Piacenza Architour

The event consisted of a pleasant and free evening bike ride, featuring stops at some of the most emblematic sites of Piacenza's architectural culture. The tour started and ended at the Arata Campus of the Politecnico di Milano's Piacenza Territorial Campus.

Leading the group of around fifty cyclists on a journey through the city's landmark architecture was Stefano Stabilini, Professor of Urban Planning at the Politecnico di Milano. Reflecting on the significance of the initiative, he commented:

"We often experience our cities without fully appreciating the identity and history of their places and spaces. This is why an initiative such as the ArchiTour, besides being an enjoyable opportunity for the Politecnico community in Piacenza to come together, also becomes an innovative and stimulating educational experience. We cycled more than 20 kilometres, allowing ourselves to be fascinated by what the city's architecture, from different historical periods, can convey to us.

I would like to highlight two aspects in particular. First, the enthusiastic participation of several international students. Seeing the curiosity and surprise with which they listen to stories about urban development and project dynamics is extraordinarily engaging.

The second aspect is that this year the initiative, organised in collaboration with the Environmental Sustainability Unit of the Politecnico di Milano, was included in the programme of the Sustainable Development Festival. It is particularly inspiring to connect a cultural initiative focused on architecture and urban issues with an idea of experiencing the city in a sustainable, democratic, ecological, and participatory way. The bicycle is the ideal means of exploring our architecture, which bears witness to urban history while also serving as a foundation for the future."

Before the departure, to emphasise the initiative's strong connection with sustainable mobility, participants received a digital information sheet presenting data on active mobility at the Piacenza Campus.

The document, prepared by the University's Mobility Manager in collaboration with the Environmental Sustainability Unit, can be downloaded HERE.