The best walks and hikes around Certosa Di Pavia

The Certosa di Pavia is a treasure located in the heart of Lombardy, along the Naviglio Pavese. This historic monumental complex, which includes a monastery and a sanctuary, is an unforgettable experience for anyone who loves art and history. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, with a break from 11.30am to 2.30pm, the Certosa offers visitors the opportunity to admire the beauty and majesty of this place.

The Certosa di Pavia is a treasure located in the heart of Lombardy, along the Naviglio Pavese. This historical monumental complex, which includes a monastery and a sanctuary, is an unforgettable experience for anyone who loves art and history. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, with a break from 11.30 to 14.30, the Certosa offers visitors the opportunity to admire the beauty and majesty of this sacred place.

hydraulic closures between roggie and naviglio

The Certosa di Pavia is a monastery and complex in Lombardy, Northern Italy, situated near a small town of the same name in the Province of Pavia, 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Pavia. Built in 1396–1495, it was once located on the border of a large hunting park belonging to the Visconti family of Milan, of which today only scattered parts remain. It is one of the largest monasteries in Italy. Certosa is the Italian name for a house of the cloistered monastic order of Carthusians founded by St. Bruno in 1044 at Grande Chartreuse. Though the Carthusians in their early centuries were known for their seclusion and asceticism and the plainness of their architecture, the Certosa is renowned for the exuberance of its architecture, in both the Gothic and Renaissance styles, and for its collection of artworks which are particularly representative of the region. Gian Galeazzo Visconti, hereditary lord and first Duke of Milan, commissioned the building of the Certosa to the architect Marco Solari, inaugurating the works and laying the foundation stone on August 27, 1396, as recorded by a bas-relief on the facade. The location was strategically chosen midway between Milan and Pavia, the second city of the Duchy, where the Duke held his court, at the end of the Visconti Park, which connected the Certosa to the castle of Pavia. The church, the last edifice of the complex to be built, was to be the family mausoleum of the Visconti. It was designed as a grand structure with a nave and two aisles, a type unusual for the Carthusian Order. The nave, in the Gothic style, was completed in 1465. However, since the foundation, the Renaissance had spread in Italy, and the rest of the edifice was built according to the new style, redesigned by Giovanni Solari, continued by his son Guiniforte Solari, and including some new cloisters. Solari was followed as director of the works by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, (1481–1499). The church was consecrated on May 3, 1497. The lower part of the façade was not completed until 1507. The construction contract obliged the monks to use part of the revenue of the lands held in benefice to the monastery to continue to improve the edifice. Consequently, the Certosa includes a huge collection of artworks of all centuries from the 15th to the 18th. In 1782, the Carthusians were expelled by the Emperor Joseph II of Austria, and were succeeded at the Certosa by the Cistercians in 1784 and then by the Carmelites in 1789. In 1810 the monastery was closed until the Carthusians reacquired it in 1843. In 1866 it was declared a National Monument and sequestrated by the Italian State, although some Benedictines resided there until 1880. The monks currently living in the monastery are Cistercians admitted to it in the 1960s. It's very impressive to visit this unbelievable monument anytime, and the visit it's free. At the end you'll pass through the shop and I suggest you to buy the famous alcoholic drink made by the monks.

Place of worship and prayer, cultural, tourist and historical Via del Monumento, 4, 27012 Certosa di Pavia PV 0382925613

don't forget to say hello to the Certosa cats

Wonderful monastic complex dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie. Not to be missed if you ride on the Pavese canal

The Certosa di Pavia is a historical monumental complex that includes a monastery and a sanctuary. It is located in the municipality of the same name of Certosa di Pavia, a town about eight kilometers north of the provincial capital.