Gambolò is located in eastern Lomellina, on the Terdoppio, not far from the right bank of the Ticino. In a document dating back to the year 999, the name of the town appears for the first time, in the paper it is said that a certain
Ademarus de Gambolate must compensate the bishop of Vercelli Leone for the damage caused to him. The town’s castle was mentioned for the first time only in 1099, when the fortress PROTECTED the inhabitants of the village and
the surrounding countrysidE. What to see: The Litta Castle fortified around the year 1000, The Parish Church of Sant’Eusebio and San Gaudenzio, Pieve di Sant’Eusebio, The Church of the Madonna del Terdoppio.
DINTORNI
VIGEVANO
VIGEVANO IS AN IMPORTANT FOOTWEAR CENTER. TO SEE THE PIAZZA DUCALE IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SQUARES IN ITALY, DESIGNED BY BRAMANTE, IT WAS BUILT STARTING IN 1492 BY DUKE LUDOVICO IL MORO, AS AN ANTECHAMBER TO THE CASTLE. ONE OF THE FIRST EXAMPLES OF A RENAISSANCE SQUARE CONCEIVED AS A UNITARY ARCHITECTURAL WORK. THE TORRE DEL BRAMANTE BUILT SEVERAL TIMES, iS THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE CITY; IN FACT ITS CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 1198 AND CONTINUED UNTIL THE END OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
PAVIA
Pavia is a province in Lombardy, it is located in the lower part of the Po Valley and is located near the confluence of the Ticino and the Po river.
WHAT To see: THE “Ponte Coperto” connects the historic center of Pavia to the Borgo Ticino district. The current building, inaugurated in 1951 by the President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi, is actually the reconstruction of a pre-existing medieval bridge that was severely damaged during the bombings of 1944 and demolished after the war (1949). The current building has 5 arches and is 182 meters long. In Pavia you should also see the Cathedral, the Romanesque churches of San Michele and San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro and the Visconteo castle dating back to 1360.
Certosa di Pavia
IT RISES ABOUT 8 KM FROM PAVIA AND WAS BUILT AT THE BEHEST OF GIAN GALEAZZO VISCONTI, FIRST DUKE OF MILAN. ITS CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 1396 AND ENDED IN 1542, DUE TO NUMEROUS RETOUCHING AND MODIFICATIONS. THE CHURCH REPRESENTS A SINGULAR COMBINATION OF GOTHIC AND RENAISSANCE ELEMENTS RANGING? FROM SPIRES, ARCHES AND OPENWORK. THE INTERIOR HAS THREE NAVES DIVIDED BY PILLARS AND FLANKED BY 14 SIDE CHAPELS. THE CONVENT OF THE MONKS IS ARTICULATED AROUND THE 2 CLOISTERS: ON THE LARGE ONE THERE ARE THE 23 CELLS IN WHICH THE MONKS DEDICATED their time TO MANUAL WORK, TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES AND TO MEDITATION. IN THE SMALL CLOISTER THE ELEMENTS OF COMMON LIFE ARE CONCENTRATED AND IT IS CONNECTED WITH THE CHURCH.
Oltrepò
Vast area, whose most important center is Voghera, a hilly and a mountain area.
WHAT TO SEE: Salice Terme, renowned spa and Varzi, with its charming medieval village.
Gastronomy and wines
The traditional dish of Pavese cuisine is the Pavese soup, boiling broth with eggs and croutons; fried frogs or stewed frogs (in a sauce) and snails (cooked with garlic and parsley) are also very popular; also excellent are the cured meats (cotechini, liver mortadella, to mention the Varzi salami), SalaMe d’Oca di Mortara and Borlotto beans from Gambolò. Do not forget the fish from Po and Ticino: carp, pike, tench, perch. Among the wines it’s worth noting the D.O.C. from Oltrepo Pavese such as Barbera, Cortese, Bonarda, Buttafuoco, Sangue di Giuda.
