Pavia
Pavia is an ancient, interesting city just right for a one-day trip outside Milano. The old city center can easily be covered on foot: walking along the streets and squares, you can see the architectural sights from centuries and centuries of history. From the Roman Era to the Middle Ages, from the Visconti and Sforza eras to the Renaissance, from Neoclassicism to Liberty style you will see remains in Pavia..
I recommend you end your trip by seeing the wonderful Certosa di Pavia, that is 5 km outside the city, which was built around 1396 on the wishes of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milano.
Old Bridge - Photo ©
renatela
Pavia was the capital of the Longobards, it summarizes, with its architecture, the historical periods of its history; the Visconti Castle and the university buildings, the Cathedral and the church of St. Peter in Ciel d'Oro, the church of St. Michael, where the Longobard kings were once crowned and just outside, the miracle of marble of the Certosa, the authentic jewel of the Renaissance arts.
Pavia: an itinerary to visit the city
Pavia, the ancient Roman city of Ticinum, later the capital of the Longobards (571-774) and the Carolingians, at one point, overshadowed Milano in importance, then fell into decay.
What remains is a fascinating turreted city, medieval in aspect. Coming from Milano and the Certosa di Pavia, crossing Piazza Dante, we come immediately to San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, a magnificent Romanesque church of sandstone and brick, so called (a ciel d'oro n means "golden sky") because of its ceiling which was one time gilded; in it are buried St.Augustine (in a magnificent marble Tomb of 1360), Severmus Boethius and King Liutprand.
From here we pass on to the Castello Visconteo, a handsome square building with towers, crenellated walls and lovely courtyard: at present, it houses a number of collections.
Turning down Corso Cairoli, we come to the Gothic church of S. Francesco (13° century) and from here to the University, one of the oldest in Italy. Beside the University rise three medieval towers; together with the two in Via Porto these are the only ones left intact of the hundred or more which once gave Pavia its peculiar aspect.
Note also the famous Renaissance Colleges by Ghislieri, Borromeo, Castiglioni etc. From the University take Via Roma to the Painting Gallery in the Palazzo Malaspina in Piazza Petrarca: it contains an important group of works by Antonello do Messina, Giovanni Bellini, Correggio, Cima da Conegliano, Vivarlni, Foppa and others.
Castello Visconteo - Photo ©
Tamurello
Taking Via Venti Settembre and passing by the Lombard-Gothic church of S. Maria del Carmine, we reach the Renaissance Cathedral. Following Strada Nuova and Corso Garibaldi, we come upon the jewel of Pavia, the flawless church of San Michele, which is one of the most important creations of all Romanesque architecture.
Pavia: how to get there
Pavia is on the Trenitalia train line from Milano to Genoa, it takes half an hour to go from Milano to Pavia, and the trains run very frequently. There is a bus service to Linate Airport and the nearby Certosa di Pavia as well as cities and towns in Lombardy. The train and bus stations are in the west part of town and linked to the historic center by Corso Cavour. It is easy to walk in Pavia's compact center but there is local bus service, too.
Pavia is a good destination for a one day trip from Milano when the weather is good, as in wintertime there is frequently heavy fog that prevents the enjoyment of the place.
Castello Visconteo - Photo © Giorgio Gonnella (*)
Don’t miss in Pavia
- the large fortified Castello Visconteo (built in 1360 by Galeazzo II Visconti).
- The Broletto
- The Duomo di Pavia, the Cathedral was founded in 1488 and completed only in 1898, when the façade and the dome were completed according to the original design. The central dome has an octagonal plan, and stand at 97 m high, weighing some 20,000 tons. The dome of the Duomo di Pavia is the third for size in Italy, after St. Peter's Basilica and Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. Next to the Duomo were the Civic Tower (existing at least from 1330 and enlarged in 1583 by Pellegrino Tibaldi): its fall on March 17, 1989 was the final motivating force that started the efforts to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa from a similar fate.
- The covered bridge of the Ticino River.
- The
Certosa di Pavia (see the dedicated page)
(*) Photo from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
One day trips from Milan without a car:
Milan on foot
Milan - Chiaravalle Abbey
Bergamo Alta
Bologna
Isola Comacina on Lake Como
Lecco and Bellagio by boat
Como and Bellagio by boat,
Isole Borromee on Lake Maggiore
Arona, Angera on Lake Maggiore
Arona, Rocca di Angera on Lake Maggiore
Villa Taranto on Lake Maggiore
Mottarone on Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore, Arona to Stresa by boat
Stresa - Locarno, a day boat trip
The Garda Lake - a day boat trip
Pavia, the city
Pavia, the Certosa
Portofino in winter
© 1997-2010 Enrico Massetti
TangoItalia - Food, Wine, Travel, and... tango in Italy.
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