A fortress of the thirteenth century. Narrow alleys. The spa waters. On Lake Garda, Sirmione is a harmony of history and beauty

Between history and art: from Valcuvia man to erratic boulders

A balcony over Upper Lombardy, from which to admire a romantic sunset

Pizzighettone is an extremely interesting village with very peculiar characteristics. Thanks to its natural position it seems similar to a town, crossed by a big river a defended by its walls. Till some years ago the walls were entirely covered by the grass but then, thanks to the involvement of an Association called Gruppo Volontari Mura ,the walls were restored. Now it is possible to visit them.The guided tour generally starts from the external ditch. The area, which in the past was occupied by the Serio Morto’s water, is nowadays a nice garden where you can go for a walk or participate to some shows or concerts. The walls of Pizzighettone are particularly interesting because, inside of them, it is possible to organize some events and exhibitions.

An ancient town in the province of Varese on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore.

Several testimonies of a past rich in history, all to discover

A small center of Lomellina, located between the territories of Vigevano, Mortara, and Cilavegna, Parona has about 2,000 inhabitants, spread over an area of 9.34 km² at an altitude of 113 meters above sea level (click here for the map of the town center). Parona is an ancient village that has transformed in just a few years from a rustic and somewhat "old" town into a modern, dynamic, and welcoming municipality. Over the years, the town’s economy has gradually changed: from being an agricultural center, it has slowly become a town of small artisans and entrepreneurs, as well as a residential area for the many workers employed in nearby Lomellina towns. Parona is redefining its identity, yet it remains a small, human-sized town immersed in countryside that creates ever-changing and charming landscapes, with unique features that deserve to be discovered. Notable is the Parish Church, dedicated to St. Peter the Apostle, rich in valuable frescoes. In the altar of the Madonna, within a beautiful golden wooden urn, there is a 1700s wax figure of the Baby Jesus (pictured here in a Christmas exhibition). This figure was placed in the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and laid down on Christmas Eve in the very spot where the shepherds worshipped the celestial infant. The church also houses the majestic painting "Tibi dabo claves" by the painter from Parona, Lorenzo Toma. The same artist created the fourteen panels of the Stations of the Cross along the central nave. Also characteristic is the Church of San Siro, no longer used for religious services, whose bell tower (pictured above) is considered a symbol of Parona, having been chosen as the emblem depicted on the packaging of the "Offelle di Parona." Parona also once had a Castle, home to several feudal families, of which little remains today. Among the notable architectural works, Piazza Nuova stands out (pictured here); inaugurated in 1989, it gave a new look to the town center. Despite these changes, the marks of Parona's rural past are still evident, reminding us of a not-so-distant time when daily life was hard but simple and genuine, with traditions passed down from father to son, of which the religious aspect was essential. A common thread that connected everyone was the language, the dialect, spoken by everyone, from the elderly to the children; this dialect is now almost extinct among the younger generations. To discover the rural past of the town, it may be interesting to visit the eastern part, where traces of Parona's rural world can be found, starting with the Santo Spirito mill, followed by nearby farms still in operation: the Cascina Castello, also called "Cascinino," and the Cascina Scocchellina (pictured), named after archaeological finds, "cocci," in the surrounding area. There is also Cascina Scoglio, which houses several marble sculptures inspired by rural mythology from the late 1920s, as well as frescoes depicting the four seasons. Along the state road to Vigevano, there's Cascina Naïna, now a restaurant, where, in addition to the decorations on the buildings, the chimneys are very similar to those in Vigevano’s Piazza Ducale. The traditional culinary aspects of the area are harder to find, although in recent decades, both in Parona, with the now-famous Sagra dell'Offella, and in other Lomellina towns, various events are held to rediscover and protect typical local products. From an environmental perspective, noteworthy are the Acqualunga Forest with the nearby Newborn Park and the Rampi Forest. In addition to the already mentioned Lorenzo Toma, there are other notable figures who were benefactors of our community in the 19th century and have linked their names to part of the history of our small town. Culturally, several literary works by local authors are worth mentioning: some research on our village by historians Mario Rampi and Angelo Gravanaldi, two poetry collections by Lino Negri and Paola Bellavite, a fairy tale published by Carla Masutti, and a publication for children ("Il mio paese") published by the Pro Loco, which every year donates copies to the children in their first year of elementary school. The municipal historical archive has also been fully restored. Finally, we cannot overlook the events organized by our Pro Loco throughout the year, first and foremost the aforementioned "Sagra dell'Offella" on the first weekend of October, whose first edition dates back to 1969. More recent, but equally attractive, are two other major events: "Parona téra böna," held on the first Sunday after Easter, and "Un paese per giocare," on June 2. The latest event organized by Pro Loco is a grand "Treasure Hunt." (Source: Proloco Parona www.parona-lomellina.it) Photo: Alessandro Vecchi / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Olevano di Lomellina is a small municipality in the province of Pavia, located in the region known as Lomellina, between the Po, Sesia, and Ticino rivers. It is a town with ancient origins, whose existence has always been tied to agriculture, which still remains the main activity today. The vast plain of Lomellina, where Olevano stands, stretches between the Ticino, Po, and Sesia rivers: "a strange, unsettling, and fascinating land that offers visitors vast spaces, great silences, and wide horizons, so rare in Italy." Here, everything has been built, transformed, and organized by man with infinite and centuries-old patience; by nature, this land of springs would be an impassable swamp: and indeed, it was such for centuries. Then, the monastic communities in the Middle Ages, the feudal colonization in the 1200s, and the great agronomic reforms introduced by the Sforza family, who experimented with rice cultivation in the second half of the 15th century, turned Lomellina into a mosaic of rich cereal fields. To serve this vast cultivation, a complex system of canals and ditches was organized, and typical closed-court farmhouses, characteristic settlements of industrialized agriculture in the Po Valley, were built. Today, the laborious cycle of rice cultivation, based on transplanting and cleaning the grain by the rice women (mondine), in fields previously planted with forage, with continuous crop rotation, is just a memory; fertilizers, herbicides, and mechanical means have greatly simplified the work cycle, which begins in April with leveling, flooding, and sowing the rice directly in the rice paddies, and ends in September with the harvesting, threshing, and drying of the grain. Even though the "singing" rice women have disappeared and the number of croaking frogs has greatly decreased, the Lomellina region still retains a fascinating, discreet charm in its vast, deep, and mysterious spaces, scattered between sky and water. In 2018, the Museum of Art and Agricultural Traditions was inaugurated. It collects the most significant objects from the Lomellina agricultural world from the 1800s to the 1960s. It is housed in a renovated rural building, once used as a stable and hayloft, located on Via Uberto de' Olevano, in front of the Medieval Castle. On August 15 and 16, during the feast of Saint Roch, the Sagra del Salam dla Duja is held, featuring the typical pork salami preserved under fat in terracotta pots. "La duja" is a clay pot in which salamis, made with pork, salt, and pepper, are dried and aged for about a month before being placed in the pot and covered with lard. SOURCE: MUNICIPALITY OF OLEVANO DI LOMELLINA Photo:  Solaxart - Preboggion - Milano 

