Val Nure and Chero Festival 'Splinters of History'

A festival that tells history to understand the present

The Val Nure and Chero Festival 'Splinters of History' is one of the most vibrant cultural reviews in the Piacenza Apennines. Organized by Fedro Cooperativa with the support of the Fondazione di Piacenza e Vigevano and the Emilia-Romagna Region, the festival was born in 2024 with a precise idea: to bring quality culture to where people live, in the often-overlooked villages of the valley, making history a tool for aggregation and territorial development. The common thread is encapsulated in a phrase that gives meaning to the entire review: those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it.

A widespread review across the villages of Val Nure

The festival is itinerant and travels through various Municipalities of the valley — including Bettola, Ponte dell'Olio (lead municipality), Vigolzone, Podenzano, Pontenure, Farini, and Ferriere — building a calendar that runs from June to autumn. Each event takes place in a different location: historic squares, ancient kilns, Romanesque churches, castles, farmhouses, and mountain paths become the stage for meetings, concerts, and dialogues.

Bettola, heart of Val Nure

The Municipality of Bettola, in the province of Piacenza, is one of the protagonist villages of the review. The central Piazza Colombo — dedicated according to tradition to the navigator Christopher Columbus, who according to some hypotheses had origins in these lands — hosts evening meetings with authors and historians, while the evocative Pieve di Revigozzo hosts afternoon concerts combined with guided tours and tastings of local products. Bettola, the gateway to the upper Val Nure, thus offers a perfect blend of historical heritage, nature, and cultural offerings.

What to expect

• Meetings with prominent national journalists, historians, writers, and communicators
• Concerts ranging from folk to jazz, from singer-songwriter music to tributes
• Nature excursions with live music
• Tastings of wines from the Colli Piacentini and typical Apennine products
• Guided tours of churches, castles, and historic sites in the valley

All events are designed to be accessible: admission is free until capacity is reached, with the exception of some special paid events. This formula has allowed the festival to grow edition after edition, becoming a reference point for the summer cultural programming of the province of Piacenza and the Emilia-Romagna region.