique and Early Medieval Ages, housed holy bodies, namely San Savino and Sant’Antonino; 3) the role played by the city as a stage of pilgrimage, especially in reference to the presence of saints passing by; 4) the function fulfilled by the monasteries, both urban and in the territory, in particular the internationally renowned abbey of Bobbio, as places of veneration, but also as centres capable of activating hospitals and places of assistance for pilgrims and the needy.