Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Founded by the Romans as a military garrison, Pavia has long been a strategic city both
geographically and politcally. It sits at the centre of an agricultural plain (hence its ugly
periphery), is an important provincial player with strong Lega Nord leanings, and its uni-
versity (founded in the 14th century) is one of the best in Italy. Aside from its buzzy, stu-
dent atmosphere, Pavia has a lovely historic centre and is the location of the extraordinary
Carthusian monastery, the Certosa di Pavia.
Certosa di Pavia
(Pavia Charterhouse; 0382 92 56 13;
www.certosadipavia.com
;
Viale Monu-
mento; donations appreciated; 9-11.30am & 2.30-5.30pm Tue-Sun)
is one of the Italian Renais-
sance's most notable buildings. Giangaleazzo Visconti of Milan founded the monastery,
10km north of Pavia, in 1396 as a private chapel and mausoleum for the Visconti family.
Construction proceeded in a stop-start fashion until well into the 16th century, making this
a prime example of the transition from Gothic to Renaissance.
While the interior is predominantly Gothic, the exterior is Renaissance. The church is
fronted by a spacious courtyard and flanked by a small cloister, which itself leads to a
much grander second cloister, under whose arches are 24 cells, each a self-contained liv-
ing area for one monk. Several cells are open to the public. In the chapels you'll find fres-
coes by, among others, Bernardino Luini and the Umbrian master, Il Perugino.
Sila
( 199 153155;
www.sila.it
)
bus 175 (Pavia-Binasco-Milano) runs services from
Pavia bus station (Via Trieste) and Certosa di Pavia (15 minutes, at least seven daily).
Plenty of direct trains from Stazione Centrale link Pavia with Milan (€3.80, 25 to 40
minutes).
Monza
POP 120,000
Known to many as the home of a classic European Formula One track (where high-speed
races have been held annually in September since 1950), Monza is sadly overlooked by
visitors to Milan, but history and architecture buffs are rewarded.
Monza racetrack
( 039 2 48 21;
www.monzanet.it
; Via Vedano 5, Parco di Monza; race tickets adult
€10-20, reduced €8-14, use of circuit €45; 8am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mar-Sep, 8am-1pm & 2-6pm Oct-
Feb)
, which you can actually drive on most days in winter, is worth visiting, as is the
Gothic
Duomo
( 039 38 94 20;
www.duomomonza.it
; Piazza Duomo; corona ferrea adult/reduced €4/
3; 9am-noon & 2-6pm)
, with its white and green banded facade, which contains a key
early-medieval treasure, the
Corona Ferrea
(Iron Crown), fashioned according to legend
