Located in the Po Valley, on the banks of the Ticino River, Pavia is one of the most charming cities in Italy. Its urban core, corresponding to the Roman Ticinum, is still easily traceable in the chessboard structure of the city’s main roads.

The first city walls emerged around the third century, then were enlarged and reconstructed in the tenth century to include new districts all around the city.

But the expansion of Pavia did not end here. In the third century, this important center in Lombardy expanded its walls once again to incorporate new villages built near its perimeter.

The polygonal center of the city emerged in the sixteenth century, following the architecture of the Spanish bastions. However, its demolition began in the twentieth century to allow for the enlargement of the main streets.

It is safe to affirm that the modern development of Pavia began in the second half of the nineteenth century with the first industrial plants.

Today, Pavia’s economy is based on its industries; at the same time, the city is home to one of the oldest universities in the world and is a history-rich city to discover.

PREHISTORY OF PAVIA

The first documented populations to ever settle in the Pavia area belonged to the Golasecca culture, extending up to the territory of Liguria. Around the fourth century BC, these civilizations merged with the Celts, and according to the classic Roman and Greek historians, they settled in a Gaul tribe on the banks of the Ticino River.

The founders of the ancient pre-Roman settlement probably belonged to the culture of the Levi or Marici.

However, there is no reliable data regarding when and how the city was founded. What is certain is that isolated Roman settlements probably existed in the area as early as the second century BC. From an analysis of the remains of the early infrastructures and sewage system, historians agree that it is possible to attribute the foundation of Pavia around the year 89 BC.

The Romans gave the city the name Ticinum, a municipium of great importance in the era. What is particularly striking about Pavia is that it still preserves its original Roman plan and the remains of a large circular structure believed to have been an amphitheater.

During the military operations against Alaric, the Roman Empire transferred part of its military force here between 406 and 407 AD. This operation highlights the importance of Ticinum which, from a subordinate of Milan, became the main player in Northern Italy.

This area later saw the battle that marked the end of the Western Roman Empire.

HISTORY OF PAVIA

With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Pavia fell under the occupation of the Goths, but the Byzantine general Narses reconquered Ticinum on behalf of the Eastern Roman Empire. However, the Byzantine occupation ended quickly, and Pavia passed to the Lombards in 572.

The new rulers changed the name of the municipium from Ticinum to Papia, a name from which the modern Pavia was derived.

One of the most important cities in the peninsula, Pavia became the capital of the Lombard Kingdom, a position maintained up to the Carolingian age, despite the Kingdom being destroyed in 774 by Charlemagne.

Furthermore, the movement of the imperial capital from Milan to Ravenna also helped Pavia grow its military role.

Then, the birth of the Ostrogoth Kingdom in Italy enhanced Pavia’s role even more. The city, together with Ravenna and Verona, became a royal seat. From 540, it also became the seat of the court and of the royal treasure, and it is here that three Ostrogoth kings were elected.

During the battles against the Byzantines, Pavia distinguished itself as the most important military center of the Ostrogoth Kingdom; with the Byzantine victory, Pavia became the definitive capital of the Lombard kingdom in the early years of the seventh century.

During the Lombard period, the city underwent profound topographic changes that included the abandonment of the classical age forum and the creation of new Christian worship buildings. In fact, the main phenomenon that affected the urban topography in Pavia during those years consisted of the foundation of ecclesiastical buildings, including churches and monasteries.

Staying true to its role of capital, Pavia also housed the vast majority of the royal tombs. The Lombard failure to affirm a single ruling dynasty resulted in the construction of even more churches, erected by the sovereigns to serve as their burial place.

As a royal residence, Pavia also greatly influenced the vicissitudes of the episcopal see. However, the dependence of the Bishop of Pavia on the Bishop of Milan led to conflicts. Nevertheless, episcopal power in the city gained its autonomy from Milan towards the end of the seventh century.

The city remained the residence of the sovereigns of the Italic kingdom after the fall of the Lombard Kingdom, between the tenth and eleventh centuries. This role often led to conflict with Milan; however, this role became the heart of the civic identity and ideology in the communal age, above all during the reign of the House of Visconti.

Despite all the struggles though, the relationship between Pavia and Milan remained quite friendly until the second half of the tenth century when King Hugo invited the Archbishop of Milan to the royal palace in Pavia with the intent of killing him.

This episode marked the beginning of rivalries and struggles between the two cities, with Pavia still enjoying greater privileges among royalty.

In fact, the marriage between Otto I and Adelaide was celebrated in Pavia. During their reign, the city enjoyed a flowering period of development, gaining a fundamental function of the crossroad of trades of luxury items and food.

The commercial traffic was favored above all by Pavia’s position on the banks of the Ticino River. Ships could easily reach the Po River and the Adriatic Sea from here.

However, this period was about to come to an end. At the beginning of the eleventh century, the city was devastated by Holy Roman Emperor Henry II.

Despite the struggles though, the city did not lose its importance. In 1018, Pope Benedict VIII summoned the council of Pavia for the condemnation of simony and ecclesiastical concubinage. In parallel, the city started to develop a Ghibelline spirit and did not join the Lombard League in the future events against the Guelph faction, but it always remained faithful to the Imperial army.

