Via Francigena: The 'Road of Battles' from Vercelli to Pavia
A 60-kilometer stretch of the Via Francigena from Vercelli to Pavia is proposed as a 'Road of Battles,' linking three key historical battlefields: Palestro (1859, Second Italian War of Independence), Mortara (773 AD, Lombards vs. Franks), and Pavia (1525, Habsburg vs. France). The route passes through Robbio, with Romanesque churches San Pietro and San Valeriano, and Mortara, site of the legendary battle where Carlo Magno defeated the Lombards. The Sant'Albino abbey in Mortara, built over a 5th-century pieve, holds frescoes from 1410 and an urn with remains of two men carbon-dated to around 1000 AD, possibly pilgrims. The itinerary also includes Lomello's basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and ends at Pavia's Ponte Coperto. The article highlights the potential for archaeological research and a visitor center at Sant'Albino's foresteria.
Key facts
- The Via Francigena segment from Vercelli to Pavia is 60 km long.
- The route includes battlefields at Palestro (1859), Mortara (773), and Pavia (1525).
- At Palestro, Franco-Piedmontese forces defeated Austrians on May 30-31, 1859.
- Mortara's battle in 773 AD saw Carlo Magno's Franks defeat the Lombards under King Desiderio.
- The Sant'Albino abbey in Mortara was built over a 5th-century pieve dedicated to Sant'Eusebio.
- Frescoes in Sant'Albino date from 1410, attributed to 'Yohanes de Midiolano.'
- An urn in Sant'Albino contains remains of two men carbon-dated to around 1000 AD.
- Pavia's battle on February 24, 1525, resulted in the capture of Francis I of France by Charles V's forces.
Entities
Artists
- Benedetto Antelami
- Agostino de Fondulis
- Ferdinando Bialetti
- Tommasino da Mortara
- Giovanni Maria Crespi (il Cerano)
- Giovanni da Milano
- Alcuino di York (Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus)
- Sant'Albino di Angers
- Sant'Albino II (bishop of Vercelli)
- Paolo Diacono
- Michele Moscardin
- Giulio Carlo Argan
- Thomas Villa
Institutions
- Artribune
- Soprintendenza
Locations
- Vercelli
- Pavia
- Italy
- Canterbury
- Rome
- Palestro
- Lomellina
- Robbio
- Mortara
- Tromello
- Lomello
- Milan
- Lombardy
- Pianura Padana
- Sesia River
- Ticino River
- Sant'Andrea (Vercelli)
- San Pietro (Robbio)
- San Valeriano (Robbio)
- San Michele (Robbio)
- Santa Maria de Campo (Mortara)
- Sant'Albino (Mortara)
- Santa Maria Maggiore (Lomello)
- Ponte Coperto (Pavia)
- Duomo (Pavia)
- Borgo Ticino
- Cappella Rinuccini (Florence)
- Santa Croce (Florence)