The name Rottofreno comes from the German roth (glory) and fridu (friendship, peace, safety), thus Rothfrid means “friend of the glory”. It became Rottofredus in Latin. It is 10 Km far from Piacenza. The town of Rottofreno owes its name to the deeds of Hannibal, the famous Carthaginian General;the legend tells that Hannibal was forced to stop in the village during a military raid, because his horse’s bit broke. The word “bit” is also translated in Italian with freno.

This legend became so famous and appreciated by the inhabitants of the village that it became the source of inspiration of the town coat of arms: a horse head holding a broken bit in its mouth. Indeed, the origin of the name Rottofreno is to be found in the Germanic words roth (glory) and fridu (friendship, peace, safety): thus, Rothfrid means friend of the glory. The Lombard name became then Rottofredus in Latin and was then handed down through the centuries.