In the heart of Northern Italy, there is Fidenza, a town located along Via Emilia and in ancient times close to the river Stirone. The city was founded by the Romans with the name of Fidentia but during the 3rd century b.C. the town lost importance and was renamed as Fidentiola; after the fall of the Roman Empire, the unfortunate roman city, was repeatedly attacked by barbarians. In the Middleages, from the ashes of the Roman settlement, there rose up a new town called Borgo San Donnino, developed around the church of the namesake Saint until 1927, when returned to the ancient Roman naming. But who was San Donnino? His life is illustrated in the beautiful frieze in the church dedicated to him, made by Benedetto Antelami, also famous for the Baptistery of Parma. According to tradition, he was a "cubicolario" (a main official of the Emperor) but after converting to Christianity, the Emperor Maximilian didn’t appreciate and sentenced him to death in 291 d.C. Donnino was then forced to leave Germany and came to Italy; while he was in Fidenza, was reached and decapitated. But the Saint, despite being dead, wanted to choose the place of burial, and once rose up, took the head in his hands and walked across the river, lying exactly in the place where was built the church. In the Middleage, the city was disputed between Parma and Piacenza, and was repeatedly attacked and destroyed; aldo the church of San Donnino was rebuilt several times and his remains were temporarily moved to the nearby church and then return to his crypt. Talking abput politics, in the late Middleage, Fidenza was dominated by Visconti and Pallavicino families and later annexed in 1556 to the Duchy of Parma, becoming possession of Farnese family.
Discover this ancient city and pay homage to the poor San Donnino! How is it possible?? Riding our bikes and choosing our tour that takes you from Pavia to Lucca!