In Val Tidone, where the Apennines slope down towards the Po, the millenary stones are set in one of the most evocative settings of the Oltrepò Pavese whose rows of vines bring to mind Umbrian or Tuscan landscapes.

It is a valley suspended in time, where history can be read everywhere: in the agricultural landscapes shaped by man and in the castles; in the ancient parishes and the abbeys.

Here stands Zavattarello (PV), a village with a very old military tradition evidenced by the recently restored Jacopo Dal Verme castle; the walls and towers of the village testify its strategic importance for the Vermesco State.

The imposing fortress overlooks the ancient village clinging to the hill. The east exposure enhances the warm and clear colours of the sandstone and the tints of the walls marked by time that blend with the changing tones of the surrounding forest. From its terraces and tower you can enjoy breath-taking views of the surrounding area. All in stone, with walls more than 4 meters thick, the fortified ricetto, the stables, the church and its 40 rooms, the Castello Dal Verme certainly deserves a visit.

Going down the square, you can see stone buildings - the old medieval houses - that preserve the original urban structure. The village, partly still surrounded by walls, is crossed by a narrow street and numerous passages to the fortress towards the fortress.

On the other side of the village is the Romanesque church of San Paolo, with a remarkable wooden altar, ancient altarpieces and relics of saints; on the back, instead, the octagonal cemetery, a valuable work for the harmony of proportions, which houses the chapel of the Dal Verme family, who strenuously defended the glory and the local people.

BORGHI PIÙ BELLI D’ITALIA #INLOMBARDIA