Lombardia: Pavia

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Pavia is another town with a great historic center. You have to get through the outskirts to get to the lovely core….but, once there you’ll find some treasures. The city was at one time known as the city of 100 towers. Noble families attempted to stay ahead of each other by building the better house and the tall, taller and tallest towers….the taller the tower the greater the riches/wealth. You’ll see remnants of this in the medieval center. The main street in this area is the Strada Nuova. You’ll find numerous palaces along this strada with the Castello Visconteo at one end and the Ponte Coperto (covered bridge - 1354) at the other end (on the banks of the Ticino River). The Castello Visconteo was built in 1360 and is today the Museo Civico (Civic Museum). The museum contains sculptures, a picture gallery and archaeological finds. San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro (10^th century church) has a Romanesque interior and a beautiful sculpture of the Arca di Sant’Agostino at the altar (said to contain the relics of St. Augustine). The Basilica di San Michele was founded in the 7^th century (lots of work was done after that however). The church is an example of the Lombard Romanesque style. The façade has interesting sculptures and reliefs. Inside the church there are frescoes (the apse has a fresco depicting the Coronation of the Virgin), a mosaic floor, carved columns and unique friezes. The Renaissance duomo has one of Italy’s grandest — largest domes (added in 1880). The "Adoration of the Magi" by Crespi is located in the entryway of the cathedral. Until 1989 there was an 11^th century clock tower next to the duomo. It collapsed one day in March and four people were buried. The Bishop’s Palace is just opposite (16^th century). The 12^th century town hall (Broletto) overlooks the Piazza Vittoria (which adjoins the Piazza Leonardo da Vinci). The Certosa di Pavia is located just north of Pavia. It is a Carthusian Monastery. The façade is ornate with sculptures, statues, marble, Roman medallions, garlands and other breathtaking ornamentation. Interestingly, the façade is unfinished (the upper part). Inside, there are paintings, frescoes, a lovely altar, marble decorations, a fountain and two cloisters (the first one small and the second one larger). In the smaller cloister there are marble columns, terracotta decorations and a pretty fountain. In the larger you’ll see the monks cells which are still in use (albeit by Cistercian monks). Market days are Wednesday and Saturday in Pavia.