S. Alberto di Butrio Abbey
The Abbey, founded in the 10th century, shows religious and historical elements of great interest. The place is strictly connected with famous people, (such as King Edward II and Frederick Barbarossa) as well as artistic elements (the cycle of frescos dating back to the 13th century, the bell tower and the medieval cloister) together with naturalistic elements of rare beauty: the abbey is in fact, surrounded by a centuries-old wood of chestnuts and oaks.

The village of Varzi
Varzi is located in a strategic position on the hills: the ancient route of the “salt way”, the commercial way that from the Padana Valley, through the Valle Staffora led to the ports in Liguria.
Varzi became very important during the Middle Ages, when in 1275 it became the seat of the marquisate of the powerful Malaspina family that controlled the flux of the merchants in transit. The remains of the medieval plan are evident in the narrow lanes, in the low arcades and in the high towers, such as the Sottana tower, the Soprana tower and the Malaspina tower.

Oramala Castle
This impressive structure dates back to the 11th century when it was built by the Marquises Malaspina and became their residence. The castle was an important cultural centre, a meeting place for poets and minstrels, such as the famous troubadours from Provence. Dante in the Divine Comedy and Wolfang Goethe wrote about the Oramala castle. Legends and dramatic events surround the history of the castle, the most interesting of which being that of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa who, followed by the troops of the Lombard League, found shelter in Oramala Castle.

Tidone Valley
Monte Penice: visit the Virgin Sanctuary. The church has a very ancient origin, and it dates back to the 7th century when S. Columba the founder of the near-by monastery in Bobbio, chose this place to build a welcome place for pilgrims on pilgrimage to Rome or the Holy Land along the Francigena way. The sight on the Appennini, on the Padana Valley and on the Alps is fantastic from this site and includes Trebbia valley, Tidone valley and Staffora valley.

High Staffora Valley
Prodongo is a small village at the foot of Mount Lesima, the highest peak in the Appennino Pavese. An ecologic trail starts from Prodongo, following the so-called “Hannibal way”.
Hannibal’s army walked on these mountains with its elephants moving towards the river Trebbia, where the famous battle against the Roman army was fought. According to a legend, Hannibal was wounded in his hand and since then the mount was called Lesima, from the Latin “lesa manu”.

The way to the hills
The way that runs along the Ardivestra valley offers the sight of a landscape of intense naturalistic beauty and the sight of the beautiful Pieve Romanica of S. Zaccaria. It runs as far as the coast of Fortunago from which the Appenni as well as the small village of S. Ponzo can be seen.
S. Ponzo has an ancient Celtic origin: it was the place where the first persecuted Christians found a shelter. A spring of miraculous water was believed to be there. The La Versa Valley can be reached through the hills.

Certosa di Pavia
The Certosa is a very important example of Lombard Renaissance. It is located at about 8 Km from Pavia. Its history is strictly connected with the noble Lombard families Visconti and Sforza.
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, “Conte di Virtù”, had it built as family mausoleum. The basilica is a precious example of the passage from Gothic to Renaissance style. The beautiful marble façade is covered with statues and bas-reliefs, mullioned windows and spires. Inside, a marvellous, endless gallery of works of art: the wooden choir, the ivory triptych of the old sacristy, the frescoes by Bergognone, the altar-pieces of the side chapels. The attached monastery of the Carthusian monks is now given to the community of the Cistercian monks. The two wonderful cloisters date back to the XIV-XV centuries ( the larger one with its 23 cells). The Certosa was completed by the Sforza family in 1451.

Piazza Ducale and Duomo di Vigevano
The square in one of the most beautiful ones in Italy. It was designed by Bramante and the Duke Lodovico il Moro had it built as a noble hall to the castle since 1492. It is one of first examples of Renaissance squares and, at the same time, one of the few examples of squares designed as a unitary architectural work: it is one of the most impressive urban solutions of the 13th century. The square is a long rectangle about 134 metres long and 48 metres wide, surrounded by arcades held by 84 columns with elaborated capitals, each different from the other. The Duomo, dedicated to S. Ambrogio, looks over piazza Ducale. It was completed in 1080 with a concave façade in pure baroque style.