The Centre is situated in Bulla di Monte Santo, a small village near the town of Ponte dell’Olio, 30 kilometres south of Piacenza, in the Nure valley. It’s surrounded by oak woods in a peaceful and silent environment in the Appenine foothills, just below a higher hill called Monte Santo, 600 metres above sea level.
How to reach us:
By car: exit the highway at Piacenza Sud (south), then follow directions for tangenziale sud, then STADIO: exit the “tangenziale” at the sign STADIO BETTOLA, GRAZZANO VISCONTI, then keep your left, do the roundabout and follow the signs for VAL NURE. Drive on for 30km until you reach a little village called Biana, five km after the town of Pontedellolio. Get off the main road when you reach a little church on your left and go up 200 m. At the next crossroads follow the sign for Montesanto, a little road uphill to the right. After 2 km you will find the sign for PIAN DEI CILIEGI.
IMPORTANT: For those arriving from Bologna we suggest you DO NOT follow your Gps because this device will tell you to exit the highway in Fiorenzuola instead of Piacenza Sud, which is the easiest route to reach the Centre.
By plane: Arriving in one of the Milan Airports (Bergamo Orio al Serio, Malpensa or Linate), take a bus/train from the airport to Milano Centrale train station (about one hour ride) and then take a train to Piacenza (another hour). From the Piacenza train station follow the instructions below.
By train: To reach the bus terminal from the train station you can either walk 10 minutes (on the left of the train station along the tracks) or take a shuttle bus (5 minutes). Take a bus to Biana (about 50 minutes) which leaves from the bus terminal (not the train station) The direction is either Bettola, Farini, or Selva (bus number E34 or E35 with a connection in Carmiano).
You can buy your ticket at the tobacconist at the train station or at the ticket office at the bus terminal, you should ask for a ticket “4 zone”, the ticket is 3.70 euros (remember to convalidate it in the bus). Nowadays is also possible to use your bancomat for paying the ticket directly on the bus, in that case select “zona 4” (area n° 4). Ask the bus driver to drop you off in Biana (which is an optional stop); please remind the driver when the bus gets to Ponte dell’Olio (after about 40 minutes, just after a bridge), as he might forget by the time you get there. Biana is about 5 minutes after Ponte dell’Olio.
If you let us know what bus you’re on we can pick you up at the bus stop. The numbers to call are : 0523/878948 (Centre) or 329-1269064 (Gianni). You can also walk up 2 km, but it’s very steep.
You can find the bus times HERE, but usually they follow this timetable:
BUS TIMETABLE UPDATED 15.09.2025
WINTER WEEKDAYS (from 15 september to 6 june)
- From the bus station to Biana (extraurban line 34):
6.45, 7.55, 9.25 (line 35 to Carmiano with change in Ponte dell’Olio), 10.25 (line 35 to Carmiano with change in Ponte dell’Olio) 11.25, 12.45 (no saturday), 12.55, 13.45 (no saturday), 13.55, 14.00 (no saturday), 15.10, 16.45, 17.45, 18.06 (no saturday), 18.45 (no saturday), 19.15, 19.50
- From Biana to the train station (until 9), later to the bus terminal LUPA (extraurban line 34):
5.26, 5.51, 6.32, 6.38 (no saturday), 6.43 (no saturday), 6.56, 7.16, 7.51, 8.26, 9.10 (change in Carmiano, line 35), 11.06 (change in Carmiano, line 35), 13.56, 14.41, 16.56 (no saturday), 17.56, 18.26, 18.56 (no saturday)
Sunday and holidays (from 15 september to 6 june)
- From the train station to Biana: 7.23 9.03 12.23 14.48 18.03 19.38
- From Biana to the train station: 7.51 11.22 13.36 16.51 18.12
N.B. The journey takes approximately 50 minutes. Biana is an optional stop between the Recesio and Molino Croce stops; you must ask the driver to let you off. The ticket costs €4.20 (€5.00 if purchased on the bus – also with a debit or credit card).
If you want to take a taxi from the train station in Piacenza the cost is about 60 euros (0523 579112).