Environs Bed & Breakfast italy
Vacation rental

B&B Italy
Vacation Rental

The hills and mountains near our Bed & Breakfast Italy vacation rental

Get away from Milan

Walking to Santa Maria della Versa

Cigognola

Varzi

Bobbio

The Ticino river at Pavia

Pian del Poggio

Grapes in the vineyards near the Villa B&B

Sunday lunch at an italian restaurant vakantiehuis italie

Ravioli

Certosa di Pavia

Vigevano

Bergamo

Camoglia

The Oltrepò Pavese

Villa I Due Padroni is situated in the province of Pavia, Lombardy. The southern part of this province is called the Oltrepò Pavese.

"Oltre (il) Po" means literally: on the other side of the Po. The Po is the major river that dominates the large plain, the "pianura padana" of Northern Italy.

South of the Po the plain quickly becomes hilly: this area lies at the foothills of the Ligurian Alpes and the Apennines. The Oltrepo actually is the largest wine producing region of Lombardy.

Our Villa lies in an enchanting landscape of smooth hills that are covered with vineyards and that offer magnificent views.

A stay at our Villa invites you to:

hike and cycle in the area around the Villa
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explore the hills of the Oltrepò by car,
(read more)
make one-day excursions to historic cities, mountains, the great lakes or the Mediterranean.
(read more)

Around the villa

Leaving the villa you immediately step into the vineyards and will enjoy the tranquility, the magnificent views and the lovely weather. Sometimes the sky is so clear that you can see the Alpes 150 km away!

You're free to walk through all the vineyards, people put up fences only around their houses. Nobody will be surprised and stare at you if they see you strolling among their vines. On the contrary, they will greet you friendly and start a conversation.

This means that you can walk in any direction: to Santa Maria della Versa, Lirio and further. We will be pleased to give you some ideas for interesting hikes, ranging from an hours stroll to a day-trip. The walks that we have already done ourselves and have described, you can find in "Hiking in the Oltrepò Pavese".

Italians love race cycling. A popular cycling route runs by the villa: for the passionate cyclists and mountain bikers this area is ideal and challenging.

Of course, you can also make short trips by car. The roads are not busy. En route, hiking, cycling, or by car, you can hardly miss the many bars, restaurants, trattorias or what else there is to cater for the hungry and thirsty.

Many wine farms offer the opportunity to taste the local wines: a "degustazione".

You should definitely try it!
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The hills of the Oltrepò

The approx. 1100 km² of this area are covered with vineyards, small villages, castles and forests. From the flood plain of the Po the hills gradually rise to a maximum height of 1700 meter (Monte Lesima).

The region is intersected by several rivers and brooks that define the valleys: Valle Staffora, Valle Scuropasso, Valle Versa and Val Tidone.

If you are not in a hurry you can explore the region by:

visiting villages and cities
(read more)
taking a walk in the country side
(read more)
tasting its delicious food and wine
(read more)

Villages and cities

The plains south of the Po are an integral part of the Oltrepò. Still on these plains there are several small cities such as Stradella, Broni, Casteggio and Voghera where you can find most of the shops and markets.

Among the the many small villages and hamlets of the region there are a number that are more outstanding and worth a visit:

Santa Maria della Versa, a centre of viniculture with its "grapperia" La Versa
the historical city of Varzi, famous for its hand-made 'salami' sausages
Zavatarello, with its medieval castle (open on sundays)
the charming and beautifully restored "borgo" of Fortunago
Salice Terme, a traditional spa with medicinal waters
and many others

Just over de provincial border lie the hills of the province of Piacenza with their own character, also worth discovering. Bobbio, the cultural heart of this mountaineous region definitely deserves mentioning.

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Nature

Pavia Province and the Oltrepò region have several nature reserves and protected areas which can easily be reached by car from the villa within an hour, such as:

the nature reserve of the Ticino valley which runs from the point where the rivers Ticino and Po flow together (a few kilometers from Broni), to the Lago Maggiore further north,
the peak of Pietra Corva and its surroundings including the botanic garden with a special collection of alpine plants
the protected area of Monte Alpe
the area around the small ski-resort of Brallo di Pregola

A popular and lively meeting point (especially on sundays) is the Penice Pass.

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Food and drink

Italy is famous for its fantastic cuisine. The Italians themselves are often convinced that theirs is the best in the world and we have to admit: the food here can be quite delicious, especially in those places like the Oltrepò where there is no massive tourist industry.

Usually, the dishes are being served that the Italians themselves prefer and be assured: they do not take anything less than the best!
When you trust and take the advice of your host, you will have a memorable meal. You dont have to worry over costs. Generally, prices are much less than in the average restaurant at home.

On a sunday afternoon people often go out for an extensive lunch which can take hours with all its different courses. It worthwile to join the Italians in this sunday pleasure and have yourself surprised in a trattoria by the cooking skills of a local "casalinga" (housewife).

A beautiful wine should of course accompany any good meal. Concerning this aspect of the 'good life' you can eat your heart out in the Oltrepò. This region has a number of notable wines relatively unfamiliar outside Italy, like the Bonarda, Barbera and Buttafuoco wines. A specialty of the Oltrepò red wines is that they are also available in a fizzy version, the 'frizzante' or 'vivace' wines.

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Excursions

Villa I Due Padroni is centrally located in Northern Italy making it possible to visit within one day one of the larger cities, the great lakes in the north, or even the Mediterrenian.

Cities
For a day out in the city, Pavia is the first choice with respect to location of the villa. Pavia is a charming, and historic city with a good mixture of sights (don't miss the old university buildings!) and shops. Of course there are plenty of restaurants and bars, for instance in its central square, Piazza Vittoria with its many terraces. We have been living in Pavia for half a year and can provide you many suggestions where to go in Pavia.

There are a few must-see sights in the vicinity of Pavia: the monastry of Certosa di Pavia (according to the Guide Michelin worth the detour!) and the beautiful Renaissance-square of Vigevano.

Further away but still within a two-hours driving distance lie the cities of Milan, Genua, Turin, Bergamo, Parma and Piacenza.

The lakes and the sea

Several of the great northern italian lakes can easily be reached within one day, like Lake Como, Lago Maggiore and Lake Lugano at the Swiss-Italian border.

An Italian holiday without dipping into the Mediterrenean is hardly imaginable. Fortunately, a day-out to the sea can be done quite easily from the villa, as we know from experience.

For the passionate sun-bather there is a fast route to the beach via the motorway, but it is definitely worth the effort to take the long and winding road through the Ligurian Alps. There is hardly any traffic and this three hours scenic route to the sea offers spectacular mountain views.

Finally you reach Chiavari, where you can find pleasant beaches. At the end of the afternoon you drive along the coast to Portofino and Camoglia. A dinner on the beach during sunset is then a perfect closure of a wonderful day.

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