Scotti (Scoto) or Scotti Douglas or Douglas Scotti is an ancient and noble family from Piacenza.
The founder of the family was the noble David, in the twelfth century. Rich merchants, acquired since the thirteenth century vast estates and had important exponents in the government of the city of Piacenza.
The family was feudal in the fifteenth century, the counties of Agazzano and Vigoleno whose rights were also recognized by the Visconti with whom they had several clashes.
The Scotti family joined the Gonzaga family thanks to the marriage of Giovanni Maria Scotti, count of Vigoleno, with Luigia Gonzaga, daughter of Francesco I, of the cadet line of Novellara, giving life to the Scotti-Gonzaga family.
In 1414 Emperor Sigismund had the title Douglas in memory of the old Scottish claim of the family, which was divided into some branches, including:
* Douglas Scotti of Sarmato
* Douglas Scotti of Vigoleno
The family counts among its most illustrious exponents:
* Giovanni Scotti (13th century), merchant and wealthy landowner:
* Alberto Scotti (1270-1318), lord of Piacenza in 1290;
* Francesco Scotti (XIV century), podestà of Bologna;
* Alberto II Scotti (XV century), lord of Fiorenzuola;
* Ranuccio Scotti Douglas (1597-1659), bishop of Fidenza
In Piacenza, the basilica of San Giovanni in Canale, founded in 1220 by the Dominicans, preserves a painted tomb and the large sarcophagus of the Scotti family.