Pavia

The rivers are the great protagonists of this land: the Po and the Ticino, which divide the three territories: Lomellina, Oltrepò and Pavese, all worth a visit.
Lomellina, on the right side of the Ticino, immediately evokes rice cultivation and the presence of water.

The province of Pavese is almost completely identified with its main city, Pavia, a city rich in art, history and culture that is famous for its university, its splendid covered bridge and the Certosa. Finally, Oltrepò, which after a few kilometres of plains on the right side of the Po, begins to climb along the valleys covered with vineyards and castles, as far as the thick woods of the Pavese Appenines on the border with Emilia Romagna.

Here the traveller proceeds in a symphony of colours, looking towards gentle slopes that seem to herald the sea, with vineyards that, in all seasons, make one think of the wealth of the area, the DOC wines, bubbling and genuine like the people of Oltrepadna.

From the red wines to the spumanti, each one accompanied by the various dishes and products of the local gastronomy that combine the influence of nearby regions in a very original amalgam. Surely the many notable personages who sailed the ancient "salt way", the way that transported this precious condiment from the sea to the plain, tasted these dishes that transported this precious condiment from the sea to the plain.

Among them were Hannibal during the Roman era, the troubadours from Provencal, Dante Alighieri who was the guest of Malaspina in the castle of Oramala, S. Alberto di Butrio in whose hermitage, almost hidden in the charming woods of the Appenines, humble pilgrims and the mighty of the earth found comfort of silence and solitude. Relaxation, reflection, culture and ancient flavours ? once visited, the Province of Pavia will be difficult to forget!