The municipality of Mezzana Bigli is located in southern Lomellina, a short distance from the left bank of the Po River, near the confluence of the Agogna River. Amid the tranquility of the Lombard countryside lies Cascina Erbatici, a large agricultural complex now used as a conference and event center. WHAT TO SEE The parish church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was built in the early 19th century in Neoclassical style and was renovated by Frascaroli in 1970. The restoration focused on both the architectural structure and the conservation of paintings by Raggi (in the apse area) and Gambini (in the naves). The splendid Baroque-style high altar, upon which stands a highly valuable wooden crucifix, was commissioned by Countess Anna Confalonieri and made from the finest marbles. In the presbytery, two paintings depicting the stories of Saint John and Saint Peter Martyr can be admired. In the naves, on the right side, there is a precious altar with marble inlays, housing a statue of the Virgin Mary. On the left, the baptistery features a stone cover supported by marble columns. Notable elements include the 18th-century walnut sacristy and the Lingiardi organ. The church in the hamlet of Casoni Borroni, dedicated to Saint Mary of the Assumption, was commissioned by Anastasia Biglia in the late 16th century. It was later enlarged and renovated by Fulvia Biglia in the 18th century. A large painting in the choir, depicting a majestic image of the Assumption of the Virgin, is of particular interest. It is attributed to Gaudenzio Ferrari (1475–1546). Though difficult to confirm with certainty, as Callegaris suggests, the attribution is not entirely unfounded for several reasons: first, a work by Ferrari is preserved in the church of Silvano Pietra, and it is well known that his students worked in Lomellina. Additionally, the presence of prominent Milanese families in the region may have brought valuable artworks to rural churches. The parish church in the hamlet of Balossa Bigli was commissioned by Marquis Crivelli in 1820, expanding an oratory that had existed since 1752. Originally built with a single nave, it underwent several renovations and expansions over the years. In 1895, a sacristy annex was added to the left of the presbytery; in 1905, the right nave was added and the old sacristy was enlarged. Finally, in 1922, the left nave was completed.

A Renaissance Gem in the Heart of Lomellina

A stop along the Voghera-Varzi railway, which was active between 1931 and 1966 and has now been converted into a cycling and pedestrian path