Fidenza

Fidenza (Parmigiano: Fidénsa, locally Bùragh) is a town and comune (municipality) in the province of Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It has around 27,000 inhabitants. The town was renamed Fidenza in 1927, recalling its Roman name of Fidentia; before, it was called Borgo San Donnino (Parmigiano: Bórgh San Donén). The town originates from a Roman camp (Fidentia) founded on the place where the Ananes Gauls had their settlement of Vicumvia (Latin: Victumviae or Victumulae). In 41 BC, it received the Roman citizenship and became a municipium. In the 5th century, it was destroyed by Constantine I. From 1092 to 1100, Borgo San Donnino was the seat of King Conrad II of Italy. In the same year, it became a commune, confirmed in 1162 by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who entrusted it to the Pallavicino family of Piacenza. In 1199, it was conquered by Parma, but was freed in 1221 by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. In 1268 the city was however destroyed by the troops of Parma. It was rebuilt around 1300; from 1346 to 1447, it was under a discontinuous lordship of the Visconti of Milan. In 1449, it was conquered by the new Milanese lords, the Sforza, who held it until 1499. After the date, it continued to change move to an autonomous state to the subjection to Parma until 1556, when it became part of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. After a period under France during the Napoleonic Wars, it was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont in 1859, during the unification of Italy. The city underwent a large program of expansion during the Fascist government of Italy. It changed its name from Borgo Donnino to Fidenza in 1927. In May 1944, the city was bombed by Allied planes and nearly destroyed. In the Spring 1945, the German occupation troops perpetrated several massacres, such as that of the Carzole and of Via Baracca. It was conquered by the Allies on 26 April 1945.

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Fidenza is it’s a stopover point on The Via Francigena. You can reach Civitas Vaticana - Città del Vaticano in 27 days.