Pavia (Italy)

Pavia is a capital town near Milan and one of the things that makes it worldwide is, without any doubt, its very famous fur company the “Annabella”.

Now I must open a small parenthesis: as I am personally completely against the use of furs I’ll tell nothing about this company: if someone is interested in it, thanks to visit the site of the company itself, present in the Net in several languages.

THE ZONE
Closed ...
...the villages.

Pavia rises on the left shore of the Ticino and was founded more than 2,000 ago: its historical and architectural patrimony is immense, mainly if compared to the size of the town in itself, that ‘s enough small and that can be seen in no more than a weekend.

THE TOWN:
The first thing that Pavia made me think to, during my first visit was: "This town permits a high standard in life’s quality" ... more

Pavia is a capital town near Milan and one of the things that makes it worldwide is, without any doubt, its very famous fur company the “Annabella”.

Now I must open a small parenthesis: as I am personally completely against the use of furs I’ll tell nothing about this company: if someone is interested in it, thanks to visit the site of the company itself, present in the Net in several languages.

THE ZONE
Closed the parenthesis, we can spoke a bit about this ancient and quite singular city, situated in one of the most fascinating zones of northern Italy, the so called Lomellina.

This zone at the confluence of three rivers (the Po the Sesia and the Ticino) is particularly reach in medieval castles, fortresses and towers, churches, abbeys, archeological sites and small villages also full of interesting antiquities.

The reason of this not so common crowding of medieval rests is the fact that Lomellina was a very important strategically zone, and it was the theatre of a great number of battles, while the feudal organization increased the construction of a great number of castles, towers and fortresses to protect the villages.

Pavia rises on the left shore of the Ticino and was founded more than 2,000 ago: its historical and architectural patrimony is immense, mainly if compared to the size of the town in itself, that ‘s enough small and that can be seen in no more than a weekend.

THE TOWN:
The first thing that Pavia made me think to, during my first visit was: "This town permits a high standard in life’s quality" and it isn’t a case if, in the list that each year classifies the Italian towns basing on the worse or better quality of life they offer, Pavia is always at the top of the table fighting against Belluno for the first position.

The things that personally enchant me about this town are the original medieval walls, the ancient narrow streets made of rounded stones (the city is an unbroken succession of descents and slopes) with at the side a species of low and ample stairs (the part of the street where in the past the horsemen walked) and the houses with the preserved ancient fronts: the whole town and its atmosphere gives the visitor the idea to be plunged in the medieval age.

The ancient town, the medieval part of Pavia, can be visited only by feet, with a walk of no more than 2 or 3 hours and if you want I could be your virtual guide in this small sightseeing. The only advice I can give you is not to wear high-healed shoes (I did it, and I can assure that this is an experience I’ll never forget!).

SMALL SIGHTSEEING OF THE TOWN INSIDE THE ANCIENT WALLS:
Starting from the “Visconteo Castle”, situated at north of the town and founded by the Viscount Galeazzo II during the second half of the XIV century with the wonderful church of “San Pietro in Ciel D’Oro” (Saint Peter in the Golden Sky), a Romanesque church (XII century), and one pf the best of the whole Pavia.

Going straight ahead along the so called “New road” there is the Civic Theatre (built around the 1,771) with its interesting façade and then, in the near Leonardo square (beyond the university) there are: the Great Classroom (1,850), the ancient St. Matthew hospital (around 1,400), the modern Crypt of Sant’Eusebio joined with an ancient Aryan cathedral (VII century), and 3 Medieval Towers, a sad remaining of the numerous towers that crowded Pavia in the past, when it was known as "The City of the One hundred Towers".

Proceeding in Mazzini Street it is possible to see the “Mezzabarba Building”, the formal town centre from the 1875, and at the end of the road the “Square of the Victory”, that was the town centre up to 1875, with the Domus Rubea (Red House) of the XIV century and the Cathedral from the Broletto with the bell tower.

From the north side of the Cathedral it is possible to arrive to the rests of the Civic Tower, the one that crashed on itself in 1989, and to Cathedral Place, with its enchanting façade made with polychromes marbles.

The north side of the church gives on Piazzetta Azzani and Garibaldi Course that go to the Romanesque church of the SS. Primo and Feliciano.

Other places that deserve a visit, always inside the ancient walls, are S. Maria del Carmine, a Gothic church and the district called “Suburb Ticino”, with the church of Santa Maria in Betlem.

AROUND THE TOWN:
With the Suburb Ticino district, the tour of the historical medieval centre is finished, but of course there are other things to see in this wonderful town and out of the town itself, for example a lot of small villages with famous monasteries and castle (like Bereguardo and Belgioioso) and a naturalistic itinerary: the S. Alessio Oasis near the town of S. Genesio e Uniti.

Another town near Pavia that certainly deserves a visit (and another opinion, because there are too much things to tell about) is Vigevano, another wonderful small medieval town.

SOMETHING MORE:
Pavia is a wonderful place from the architectural side and for its peculiarity to be a small, quite, lazy town where the quality of life is very high but we are speaking in any case about a town that stands in a country zone.

Pavia isn't a touristic town but an universitary one, and it is usually visited from people who live in the sorroundings during short tours.
If you decide to visit it, I suggest to find an accomodation in Milan, also because the nightlife in Pavia is something really poor, quite inexistent.

To reach Pavia:
Highway A7 the Milan-Genoa
Up to Bereguardo or Gropello

Highway 21 the Tourin-Piacenza-Brescia
Up to Casteggio or Stradella

With the train:
Milan-Genua or La Spezia-Ventimiglia

With buses:
From Milan
Buses at the stop of Famagosta on the green underground line

From Voghera:
Bus station beyond the train station

Pavia stands at 58 km from LINATE and 85 km from MALPENSA.
Buses from both the airport at the Central Station of Milan.
 

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