ZERBA, A TINY BORGO OF ART

Zerba - Zerba is a tiny Emilian village in the province of Piacenza; it rises to 906 meters of altitude and has just 69 inhabitants. The main church is the one dedicated to the patron Saint Michael the Archangel which stands isolated at the top of the town. The façade is in severe neoclassical style, of bare brick, adorned with columns and a triangular pediment, surmounted by three small pinnacles.

The building is documented from 1600 but has been remodeled several times over the centuries. Other valuable churches are those of San Rocco and San Giovanni Battista. Many houses in the town retain their typical stone slab cladding. The most notable monument is the cylindrical tower, the only remnant of the ancient Malaspina castle, located in a highly panoramic point and reachable only via a steep path. Only a few ruins remain of the actual castle, built in the 13th century, having already fallen into disuse at the end of the 1600s. Around the village, on the other hand, it is possible to admire sources and washhouses of ancient memory such as mills now in disuse. The old salt roads, formerly used for trade, have been transformed into nature trails for hikers.