Summer in Belnome - Aperitif with piffero and traditional dances (San Bernardo)

A Mountain Festival in the Heart of the Quattro Province

In the hamlet of Belnome, a tiny village in the municipality of Ottone in the province of Piacenza, summer culminates each year with the feast of San Bernardo, the patron saint of mountain communities. Perched at 895 meters above sea level between the Lesima and Alfeo mountains, in the heart of Val Boreca and the Upper Trebbia Valley, Belnome is located exactly on the border between four provinces — Piacenza, Pavia, Alessandria, and Genoa — the territory historically known as the Quattro Province.

The Aperitif of August 20th

August 20th is the day dedicated to San Bernardo: the aperitif with piffero and traditional dances kicks off the festivities in the early afternoon, when musicians and guests — many of whom come from the Piacenza and Liguria areas — gather in the village square. Here, the Apennine piffero and the accordion, instruments with roots in these mountains, accompany the traditional dances of the Quattro Province.

The Music of the Apennine Piffero

The piffero is the main instrument of the music in this culturally homogeneous area formed by the mountain valleys of Pavia, Alessandria, Genoa, and Piacenza. Composed of a reed pipe, a conical tube, and a final bell, it dialogues with the accordion to create polkas, mazurkas, and the dance of the piani. In Belnome, as in nearby hamlets, even the smallest villages preserve their own dance hall, where village festivals are held in the summer.

From the Square to the Pizzonero Chestnut Grove

The San Bernardo festivities continue in a traveling manner: after the aperitif, the group walks along a shaded path through the woods towards Pizzonero, playing and singing. They arrive at the village for dinner and to dance until late at night under a centuries-old chestnut tree, before returning to Belnome. It is one of the most cherished traditions of the Piacenza Apennines, capable of attracting many enthusiasts every year despite the isolation of the place.

Summer in Belnome

The San Bernardo aperitif is part of the Summer in Belnome calendar, a series of events that liven up the hamlet between August and September with live music, social dinners, tastings of typical products, and entertainment. A small but significant bastion of life and tradition in a village inhabited mainly during the summer months, in Emilia-Romagna, at the extreme southwestern border of the region.