The first house of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles is located in Piacenza and today constitutes the so-called mother house of the Scalabrinian religious, also known as the Cristoforo Colombo Institute. The architectural complex, developed around two cloisters,

one of which dates back to the 17th century, is located in the heart of Piacenza and includes the Scalabrini Museum and Art Gallery, the Scalabrini Emigration Museum, inaugurated in recent years. Attached to the complex is the Church of San Carlo, where migrants from the Diocese of Piacenza gather for celebrations.

Established thanks to donations that started immediately after the death of Giovanni Battista Scalabrini (1905), the Scalabrini Museum and Art Gallery features relics from the bishop’s life and, as regards the oldest part, about one hundred items dating from the 16th century to the present day. Of particular note is the portrait of Giovanni Battista Scalabrini due to Luigi Morgari, also the author of some of the sketches for the neo-medieval decorations of the cathedral displayed in the gallery, together with those of Eugenio Cisterna.

Among the ancient paintings is a painting of St Peter the Apostle attributed to Guercino.  The museum also houses objects that belonged to the bishop.