Bacchus amat colles (Bacchus loves the hills) is certainly the sentence that best denotes the great wine tradition of the Piacentino district, a land of wines from time immemorial. Its Doc Colli Piacentini involves the four valleys Tidone, Trebbia, Nure and d'Arda, rich in wine and gastronomic traditions as well as interesting historical findings and suggestive landscapes.

Val d'Arda is a vast area of the province bordering on Parma, which for the charm of its landscapes and the strong scenic effect of its environment has been chosen by important cinematographic productions.

Between Alseno, Lugagnano and Carpaneto it is a continuous succession of medieval villages, ancient cellars and historical houses framed by extensive vineyards. In Castel Nuovo Fogliano one can visit the interesting Baroque villa probably built according to the project of Vanvitelli from an already existing 13th century castle.

Climbing the road up to Bacedasco Alto one reaches Castell'Arquato, a medieval village perfectly intact and for this reason used in the famous film Lady Hawk. Clinging to a rocky spur that dominates the valley, Castell'Arquato boasts an imposing fortress with a double exterior wall, angular embattled towers and a great donjon that dominates the entrance gate. Vigolo Marchese is certainly its most important hamlet. Listed among the most ancient and famous localities of the Piacenza district, it is a small inhabited place known for its vintage wines and still more for the Romanic complex of the church and the Baptistery, two authentic masterpieces. The whole area is famous mostly for the Colli Piacentini Doc white and red wines, like Monterosso Val d'Arda, Gutturnio, Malvasia and Ortrugo. Onwards to Val Nure one reaches Gropparello. Its name is bound mainly to the picturesque castle placed precipitously on a red gabbro rock and plunged into a secular park that still today engenders local folkloristic legends.