The small town of Pavia is about 30 minutes south of Milan. We drove down because we wanted to attend church with someone we know and ended up spending the rest of the day in the area. We visited a castle, a monastery and the town Duomo. Our day in Pavia ended up being the only sunny day of our trip and as a result we didn't see much of Milan which is ironic since that was our destination.
The Details
Address: Castle Visconti Viale XI Febbraio 35 27100 Pavia
Cost: 6e/9e family ticket, includes art exhibits
Hours: 10am-6pm/July-Aug 9am-1:30pm
Time: 1.5 hours
The castle has a mote around it which has recently been excavated.
Built in 1360, the castle or rather citadel was another Visconti home. The grounds are huge, the architecture ornate and the walls painted in all sorts of shapes, patterns, and colors. The castle now houses several art exhibits. We toured the archaeology and art wings. Is it the worlds greatest art? No, but we found a few gems and enjoyed the peace of being one of a handful of visitors.
Someone had a fascination with this fire breathing, man eating dragon because he is everywhere. As a matter of fact, I am thinking he may have been the family symbol or coat of arms, because we found him carved in stone at the Certosa di Pavia, another Visconti property, just a few miles up the road.
Here is the dragon again on a dark blue painted ceiling.
If you look closely you can see more of the dragon.
The Beggar...this painting spoke to me. I love the sweet look on the child's face, the tender way she holds onto the man and the begging hand seems to almost come right out of the painting.
I liked this one as well. The way the artist plays with light, her face is luminous.
The Duomo of Pavia is not in the best condition. The exterior is in disrepair and the faded interior is under renovation. The Romanesque Cathedral was begun in 1488 and it is said that Leonardo di Vinci had a hand in the design of the project.
Fourth largest dome in Italy
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