"Fornovo and Pavia battlefields" Topic

I am going to Italy in a few weeks and want to visit the Fornovo and Pavia Battlefields. I will be staying in Parma and Milan. Has anyone been to these? Will I need a car or, will local bus service get me to them? Are there in museums, local monuments or, local experts to contact. Should anyone know of other sites pertaining to military history in the region, I would be very appreciative of any suggestions. I can speak some Italian

From Parma you can get to Fornovo by train or bus. I think train is better, you could hire a bycicle in Parma and board it on the train. link

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Thanks for the information on the bikes. This seems like a great idea. I will also try to get some good pictures to share.

Hi sfumatoabacus…I studied in Pavia for years…You must see the Visconti Castle, with the nice Museo del Risorgimento!
Milan is plenty of monuments, historical sites and museums….are you mainly interested in the Renaissance? or what?

Ciao 7th Bersaglieri. I am very interested in all aspects of Italian Art and history. I have been wargaming the Renaissance period recently so I decided to make that the focus as my time is limited. Will traveling from Milan to Pavia by bus or train be difficult? The castle sounds very interesting. Is it close to the town?

Ciao Sfumatoabacus, the castle is in the town itself. You will find it easily.
The Dome is worth a visit, as well as the Sant'Eusebio crypt (VII Century; Pavia was a huge center in the High Middle Ages, the capital of the Kingdom of the Lombards).
The "covered bridge" is a classic, although it dates back only to 1949 (the XIV century original has been destroyed during WW2!).
Another classic is the church of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, with the tomb of Saint Augustin (the arch of Saint Augustin in the church is a fascinating artistic masterpiece), and of the philosper Severinus Boetius.
The unviersity also is full of art and monuments (although I was more interested in girls…ehm…!:-))
If you have some spare time, I suggest a visit to Vigevano, another beautiful city with a GREAT Dome.
Travelling from Pavia to Milan by train is easy, and the travel lasts about just mere 25/30 minutes.
If you have questions/doubts, I'm here.
CIAO!

hello sfumatos, if you are interested in the Great Italian wars, well many battlefields are within 1 hour – 1 hour and half by car.

At Pavia you could move with a bike. The battlefield is in the outskirts. If you have Osprey Pavia 1525 Campaign you can get an idea with the 3D map inside.

Fornovo battlefield is very close to the original as it is in countryside. The river Taro follows the highway (that connects Parma to La Spezia) and you can have a good idea of the battlefield (better of course if you walk about, but I think you need a car anyway to reach teh area).

Other battlefields you could visit are:

Marignano 1515 (nowdays Melegnano, about mid way between Pavia dn Milan). Actually the battle was fought in the San Giuliano area, particularly at Zivido village(where the old church, 15th Cent., is worth a visit as many dead where recovered there, you can see hundreds of skulls of soldiers who perished in the battle!!!).

Agnadello 1509. The battlefield is well preserved as they are fields. You can visit a small chapel out the village that was erected by Louis XII. The chapel is on a small rise, where probably the last resistance by the Venetians took place. But to see the battle you have to reach the nowdays cemetery and follow the street tha exit the village along a small stream. That was the main battleline.

Anyway I live a few miles from Agnadello and if you want to see the battlefield just drop me an e-mail at dadiepiombo@libero.it

Bicocca is now a suburb of Milan, only buildings.