Pavia
Located next to the River Ticino, not so far from its confluence in the River Po, Pavia is the county seat of a fertile District, mainly oriented to farming, to viticulture, and to culture of rice and cereals. Its noble origins come from pre-Roman tribes.
Certosa of Pavia.
Ticinum, as it was called by Romans, had become the capital city of the Langobardic Realm. Pavia, in the Middle Age, had been the seat of one of the most ancient Italian Athenaeum. Its ancient origins have devised a remarkable artistic heritage, like the Museum hosted into the wonderful Visconti Castle, the Almo Borromeo College, the Basilica of San Michele Maggiore, the Basilica of San Teodoro, San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro, the Duomo, Santa Maria del Carmine, besides the Malaspina Art Gallery, the Bottigella Palace, and the Covered Bridge over the River Ticino. Few kilometres from there, then, there is the wonderful Certosa of Pavia.
Vigevano
Vigevano from the District of Pavia, is a part of the metropolitan area of Milan.
Although the origins of this pleasant location are uncertain, it is believed those to be quite ancient. Afterward fortifying the hamlet, in the XII Century it has been fortified further. Vigevano reached its peak during the Visconti’s and Sforza’s rule, becoming an elegant ducal residency and important trade centre.
Ducale Square Vigevano
Having been oriented to manufacture since a long time, in Vigevano, in 1866, the first Italian shoe factory arose.
The Duomo of Vigevano looks toward one of the sides of the lovely and elegant Piazza Ducale, which shows its Renaissance style; its construction was begun in 1532 by Francesco II Sforza. Piazza Ducale, 48 metres by 134 metres, is the natural prelude to the Ducal Palace. Nevertheless, amongst the complex of edifices in the Sforza Castle, there is also the famous Bramante Renaissance Tower, whose construction had begun in 1198 and went on at various times, and which represents, today, one of the symbols of Vigevano.
