Travo

The village of Travo, which today numbers just over 2,000 inhabitants, has a history stretching back thousands of years: from the distant Neolithic period dating back to the fifth millennium B.C. to the arrival of the Ancient Romans, from the Longobard invasion to feudalism and on to the dominations by the various families in the area. The Archaeological Park of the Neolithic village of Travo, created in 2006 and enlarged with full-scale reconstructions of buildings, protects and promotes one of the most important prehistoric sites identified in northern Italy, where archaeological excavations are still being organised.
In the village, the Castle of Travo is a dominant presence, built by the Malaspina family in the 12th century and then taken over by the Anguissola family. Donated to the municipality in 1978, it now houses the Civic Archaeological Museum. For years it was the summer home of Giana Anguissola, an important 20th-century writer from Piacenza, to whom the National Literary Competition of unpublished novels and short stories for children, founded in 2010, is dedicated. The variety of cultural proposals in Travo is part of a precise strategy that also includes the promotion of its architectural and environmental heritage. In fact, Travo is a centre of primary importance in the province and especially in the Trebbia Valley, with thousands of tourists arriving in the summer.