Pavia & Reggio Emilia - Definitely Not Tuscany!
The trip to Switzerland is long, and only one of the TandemSprits drives, so we stop somewhere along the way both going to Wildhaus and coming back. Last year it was Ferrara and Bergamo. This year we chose two new places to explore. In addition to giving us a rest from being in the car, it gives us a chance to explore some places we normally might not consider for a holiday.
Both Pavia and Reggio Emilia can be described as medium-sized towns with similar architecture and they are not-at-all like Tuscany or other more familiar destinations.
Our first stop was in Pavia on the way up to Wildhaus. It is a decent sized city, about 35 km from Milano.It is a University town, and during the middle ages it was known as the city of towers as it once had 65 tall towers like the ones you see in San Gimignano. They were built by noble families between the 11th and 13th centuries. Twenty-three exist in some form today. Many were reduced in height and connected to other buildings.
The day we arrived we walked into town to see the covered bridge which crosses the Ticino River. This bridge has a long history There was a Roman bridge here once. Then a larger bridge was erected in 1354. As is the case with many bridges, it was heavily damaged during WWII and the current bridge was erected in 1949. It has a walkway on each side and seemed to be a popular place for teenagers to hang out and make out.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and Santo Stefano is huge.It has the second largest dome in Italy, just behind the one in Florence. It was begun in 1488 and not completely finished until 1930. The stations of the cross are all beautifully carved wood, as is the wood around the Pulpit.
Below are a few pictures of the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary (which is absolutely beautiful) and the Marble chapel of San Siro.
We had dinner at Nuova Panarea, a restaurant close to our hotel. We split a shrimp cocktail for an appetizer, then Virginia had veal Marsala, which brought back memories of her mom Julie who would always order this dish if it was on a menu. James had a grilled Orata. Everything was delicious.
Certosa di Pavia - A Very Impressive Monastery
The next morning we drove a few miles out of town to see the Certoso di Pavia, an enormous church and monastery that was built n 1396 by the Duke of Siena, Gian Galeazzo. The important thing about this site is that you have to arrive when it opens at 9:00 am. Around 10:00 am, one of the Cistercian monks opens the gate in the church and gives a tour of the entire church and monastery. We arrived at nine, went through the church, Santa Maria della Grazie, and also went into the museum on site. The museum has the plaster casts for all of the marble statues and reliefs on the facade. It was interesting to be able to see them close up.
The monk who led the tour was quite engaging. The gated areas of the church had some beautiful works that you wouldn’t normally be able to see.
You are not allowed to take pictures inside the church, but the web site has some excellent photos.
The tour of the monastery was also fascinating. Each monk had a small living space with a living area that includes a fireplace and a desk, a bedroom, and an outdoor space in the back. Meals were placed in a small cabinet just outside the door.
Reggio Emilia - We Usually Drive Right By
For the return trip we stopped in Reggio Emilia which lies between Modena and Parma. We’ve been through this region (Emilia-Romagna) many times but we have never stopped in Reggio. The first thing that impressed us were enormous Piazza della Vittoria and Piazza Martiri del Luglio when you emerge from the parking lot.
We stopped into a a few churches and walked around town. In the center of town, one side of the street was lined with portici. We had a very nice aperitivo at Bar Savage. They had a huge assortment of gins. The picture above is the main historic square in Reggio. The church (below) is called St. Francesco (simple)!
We wandered into the Basilica della Chiara which is a beautiful church.
Being mid-August, most merchants were closed as were most of the restaurants; however, after a long walk through the city center we found Marconina and we enjoyed an excellent dinner. Virginia ordered the Tortelli di Zucca con Soffrito and I ordered Bomba di Riso della Reggiana. We ended with gelato made in-house.
