Varzi: Medieval Heritage, Trails and Flavours in the Staffora Valley

Varzi in the Staffora Valley

Varzi is located in the Staffora Valley, in the heart of the Oltrepò Pavese. The town combines a medieval historic centre with distinctive routes through the landscape and a regional speciality whose name is known beyond the municipal boundaries.

A Historic Centre with Medieval Traces

Varzi’s medieval historic centre preserves architectural evidence of eight centuries of history in its churches, towers and castle. This historic fabric is particularly vivid along the old streets. Via del Mercato is lined with two rows of arcades built between the 14th and 16th centuries.

Along Via della Maiolica, the street borders the base of Varzi’s defensive wall. A structure projects from the wall there; it has loopholes that were used for aiming weapons. Vicolo Dietro le Mura forms a tunnel above the medieval defensive wall. The houses there have their main entrance on Via Porta Nuova. These spatial relationships make a walk through Varzi especially tangible: walls, passages and houses form a closely interconnected townscape.

Torre Malaspina and Views over the Valley

The Torre Malaspina was built between the 12th and 13th centuries at the instigation of the Malaspina family. The Torre Malaspina on Piazza del Municipio in Varzi’s historic centre is also known as the Torre delle Streghe. When open to the public, its viewing terrace offers a 360-degree view over Varzi and the Staffora Valley. If you would like to combine historic architecture with an overview of the surrounding area, this tower is one of the defining landmarks of the historic centre.

Greenway, Via del Sale and Calanchi

The completed Voghera–Varzi Greenway reaches Varzi and is 33 kilometres long in total. The hillier section from Salice Terme to Varzi is 19 kilometres long. This means that two different distances are relevant when planning a cycling or walking tour, and you can take them into account when choosing your route.

The Via del Sale also begins in Varzi and heads towards the Penice and Brallo passes. The Via del Sale is approximately 70 kilometres long. The “Tour I CALANCHI di NIVIONE” offers a different impression of the landscape. It leads through the Calanchi, spectacular ridges of clay and silt shaped by time and rainwater. Together, these routes showcase different aspects of the surrounding area: a developed Greenway connection, a long pass route and geologically shaped landforms.

Salame di Varzi DOP

The Salame di Varzi DOP is part of the local character. It is a raw, cured, coarse-grained sausage made from lean and fatty pork. In addition to the municipality of Varzi, after which it is named, the production area includes 14 other municipalities in the mountainous Oltrepò Pavese of the Province of Pavia in the Lombardy region. This speciality thus anchors Varzi in the food culture of the wider area as well.

Discover More Places

More places for planning your trip: Santa Margherita, Romagnese, Settimo, Dorno, Santa Maria Della Versa, San Giorgio di Lomellina, Gambolò, Mortara.

To the overarching travel overview: Pavia.