The city participated in the destruction of Milan in 1162, it took part in the Battle of Legnano, and it offered residence to Frederick Barbarossa during his reign.

Pavia also supported Frederick II against the second Lombard League and participated in the siege of Parma, and in the first half of the thirteenth century, it showed once again its faith towards royalty.

All these events led Frederick to grant the municipality great autonomy. The city formed its own government, a jurisdictional power, and even implemented its own taxes.

As such, the true arrival of Frederick II in the city was celebrated triumphantly. During his permanence, the city had a revival of its ancient traditions.

Most of the urban elite in Pavia remained aligned with the Ghibelline party until the end of the fourteenth century, while the military of the city continued to grow. In fact, the beginning of the fifteenth century found the city capable of mobilizing about 3,000 knights and more than 15,000 infantry soldiers, a fairly high amount for the time.

The power of the city gave birth to an expansionist policy that turned to the military conquest of Lomellina and of part of the County of Tortona.

During the tumultuous years following the death of the future Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1402, the Count of Pavia, Filippo Maria Visconti, found refuge in Pavia. However, the Doge’s troops managed to succumb the city, forcing the count to assign political control to a condottiere.

In the following decade, the city fell victim to the plague, an event that led Pope Martin V to move the council to reform the church from Pavia to Siena.

In 1447, Filippo Maria Visconti died, leaving no heirs nor a successor. This marked the end of the Duchy of Milan but also of Pavia, which fell under the control of the new Lord of Milan, Francesco Sforza.

Sforza granted privileges to the first Jewish community, established in the city in 1387. However, the privileges ceased with the arrival of the French insurrection when, after the victory of Ravenna, Pavia passed again to the imperial side.

Nevertheless, the first three decades of the sixteenth century were tragic for the city. In 1515, Pavia was conquered again by the French, who imposed a heavy ransom on the city. Seven years later, it fell under the control of Sforza again. However, the citizens fought back; they formed an urban militia and resisted until the arrival of Charles V.

The new emperor fortified the city, and the new walls served well during the famous battle of Pavia in 1525 when the imperial troops defeated the French. This earned Pavia the gratitude of Charles V of Habsburg, but only for a short period of time.

The rest of the century passed with changes of faith between Pavia and the French until the Peace of Pavia was concluded in 1617.

This peace put an end to the war for the succession of Monferrato, when Ferdinand Gonzaga of Mantua, supported by Spain, was assigned as ruler of Monferrato.

After a brief period of peace, Prince Tommaso Francesco of Savoy, supported by the Duke of Modena, attacked Pavia. He failed to conquer it despite the rather scarce military resources of the city; however, the city remained under different foreign dominations.

After a brief siege at the beginning of the eighteenth century, Pavia was occupied by the Austrians, who kept it under control for almost the entire century, with a few brief periods when it passed under Spanish and respectively French domination.

During the Austrian period though, the city lived a true revival after the decay of the seventeenth century. As a result, during the second half of the century, Pavia became the largest cultural center in Lombardy.

First sacked by Napoleon, the University of Pavia soon became his center of interest; Napoleon created the Military School for Infantry Officers and an Artillery School here in 1803. However, after the brief Napoleonic age, Pavia returned under Austrian domination.

From this point until the second half of the nineteenth century, the city developed its infrastructure, including the canal between Milan, Pavia and Ticino, an irrigation canal that contributed to the further development of the city.

The revolutionary movement of 1848 was harshly repressed by the Austrians, and in March 1848, the Kingdom of Sardinia gained control of the city.

At the end of the century, after the annexation to the Papal State, Pavia saw its first industrial developments, including the largest Italian factory of synthetic silk.

At the beginning of the twentieth century the city witnessed the victory of the Socialist Party; then the city was captured by the fascists.

Pavia played an important role during World War II, majorly as an ally of the fascists and German troops. The battle for the liberation of Pavia took place on April 26, 1945, when the fascist commanders surrendered to the partisans.

After the liberation, the National Liberation Committee of Pavia took possession of the prefecture, and the first Allied troops entered the city on April 30 in the same year.

In the post-war period, Pavia knew true industrial development; at the same time, the university also grew in its prestige, while the city also started to broaden its horizons, concentrating on the development of the services and tourism sectors.

ARCHAEOLOGY IN PAVIA

The first remains of the ancient civilizations in Pavia date from the prehistoric era, and allegedly belong to the Golasecca culture. However, historians could only document a permanent history of the settlement since the Roman era.

The Roman legacy is still visible in many open-air spots around the city. Pavia still preserves its original lines shaped by the Romans, and still bears testimonies of the past.

One of the most noteworthy remains is a round plat, believed to have been an amphitheater.

From the Roman age, there is also abundant evidence of the importance of the city. Under the Church of San Tommaso, there are remains of a large edifice, perhaps thermal baths, not yet archeologically investigated.

The museums of the city are also home to rich collections of artifacts both from the prehistoric era, the Roman age, and the Middle Ages.

A noteworthy collection is that of the Roman Glass housed in the Archaeological Museum of Pavia. Furthermore, the Civic Museum of Archaeology and the Civic Museums in the Visconti Castle also hold important collections that can conquer the heart of any archaeology enthusiast.