Top 10 Hidden Gems Things to do in Province of Pavia, Lombardy

AqQua Canoa & Rafting SSD is an association that provide guide to visit Ticino River in the "Parco del Ticino". Class 1 river is a perfect trip for everybody, child included by 3 years old. We does trip by 1h to 2 days trip, in the Ticino Park we'll find over 2.400 species of animals and 1.200 plant species also for this reason Ticino Park is UNESCO heritage. All our guide are certificated by Italian Rafting Federation, Italian Canoe Federation and in first AID.

Since 1857 our family has cultivated 16 hectares of vines using eco-sustainable methods: mechanical weeding, seasoned manure, picking by hand. The grapes ripen in a healthy and balanced environment. Nothing is added to the must in the cellar and the use of sulphites is kept to a minimum. The resulting wines are genuine with a strong personality. We have a tasting room on the premises where the visitor may sample the wines, with advice as to how best they should be served to get the maximum satisfaction. “We know how to put you in the right frame of mind!”.

The arch-structure of the Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory of Cà del Monte, harmonically fit into the hillside in order to be a non-invasive human intervention, is conceived to build a continuous dialogue among research, teaching and popularization of scientific culture.For this reason, different rooms (the central dome of the planetarium, the two side domes and the theater) are connected in the activities of observation (from collecting and processing data to communicating them to different users), to achieve a plural look at reality. The central dome (diameter 7.5 m) hosts 70 seats and has a digital new-generation planetarium to screen full dome movies: the planetarium is an excellent tool to aid the knowledge of the sky (its apparent movements, its wonders) and to experience distances and astronomical phenomena thanks to simulations and movies.

A natural park rich in woods, prairies, and with dozens of ponds, where thousands of wild birds come both for nesting and as migrant. Moreover we breed rare species of birds (White stork, European spoonbill, Glossy ibis, Stilt, Avocet, Otter, Red squirrel) and reintroduce the youngs into the wild. Often we keep our animals in large aviaries where we try to reproduce natural environment with ponds, woods, fishes and so on. The tropical section is dedicated to plants, mammals, birds, reptiles from the rainforest. We specialize in hummingbirds. We have a large aviary where butterflies and hummingbirds roam free, foraging in thousands of flowers. Our specialty includes european kingfisher, dipper, all european sturgeons, pike, birds of paradise, cocks-of-the-rock, lammergeier. Every days (except on thursdays) hawks and falcons fly free. Visitors are introduced in the park thru the medieval castle built in the XI century, still intact but enlarged during the XV.

Splendid eighteenth-century aristocratic mansion, museum of art and costume, the Castle of Chignolo Po, called "the Versailles of Lombardy", contains important and valuable evidence of the lavish world of the nobility of Lombardy and Venice.The spectacular baroque courtyard, large frescoed halls of the Tiepolo's school, the refinement of the stucco and decorations, the tower with its dominant male turreted mole, all immersed in a sweet rural scenery make this monument one of the most important historic houses Italian.

Entirely stone-made, with walls up to 4 metres thick, the Castle of Zavattarello is a titanic building, an astonishing medieval fortress that resisted numerous sieges. From the terrace and the tower you can see a breathtaking panorama of all the surrounding land: green fields, deep woods, high mountains and low hills with other castles - Montalto Pavese, Valverde, Torre degli Alberi, Pietragavina. From here, you can understand well why they decided to build this stronghold here, in such a strategic place. The solid fortress overlooks the ancient village clinging to the hill, that once was without trees to allow the castle defenders a better control against enemies. Now, instead, the wood surrounding the building is a protected area, a 79 hectares park.We invite you to come and discover the beauty and the history, the art and the architecture, the past and the future of this fully restored medieval castle. Events, ceremonies, exhibitions, parties, conferences make these rooms alive, where ancient and modern merge, creating a unique emotional twine.

Nel 1494 Ludovico Maria Sforza detto il Moro offrì a Beatrice D’Este sua sposa un dono assai particolare: il Mulino di Mora Bassa di Vigevano.Nel manoscritto H di Leonardo Da Vinci, dedicato prevalentemente allo studio dell’acqua, il nome di Vigevano compare più volte. Per esempio gli appunti riguardano una «mulina da Vigevine». Al mulino il visitatore si trova immerso in un suggestivo luogo ricco di interessanti richiami di storia e leggenda: il Duca Ludovico detto il Moro incontrava, lontano dalla corte ducale, la giovane dama Cecilia Gallerani, modella di Leonardo Da Vinci per il famoso dipinto “La dama con l’ermellino”. All’interno del mulino LA CITTA’ IDEALE ha allestito una esposizione permanente di MACCHINE funzionanti DI LEONARDO DA VINCI grazie a Dario Noè che con lo studio dei disegni dei manoscritti, sapienza artigianale, ingegno e passione ha costruito circa 50 macchine e ancora ne sta realizzando. L’esposizione concede al visitatore l’ opportunità non solo