Pavia Tourist Attractions
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SituationThe old Lombard town of Pavia, now a provincial capital, lies on the River Ticino near its junction with the Po, in the western part of the north Italian plain.
University
In the center of Pavia, in the Strada Nuova, the town's main street, is the university, founded in 1361 on the basis of an earlier law school established in the 11th century. The present building was begun in the 14th-15th enturies. and enlarged in the 18th century. In the five courtyards are monuments and memorials to famous professors and students; in the second courtyard are a statue of Volta (1878) and reliefs from the tombs of professors. The library, founded about 1770, contains some 370,000 volumes. Beyond the first courtyard there is a picturesque view of three old brick towers, formerly belonging to noble families.
Santa Maria del Carmine
To the west of the university stands the huge church of Santa Maria del Carmine, an early Gothic brick structure surrounded by chapels.
Palazzo Malaspina
A short distance north of Santa Maria del Carmine, in Piazza Petrarca, stands the Palazzo Malaspina.
Broletto
Southwest of the university in Pavia is the Piazza della Vittoria, in which is the 12th century Broletto, the old Town Hall.
Cathedral
Southwest of the Broletto stands the cathedral, a building in Early Renaissance style on a centralized plan, begun by Cristoforo Rocchi in 1488 and continued with the collaboration of Amadeo and Bramante, with a dome over the crossing added in 1884-85 and a facade of 1898. Inside, note the paintings and pulpit reliefs. In the entrance is the "Adoration of the Magi", by Daniele Crespi.
Torre Civica
The 78m/257ft high brick-built tower Torre Civica (11th century), originally the clock-tower of an older church, collapsed on the morning of March 17th 1989 and buried four people.
San Teodoro
From the cathedral in Pavia we go south along Via dei Liguri and then turn right into Via Pietro Maffi to reach the Romanesque church of San Teodoro (12th century), which has frescoes including a view of Pavia (1522), immediately left, and a fine crypt (12th century).
San Michele
550m/550yd east of San Teodoro, on the far side of the Strada Nuova, is the old coronation church of San Michele (1155), in Lombard Romanesque style, with a beautiful facade (rich ornaments and figural reliefs in a series of bands, surmounted by a gabled gallery) and fine interior with a 10th century silver crucifix and remains of a mosaic floor in the presbytery.
Ponte Coperto
At the south end of the Strada Nuova, on the banks of the Ticino, is the Piazzale Ponte Ticino, from which the Ponte Coperto (built 1354, restored after war damage) leads into the suburban district of Borgo Ticino.
Castle of the Visconti
A short distance east of the Ponte Coperto, on the northeast side of Pavia stands the Castello Visconteo (1360-65), a square building with a spacious courtyard; it houses the Municipal Museum (archeological finds, sculpture) and the Picture Gallery (Pinacoteca Malaspina) with some 500 paintings, including works by Bellini, Crivelli and Correggio.
San Petro in Ciel d'Oro
A short walk from the Castello is the old convent church of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro (1132; restored 1875-99), in Lombard Romanesque style. In the choir is the splendid marble tomb (1362) of St Augustine (354-430).
Certosa di Pavia
Certosa di Pavia is an ornate Carthusian house that was founded in the late 14th C. The monastery is only open to the public by special permission.
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Castello Balduino
Castello Balduino is located at Montalto Pavese, south of Pavia, about 10km/6mi south of Casteggio via the S10 or A21.In 1909, the Balduino family bought the garden and castle and brought in Giovanni Chevalley to restore the gardens into 1735 design of Giovanni Antonio Veneroni.The garden has been successfully restored to include: fountains and garden sculpture along a narrow walk; crisp geometric shapes mostly of box and yew, and terraces that follow the bastions of the original 13th century castle.
